Operation Snowball

In keeping with the holiday spirit, Kaitlin's Cauze has decided to commence Operation Snowball.

Three years ago, prior to Kaitlin's own diagnosis of epilepsy, she started a "pay it forward" Christmas project. It was her way of spreading a little Christmas Joy.  Less than two weeks after starting her project, she had her first seizure which was then followed by a diagnosis of epilepsy on December 17th, 2008.

This year we decided to have another go at it, and include different twists.  Our reasoning is simple: it's Christmas!!! We believe that by focusing on others, it helps take our minds off of our own problems.

Operation Snowball (the name was suggested by Kaitlin's brother:) is a pay it forward type of project.  The mission, should you decide to accept, is simple...  Simply choose a stranger or a person in need, for a random act of kindness from YOU. 

You may do any type of act of kindness that you want.  The one exception is: no home-made food. 

1) You can give a gift, money, or do something nice for a stranger.
2) All random acts of kindness MUST be done anonymously.
3) A Kaitlin's Cauze note must be included with whatever act you do. It is up to you to figure out how to include the note in your act...

FOR ALL PEOPLE WHO HAVE RECIEVED AN ACT OF KINDNESS OR GIFT, these are your instructions:

1)  Pay it forward using the instructions above.
2)  Leave a comment under this blog post and tell us where the snowball landed (the act of kindness) example: the snowball landed in Orlando, Florida.  You may then describe what happened to you, if you want. example: the snowball landed in Orlando, Florida when a complete stranger paid for my lunch.
3)  Please visit: Kaitlin's Cauze to learn more about epilepsy

Operation Snowball will end at midnight on December 25th. Kaitlin is hoping to have a lot of participants!!!! 

We want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

Epilepsy Awareness Month

Kaitlin riding her favorite coaster.



Did you know that circumstances can change in the blink of an eye?  Did you know that November is Epilepsy Awareness Month?

The picture shows me riding one of my favorite roller coasters at Hersheypark.  The roller coaster is Storm Runner, and it launches you from 0 to 72 mph in just 2 seconds flat. In TWO seconds my body goes from a standstill to 72 mph.  Crazy huh?

That's what epilepsy does to a person too.  A seizure can start in less than 2 seconds.  In fact, every 3 minutes, someone is diagnosed with epilepsy.  Did you know that?  Circumstances CHANGE in the blink of an eye. 

My circumstances changed on Decmeber 13, 2008.  In less than 2 seconds my brain went into a seizure, leaving me unconscious and slumped in my sister's lap. In less than 3 minutes, my life changed forever, and my first tonic clonic seizure was over.  In less than 1 day, my parents became afraid of the unknown.  In less than 1 week. not only was I given the official diagnosis of epilepsy, but I was started on my first seizure medication.

And here I am, almost 3 years later...

November is Epilepsy Awareness Month.  In addition to learning a few facts about epilepsy, I am also making a special request: please consider making a small donation to any of the organizations listed to the right of this post.  These organizations/foundations are on the move.  They are providing services to people like me.  They are saving lives, including mine.  They are researching epilepsy and SUDEP and trying to find a cure.

Not another moment lost to seizures.  Please. Help.

Love,

Kaitlin

Trans Siberian Orchestra donates to the Epilepsy Foundation

Trans Siberian Orchestra

Every year the Trans Siberian Orchestra hits the highway for their annual winter tour.  If you've never been to one of their holiday concerts, you are missing out on some amazing, jaw dropping, head banging music.  They have somehow managed to combine opera, orchestra, and  heavy metal into one unforgettable performance.  Highly recommend!

TSO just isn't about the talent. They GIVE back to the community. Every year, during every concert, in each community they play in, they donate $1.00 from EVERY ticket sold to local charities/organizations.  Let me assure you, they sell out the "house".  In my area, we are talking TWO concerts with a crowd of 15,000 PLUS.

This year Kaitlin's Cauze decided to contact the radio station that sponsors the TSO concert in our area.  The request was simple: please consider choosing the Epilepsy Foundation of Central PA as a recipient of this year's donation.  What better way to raise epilepsy awareness than in front of a crowd of thousands?  WINK 104's John O'Dea came through and the request was approved! 

Our local Epilepsy Foundation has been notified and will handle the details.  We are hoping the news of this donation was a  nice surprise for them. We appreciate what the foundation does for the epilepsy community and this is our way of saying "THANK YOU".

If you live in the area, make sure you catch one of the concerts at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA on November 20th.  Make some noise when the check is presented! Maybe we'll see you there!

Access Denied...

We've been taking Jack to Hershey Park all summer long and have never had any problems until the other evening.  Security have never questioned our entrance into the park and the employees inside the park have always been respectful of my service dog.

We've even taken Jack to Hershey Chocolate World, which is on the same property as Hershey Park.  We've never had any problems with any of the employees while at Chocolate World either.  They've never questioned me or the presence of Jack.

This past Friday we were on our way into the park when a security guard asked to see Jack's papers.  My mom nicely informed him that he was violating ADA by making such a request.  The security guy wasn't as nice in his response and stated that he had the right to ask for Jack's papers because we were on "private property".  My mom calmly told him that under the American Disability Act, Hershey Park was considered a public accessible area for us.  The guy continued to argue with my mom which started to embarrass me slightly.  I felt like I was on display for everyone around us to listen and watch.  My dad decided to end the scene by showing the security guy Jack's papers  so we could get in.

After seeing the paperwork, we were allowed to enter the park and start our evening of fun.  Kind of...  because my mom could not seem to drop the subject and kept bringing it up. Over and over again.

My mom explained to me that under the ADA, a place of business may NOT request to see documentation as proof that an animal is a service animal.  The ONLY questions that may be asked are: 1) is the animal required because of a disability and 2) is the animal trained to perform tasks to help the person with the disability. She also explained that his questioning of Jack was in violation of my rights according to the ADA and according to our state law.

My mom has sent a formal complaint to the corporate office of Hershey Park outlining the violations of my rights as well as the state and federal law which protects my rights.  My mom is optimistic that this will be resolved in a friendly manner and that we will not have to endure such treatment in the future.

Stay tuned.  I'm sure I'll be posting a follow up...

Onward and Upward...

In spite of outside attempts at interference into Kaitlin's Cauze, we just wanted to let our viewers know we are still going strong and we are NOT going anywhere.  In fact, you can check out our new logo to the right of this post:)

Some important dates are coming up this week and we want to make sure you are aware...

Tuesday, September 20th from 4:00 to 9:00, Kaitlin's Cauze will be hosting "Kaitlin's Family Fun Night" at Friendlys on High Pointe Blvd.  Proceeds raised will benefit a local woman who is raising money for her own seizure response dog through Susquehanna Service Dogs. Stop by for dinner or just for ice-cream; make sure you stop by and say hello to Captain "Jack" Sparrow, Kaitlin's service dog in training, from Noelle's Dogs Four Hope.  We will have some pretty cool items in our drawings, so make sure you check out our table that will be located at the entrance.

Sunday, September 25th from 10:00 to 1:00, Kaitlin's Cauze will be holding Pennsylvania's First Annual Chelsea's SUDEP Awareness Walk, at Shank Park in Hummelstown.  Kaitlin has coordinated this walk to take place at the exact same time the Colorado walk will be taking place.  Again, lots of pretty amazing items will be in our drawings and you won't want to miss the opportunity to win a Caribbean vacation! Money raised from this event will go directly to the Chelsea Hutchison Foundation. 

If you would like more information regarding the walk, please email Kaitlin at: kaitlinscauze@comcast.net

We hope to see you at one or both of these events!!!!

Chelsea's Creations

Chelsea Hutchison
September 28, 1992 - April 19, 2009



As promised, details of a new project are being announced.  We have been given the green light by Julie Hutchison to create and publish a cookbook with all proceeds going to the Chelsea Hutchison Foundation in Colorado. 

This book will not only be full of recipes but will include many surprises as well.

We are accepting recipes from everyone.  Please feel free to send your favorite recipes to kaitlinscauze@comcast.net  Make sure to include the name you want listed under your recipe in our book:)  You can send as many recipes as you like.

We are also accepting favorite recipes for the ketogenic diet, the modified atkins diet, and peanut free diets.

Thanks in advance!
Kaitlin and Caroline

Chelsea's Walk

Kaitlin's Cauze is organizing the very first Chelsea's Walk for SUDEP Awareness in PENNSYLVANIA on September 25th.  We decided to have our walk at the exact time Colorado will be doing their walk.  Chelsea will be leaving a lot of footprints that day.

Kaitlin's Cauze is a proud supporter (and big fan) of the Chelsea Hutchison Foundation.  They are helping people gain independence by offering financial assistance to individuals who wish to get a seizure response dog.  They are also providing parents with peace of mind by helping to provide funds for EMFIT monitors.  And they are speaking out and raising awareness about SUDEP.

Please consider hosting your own walk for Chelsea in 2012.  Contact ChelseasLegacy@aol.com for details.

Captain Jack Sparrow

12 week old Golden Retriever

Meet Captain Jack Sparrow, named after my favorite actor's character:)  Jack came to me from Noelle's Dogs Four Hope in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

After much research into different service dog organizations we decided to use Noelle's Dogs Four Hope.  There are many awesome service dog providers out there and I recommend that you do your research before making any decisions.  I also recommend that you are compatible with your trainer.

Noelle's Dogs Four Hope allow their clients the opportunity to puppy raise their service animal in training.  Because of this opporunity to puppy raise, using Noelle's Dogs Four Hope as my service dog provider was the best choice for ME.

WHAT JACK IS:

Jack is a service puppy in training.

Jack is a working dog.

WHAT JACK IS NOT:

Jack is NOT a service dog.

Jack is NOT a family pet.

Jack is NOT a cat:)

Jack is NOT a dog to be dressed in clothes.

Raising a puppy is life changing.  I have to be willing to change my schedule and activities to include Jack.  If I cannot take Jack with me, then I stay home. Raising a puppy is hard work and requires my attention at all times. I am responsible for all of Jack's care. I feed him, clean up after him, provide training and exercise, and make sure he is ready for all of his vet appointments. Puppy raising is not for everyone.  Please do not make this decision if you are not willing to put the time and effort into it.

I have had  Jack for 4 weeks.  I have trained him to: come to me when I call him, sit, lay down, do automatic sits, puppy push ups, greet people nicely, lay under the table during meals, potty on command, and short sit/stays and down/stays.  He also knows how to watch me, leave it, target, get it, and bring it. These are just some of the basic commands needed for Jack for the future.

I am excited to have this opportunity to train my own dog in basic obedience and public access.  When Jack is a year old he will return to Colorado for further seizure response and water rescue training.

Thank you to everyone who has offered me and Jack encouragement.  I will try to keep everyone updated on his progress through the upcoming year.

Love,

Kaitlin and Jack <3

Chelsea's Legacy

This week I was privileged to attend the annual Chelsea Hutchison Foundation dinner and silent auction.  Chelsea passed away unexpectedly from SUDEP two years ago.  She was only 16 years old.  Since then her parents have started the Chelsea Hutchison Foundation in memory of Chelsea.  They raise awareness about SUDEP, give grants to people who are getting a seizure alert/response dog, and pay for EMFIT movement monitors for those in need of one.  The benefit this week, from what I hear, reached it's goal of raising 50K.

I was invited to attend this event and tell my story.  I am honored to be part of such a great foundation and I am leaving Colorado today with a promise to myself to work harder at raising epilepsy awareness and money for this foundation.

I have met so many awesome people this week, most of which I know from facebook.  This week has been nothing short of amazing. 

Alice, a seizure alert/response dog who alerted to my seizure at the event.

Me and Julie, Chelsea's mom.

Me with Robert and his seizure alert/response dog, Patches.

I also got to meet my new puppy that will be trained as my seizure response dog.

I am sad that we are leaving Colorado today but I am looking forward to seeing all of these wonderful people in less than 2 months.

Chelsea must be smiling down from her heavenly view, happy at the people she is bringing together...

Candid Talk With Kait

QUESTION: "How old were you when you started having seizures?"

KAITLIN: I had my first tonic clonic seizure on December 13, 2008.  I was 11 years old.  Up till that point I was your typical, healthy kid:)

There's no such thing as failure, only learning experiences...

As most have already heard we made the decision to allow Echo to resume his family dog status in our household.  He's an awesome dog but we could tell that he just wasn't happy going shopping:)  I would much rather have a happy pet than a stressed out dog.

My parents and I have been talking about getting a true service dog and we are pursuing our options.  My mom would love to have some peace of mind that comes with a service dog.  For her, the alert isn't as important as the response piece of it.  She said she will rest easier when I'm out and about if I have a trained seizure response dog by my side.  She knows she has to let me spread my wings but would feel much better if I spread my wings in the presence of a canine companion...

Training Echo has been a great experience for me.  I've learned a lot through various trainers we have worked with.  We plan on moving onto advanced training with Echo using our current trainer, Rob.  He's phenomonal with Echo and Echo enjoys his training sessions.  This will give me experience for future endeavors. :)

Candid Talk With Kaitlin

QUESTION:  "can you remember before you have a seizure... do you know if you have had any strange tastes, smells, or sounds they could indicate a seizure coming on?"

KAITLIN:  HA!  That's the question I get asked every time I have a seizure.  No, I don't have any type of "aura" before my seizures.

Candid Talk With Kait

QUESTION:  "I know you are home schooled now, have you ever gone to public school? Are you home schooled because of your Epilepsy?"

KAITLIN:  I have been homeschooled since the second half of kindergarten.  I just wanted to be like my big brother who was in 7th grade at the time he asked to be homeschooled.  Yes, I tried public school in 4th grade for 3 months and HATED it.  I enjoy the freedom of home schooling.  And of course, sleeping in every day has its benefits:)  I was diagnosed with epilepsy a little over 2 years ago. So no, I am not home schooled because of my epilepsy.  My mom always gives me the choice each year of continuing with home schooling or going to public school and each year my decision is always the same: HOME SCHOOL. :)

Candid Talk With Kait

QUESTION: What does it feel like to have a seizure?

KAITLIN:  I have three types of seizures.  I have simple partial seizures which create intense stomach pain and nausea.  Sometimes they make me throw up and I sleep afterward.  Sometimes I don't throw up and just sleep from it.  And sometimes I don't throw up or sleep but am kind of "out of it" as in I am a little clumsy, tired, and just feeling "blah".  I also have complex partial seizures.  These are hard to explain but I'll try.  I don't feel these coming on and don't even know I'm having one until after it's over and someone tells me I had one.  I hear everything and think I'm responding to people but I'm really not.  It's kind of like the world is moving in slow motion.  What others see is that my head and eyes turn left and my left arm might stiffen and I appear to be staring.  I am usually a little tired after these but I don't usually fall asleep.  I usually feel 100% better within an hour of this type of seizure.  The last seizure type I have are tonic clonics.  I don't feel these coming on and I don't know they are happening.  I don't remember them either.  When I come out of a seizure I am really, really tired and my muscles are really, really sore.  Sometimes I am more tired and more sore than other times.  What others see is that I usually start by having a complex partial and it spreads to a tonic clonic.  Right now it is possible that I am still having multiple seizures a day that I'm not aware of and that my parents are not aware of.  My last VEEG showed that I was having 50 + smaller seizures a day.  They are so short (3 seconds) that I don't even know it's happening and chances are you wouldn't know it's happening if you were looking at me when it happened.  Seizures don't cause me any type of pain when they happen.

Candid Talk With Kait

Over the next few weeks I will be taking some time to answer some questions that others have asked regarding epilepsy.  My goal is to help people affected by epilepsy and help them realize that life doesn't have to change all that much.

QUESTION  #1:  What's it like having epilepsy?

KAITLIN'S ANSWER:  Having epilepsy doesn't feel any different then when I didn't have it.  I am still me.  I take medicine every day to control my seizures.  It's important that I take my medicine every day, on time, so I don't have break through seizures.  My mom tries to get me to eat healthier, but I'm a picky eater so that's a challenge.  I have cut down on processed foods (JUNK FOOD and FAST FOOD) and have also decreased the caffiene and sugar intake.  I also make sure I get plenty of rest.  I still like everything I liked before my diagnosis such as: art, music (drums and piano), video games, swimming, roller coasters, and being with my friends.  Epilepsy doesn't change how I feel or what I like, it's simply something I have that makes me unique.  1 in 100 people will be diagnosed with epilepsy.  I am 1.  I think that makes me pretty darn special.  I refuse to let epilepsy control me, I do the best I can to control it, and that's all I can do.  I refuse to be afraid of having seizures. 

Looking Up and Moving Forward.

Training has been going well with Echo.  Although he didn't alert to my last seizure (he was off duty and outside playing) his obedience training has been going better this week. 

Echo has good days and bad days, but don't we all?  The one thing I have to keep reminding my mom of is the fact that he's a service dog IN TRAINING.  He's going to have his bad moments but hopefully with patience and time he will start having more good moments:)  He's LEARNING how to be a service dog.  This is all still new to him but he is adjusting and learning.

Yesterday was probably the best day we've had in training.  We took advantage of the weather and had him out in public areas all day.  He is starting to relax and walk with confidence in stores.  His is also starting to relax around so many people.  Walking through the grocery store yesterday you would have thought he was an actual service dog and had been doing this for years.

Last night we took him to PetSmart to get more low calorie, healthy treats and he behaved well.  There was no growling or barking at other dogs, even when they were barking at him.  He stayed focused on my dad who was handling him in the store and listened to all commands.  We even did dropped leash training near other dogs and he stayed focused.  My dad put him in a sit/stay and walked away from him (my mom and I were on standby nearby just in case something went wrong), my dad called him and had him "post" and Echo executed the move perfectly.  My dad did another sit/stay and did hand signals to have Echo "come" and "sit" in front of him.  Again, even with distractions, Echo did perfectly.  My dad even walked Echo by a class of 10 dogs in training and Echo didn't even look at the dogs, he kept his eyes focused on my dad!

This has been a rewarding experience for me and my parents.  I know we still have a long road ahead with training, but we're up for it!

Two for One Update.

Last week I was at the hospital for a few days having a VEEG done.  I had electrodes glued to my head, an IV in my wrist, and a probe on my finger.  Not fun at all.  I met some really nice people that work at the hospital.  Dallas, the eeg tech was awesome.  He came to visit me every day I was there.  And the evening aide who came in every evening to check my vital signs was awesome too.

I would have gotten to go home the second day but my mom said "no".  She wasn't happy with what the doctor told her was going on.  She said it didn't make any sense.  I guess the doctor was seeing one thing on the eeg but my parents were seeing another thing with me.  My parents kept watching me (literally) that whole day, quite annoying!

I would have gotten to go home on the third day but my mom said "no".  She STILL wasn't happy with what the doctors thought.  (nothing against the doctors, mom said they are awesome- but even they said things didn't really make a lot of sense because I didn't have the typical symptoms of absence seizures).  Apparently later that day I had a BIG seizure, the nurses said it lasted about 3 minutes and they had to give me medicine in my IV to calm my brain down:)  This is what the doctors needed to see to make an accurate diagnosis, but I STILL wasn't allowed to go home that day!!!!!!

I did get to go home on the fourth day.  My diagnosis didn't change afterall from my original diagnosis.  My parents were pretty happy about that.

I was happy to go home to my dogs, cats, bed, and well... everything...

Love,

Kaitlin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We have had Echo out a lot over the last few days.  I am happy to report that he is doing an excellent job when he is out in public places.  Our neighbor, who is a dog lover and trainer, recommended to my dad that we buy a prong collar for Echo to train him to stop barking at everyone when we are out walking.  My dad did and we put it on Echo, but we haven't had to use it.  Echo seems to know what the collar is for so he acts like a gentleman.

The most amazing thing is that we have noticed Echo is laying on his side at stores and restaraunts.  This means he is relaxed and accepting of his situation.  He has not barked or growled at anyone and isn't as "hypervigilant" as he was.  He looks around but doesn't seem so stressed.

If Echo continues to do this well, I think he'll get to go to Colorado with us in April!!!!  (on an airplane:)

Love,
Kaitlin

You've Got a Friend In Me!

Gotta Have FAITH

We are beginning week four of training Echo to be my seizure alert/response dog.  Can't believe how fast this time has flew.  One thing is for sure, training is a lot of work and takes a lot of time.

We've gotten a lot of emails and facebook messages supporting our work with Echo and for those who sent them, we want to say thank you!  Your encouragement keeps us going.

I am pleased to say that Echo has been doing very well with all of the basic commands we are reinforcing.  He's even picked up a few new commands rather quickly and is doing well with those as well.  Our biggest challenge is helping Echo overcome his reservations toward strangers.  It's his breed, it's in his genes...

We don't believe in anything other than positive reinforcement with training.  This simply means when Echo does something we ask he gets praised and treated.  When he does something we don't want, we refocus him and then praise him for refocusing.

In his first week of training Echo was very scared in public places.  It was all new to him- being in stores and restaurants and being around so many people he didn't know.  In his second week of training he began to relax more and growl less at strangers.  We have completed week three of his training and I am happy to report that he is less reserved with strangers.  He's beginning to accept strangers being around him and has even let a few people pet him.

When we first started and Echo was growling at people my mom told me not to be disappointed if Echo didn't have what it takes to be a service dog.  She said it might be hard to rechannel his aussie tendencies...

Hey, mom!  You Gotta Have FAITH!!!!!

Echo Update

Echo has had a busy  week with field trips and training.  We've been doing 3 training sessions a day plus trying to get him out in the public each day.   So far he seems to be doing very well with the exception of being timid with strangers (stranger danger:) and not liking to walk on hard, cold floors. 

We've had him to a few stores and he did awesome.  He has been mostly receptive to the new situations, but has growled once or twice- not out of aggression but fear.  Echo is very timid with strangers so we need to work with him and build up his confidence so he isn't so fearful of everyone.

Last night was Kaitlin's Cauze Family Fun Night at our local Friendly's restaraunt.  We decided to take Echo for a brief appearance just so he could start getting used to places like that.  He did well for 2 hours and behaved like a gentleman, although he whined a lot.  He even laid under the table while my parents ate and left all the "food drops" alone.  A food drop is when we drop food on the floor by him and tell him to "leave it".  If he leaves it, we pick up the temptation, praise him, and give him one of his treats.  As the restaraunt got crowded Echo became more timid/stressed so my mom took him home for the evening.

Echo has been doing well with basic training and quite a few commands already.  We are currently working on him POSTING.  I'm guessing he'll have this within a few weeks.  He's an intelligently, manipulative dog that requires us to stay on our toes at all times.

Stay tuned because I will be posting a video very, very, very soon.

Love,
Kait

Echo, Service Dog in Training?

Echo, my Australian Shepherd



When I was first diagnosed with epilepsy my dad mentioned we should get a seizure dog.  A seizure dog can be trained to respond to seizures and may even have the ability to alert to an oncoming seizure.  My mom didn't think a seizure dog was needed because in the beginning my seizures seemed to be well controlled.


We got Echo last year as a family pet and had no intention of trying to train him to be my seizure dog.  He's been a great addition to our family.  Over the summer my seizure type changed and I began having more seizures.  Fortunately they seem to be simple partials and present as stomach pain, nausea, vomiting.  In November I had an unwitnessed seizure. 2 hours before the seizure happened, Echo would not leave me alone.  He kept jumping on me and following me around the house.  We didn't think anything of it and I left to see a movie.  When I came home, the same thing happened.  Echo kept jumping on me and wouldn't leave me alone and even started barking at me.  Within 30 minutes I had a seizure.


A few weeks ago I was at my friends house when I had another seizure.  I came home and as soon as I walked in the door Echo started jumping on me.  He followed me everywhere until I laid down on the couch and then he sniffed me and laid down next to me on the floor.  I didn't tell my parents, but while laying on the couch my stomach started hurting again and I got nauseated.  That was probably another seizure.


We made a family decision this evening that we will invest the time and energy into trying to train Echo to be a seizure alert/response dog.  He seems to already alert so we will need to work on other training with him. This will be a huge undertaking for us because we really do not have any experience in training. 


My mom said she would feel better when I go out if I had a seizure dog with me.  She knows that it's not always possible for my friends to go with me and a seizure dog would be peace of mind for her.


I know if anyone can do it, my family can.  I will keep you updated on our progress through this blog.


Love,
Kaitlin

Treating Service Dogs With Respect.

My mom told me of some of the challenges that people with service dogs face.  One particular story frustrated me enough to want to write about it...

Did you know that there are service dogs who have to put up with people (the general public) bullying them?  What has this world come to that some people feel it's "funny" to pick on a service dog?

Service dogs have a JOB to do and they are unable to do that job when mindless cowards are creating a distraction.  I'm talking about people jumping out at these dogs, scaring them.  Or poking them, barking at them, stomping their foot at them and even yelling at them.  Seriously?  This is what our schools allow within the confines of their 4 walls?

The particular story that I'm writing about is about a senior in high school who has epilepsy.  She takes her service dog with her because he is TRAINED to alert and respond to her seizures.  He gives her peace of mind knowing that if a seizure is going to happen, he will take care of her.  He is the reason she is able to attend school and be a normal teenager.

Yet you have these spineless bullies who feel the need to torment not only the girl, but the dog.  And the teachers DO NOTHING!  Do we need to have laws in place that protect service dogs- like a zero tolerance for dogs?

I'm only 13 years old but I know what's wrong in the world today.  Too much emphasis is placed on material things in an effort to maintain a feeling of power.  Well guess what?  I don't care about how much money you have, or the house you live in, or the clothes you wear.  Having material wealth does not make you better than anyone else and does not give you the right to bully others.

And parents... why aren't you setting a better example for your kids?  Why are you allowing them to be rude and disrepectful to others?  Why don't you STOP the behavior?  Being a parent is more than providing material things for your kids.  Being a parent means you will teach right from wrong (assuming of course that you even know what that means), it's about correcting behavior that is unacceptable, teaching that they should treat everyone equal, and teaching them to have compassion toward others.

Kids... WHY do you think it's ok to bully a service dog?  Does it make you feel superior?  Do you think it's funny?

Here's a clue- you aren't funny, you aren't even cool.  You're just ignorant.

I Resolve To...

I am like my mom, I don't typically write resolutions for the new year.  I decided to give it a go this year and see how far I get...

Kaitlin's New Year's Resolutions

1.  I will eat healthier.  Can I add that my mom is forcing me?  What's wrong with doritoes and rootbeer?

2.  I will keep my room cleaner.  (yeah right)

3.  I will devote more time to practicing my drums and keyboard.  (ear plugs anyone?)

4.  I will spend less time on my laptop.  (HAHAHAHAHA)

5.  I will remember to take my medicine without a reminder from my parents. 

6.  I will do more work with Kaitlin's Cauze- in Colorado and Florida :)