Hi, my name is Zack, I'm now 24 years old and live with my parents in Kent, UK.

My story

On the opening night of the London 2012 Olympics, just after I turned 13, I was struck down with auto immune encephalitis (Encephalitis Society) and was rushed to the intensive care unit of the Evelina Children’s Hospital (Evelina London). I was in ICU for a month but thanks to their amazing team I survived and was able to start rebuilding my life.

Unfortunately I was left with severe epilepsy (Epilepsy Society | Transforming lives through advocacy, research and care) which is resistant to anti-epileptic drugs, so has made my life incredibly difficult. I managed to get through school, but spent most of my time in the medical centre with frequent seizures, which caused terrible memory loss and made it a constant battle to learn.  

Since leaving school, life has been very isolated for me as all the friends I knew at 13 eventually moved away to university and work.  I obviously can’t drive so can’t get out on my own, and always need one of my parents with me to make sure I’m safe when I seize.

I’ve found an amazing charity (Support Dogs) who have begun training dogs who can detect seizures up to 50 minutes before the physical seizure takes hold. Due to delays from Covid, we’ve been talking to them for over three years now but I am in the final stage of being matched to a dog, who will then be trained to live and work with me 24/7 for his whole working life. I met my dog Derek this year and he will be learning to work with me in September.  I’m really looking forward to having the confidence and independence that knowing when a seizure is going to happen will give me. Having a support dog will also give me both a companion and the responsibility of exercising and caring for a dog.  

Support Dogs currently have 60 dogs qualified and working, but only 6 of these are epilepsy seizure alert dogs. Using dogs for epilepsy support is obviously a new and hopefully growing area for these amazing creatures. I’m really looking forward to being able to work with my dog and help people see how incredible this charity and the work they do is to their clients.

I really want to raise money to help this charity grow the number of dogs they train to help people like me who are suffering an often invisible disability.

About Support Dogs

Seizure alert dogs are trained to provide a reliable warning up to 50 minutes prior to an oncoming seizure. They give time for their owner to find a place of safety and privacy as they have their seizure.

Support Dogs is the only organisation in the UK to provide and train seizure alert dogs. It takes 2 years to train a support dog and costs £23,000 per dog for training, and another £2,000 per year through their 8 year working life. 

With the confidence that they will be alerted in advance of any seizure, our clients are able to live more independently. Day-to-day tasks, including going to the shops, cooking, ironing and having a bath, which would previously have been hazardous, are now manageable on their own and in safety.

About Epilepsy

Epilepsy is the most common of neurological illnesses, with over 600,000 cases in the UK. Thirty per cent of people with epilepsy are unable to control their seizures through medication. Instead they live with the fear of an oncoming seizure which can occur at any time. This fear affects everything they do, limiting their independence and ability to live an active life.

Around 1,000 people with epilepsy die each year and research suggests that most of these deaths are sudden and unexpected. The warning provided by a seizure alert dog means that a client can remove themselves from any danger and have a seizure in a safe environment.

Donating with JustGiving

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.