Meet Sam, a 9-year-old fun-loving boy with a great sense of humor.

Sam loves spending time with his family, listening to music, dancing, and gaming. However, life has been a bit more challenging for Sam than for most children.

Sam was born with sensory unilateral hearing loss, and at the beginning of this year, he was diagnosed with autism and ADHD. Alongside these, he also experiences sensory processing difficulties and extreme anxiety, including separation anxiety. These conditions impact his day-to-day life in many ways. Simple tasks that most people take for granted, such as getting out of bed in the morning, getting dressed, doing the school run, and leaving me (his mum), are major challenges for Sam. Even fun outings like going to the park or the beach can be overwhelming. These trips require a lot of preparation and planning.

Outside the house, Sam struggles with noisy environments, crowds, and meeting new people, which can be very overwhelming for him. He relies heavily on lip-reading, which requires a great deal of concentration, often leaving him tired and drained. These challenges have affected Sam's confidence, and he has found going to school extremely difficult. As a result, we made the decision to take him out of school, and he is now gradually easing back into education with support at home.

We started dog therapy, and it was amazing to see how much Sam loved being around dogs. He found their presence calming, and his stress levels noticeably reduced. It was then that we discovered Supporting Paws, a program that trains dogs to become assistant dogs. We were incredibly lucky to be accepted into the program and are excited to have an assistant dog placed with us. We truly believe this dog will help Sam gain more independence and confidence.

The assistant dog will provide Sam with much-needed comfort and companionship, assisting him in self-regulation and helping to reduce his anxiety levels. For instance, the dog will be trained to apply deep pressure by lying over Sam to soothe his anxieties. The dog will be able to accompany Sam to most places he goes—whether it's a medical appointment, shopping, or the school run—offering comfort and support wherever Sam needs it most.

All of Sam’s disabilities are invisible, which can make it difficult for others to understand what he’s going through. Having the assistant dog with his jacket on will help raise awareness of Sam’s disabilities, allowing others to better understand when Sam is struggling, especially when we're out and about.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read about Sam.

This is where you amazing people come in. Any help or support towards making Sam's dream of having his assistant dog a reality would be greatly appreciated.

How your donation helps:

The assistant dog will provide Sam with comfort and companionship.

It will reduce his anxiety levels and improve his independence.

The dog will assist Sam in daily tasks and accompany him to various places.

7.5% of all donations to Tree of Hope in relation to this appeal will be allocated to the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope to cover their core operating costs.

If we raise insufficient or surplus funds, the funds will be used, if appropriate, to support our child’s needs in accordance with Tree of Hope’s charitable objects. If we are unable to use all or part of the funds for Sam, any unspent funds will be transferred to support the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope.

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