HARRISON COUNTY, Ohio


Elliana Balder, of Scio, was diagnosed with a form of epilepsy at an extremely young age.

Her mother Christa said she recognized irregularities right after Elliana was born.

"We noticed periods of excessive fussiness, periods of staring and what looked like she would just have a shiver. We would go the doctor's and they have logical reasoning for every one of those symptoms," said Balder.

While she initially brushed her worries aside, the nurse in her would not give up, and eventually doctors diagnosed her daughter with epilepsy.

"It was scary because we weren't exactly sure what that would mean for us," she said.

One of the things they quickly came to learn is that Elliana's seizures would only happen when she was asleep so Christa and her husband Jeremy have had many sleepless nights because one of them always has to watch her sleep.

While it has not been an easy road, Balder said it has been an eye-opening journey.

"I started talking about her diagnosis just at work and different things and people would come up and say 'you know, my daughter has had it since she was 3,' or 'my son has had it since he was 5.' When they say that, you don't feel so alone," she said.

Organizations that include 4pawsforability.org work to help families by providing service dogs.

"The dog is trained to sense a chemical change in the body prior to a seizure occurring. It can also sense a behavior in her that is different from normal. The dog then is trained to alert us," said Balder.

To get one of the dogs, the Balder's have to raise $13,000.

If you would like to help them reach their mark go to 4pawsforability.org and click on the "Make a dream come true" section and look for Elliana's name at the top of the list.

You can also send a check into 4 Paws for Ability with Elliana's name on the check.

The Balder plans to donate any additional funds they raise to another family in need of a service dog.