Mother seeks help getting service dog for autistic son

Insurance won't cover $35,000 fee

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – Valerie Winkles said she lives her life around the multiple seizures her autistic son has every day and night and is afraid to leave him alone or with others because of what might happen.

Winkles said she believes she's found a solution to help her son in the form of a service dog, but her insurance won't cover it, meaning the family would have to come up with the $35,000 it would cost for one.

The Winkles family said that every day is like living on edge, never knowing what to expect.

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In addition to the seizures, Winkles' son, Justin, is non-verbal so they worry about him getting outside without them knowing and not being able to communicate.

These are all issues they said a service dog could help with immensely.

Because the seizures can happen day or night, Winkles has taken to sleeping next to her son just in case.

"I fear of putting him to bed at night because what if I don't feel him having a seizure? Or I don't hear him gasping for air? How am I gonna know? I don't want to wake up and my son be lying next to me, dead," Winkles said.

Determined to find a solution Valerie learned about service dogs.

One would be trained to alert her or someone else when Justin is having a seizure. The dog would also stay by him at all times, especially important because Justin doesn't talk.

Winkles and her mother were beyond excited.

"I would be so ecstatic. That would give him a sense of freedom without somebody constantly following him around or holding his hand or directing him. It would give him a sense of freedom. And give him a chance to be a little normal," Dwanna Woodard, Valerie's mother, said.

Their excitement was short lived however, when Winkles said she found out that the dog would cost $35,000 and wouldn't be covered by her insurance.

If they wanted the dog at a discount, or free, the wait is about five years and for a mother who doesn't work, instead taking care of two children with disabilities, it seems nearly impossible for her and her husband.

"Knowing you have to either come up with this amount of money, or wait this many years, the fear in between that time is hard," Winkles said.

That's why Winkles is using that time to raise money, and even though it's tens of thousands of dollars, she said she's not giving up for one simple reason.

"Just as a mother, you want to do what's best for your children," Winkles said.

So far, the family has raised just under $700.

Thinking about their goal of $35,000 they have quite a ways to go, but they have set up a go fund me account for people who would like to help out.

gofundme.com/olr6kg