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Our Story

We are a family of five: two parents, Chris and Hollie, and three children, Jasmine, Olivia, and Hugo. Jasmine, our middle, faces a litany of challenges every day. Diagnosed with autism, Tourette’s, seizures, generalized anxiety disorder, selective mutism, ARFID (avoidant restrictive food intake disorder), POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), emetophobia, and emotional dysregulation, her life is a constant battle. Each condition chips away at her quality of life, and as parents, we feel every bit of her pain. Her struggles ripple through our family, affecting us all.

After an extensive application process, Jasmine was accepted onto the Autism Dogs CIC waiting list! They will provide a fully trained assistance dog who will cater to Jasmine's specific needs, helping to mitigate the struggles she faces due to her autism and hopefully improving her other diagnoses as well. This assistance dog represents a beacon of hope for us.

We always knew Jasmine was different, but we thought we had everything under control. We managed, we adapted, and we never thought to seek a diagnosis. But when Jasmine turned 14, everything changed. Fourteen years of masking her true self and struggling to function in a world that wasn't built for her finally took its toll. She entered autistic burnout and ended up hospitalized. It was during this difficult time that autism was suggested again. We discussed it with Jasmine, realizing that this diagnosis might just save her life.

A few months later, she was diagnosed. The relief we felt was indescribable. We knew this information was crucial for Jasmine's recovery from burnout, and for Jasmine, it provided a reason for everything she felt was “wrong” or “broken” about herself. With immense determination, Jasmine completed hospital education for a year before she was ready to return to school in January 2020. She stayed there until July 2022. It was a very small school, and at that time, Jasmine’s only priority was attending school and getting her GCSEs. The outside world was still too overwhelming.

Now, Jasmine is in college! This is an incredible achievement, but life still presents significant hurdles. Jasmine has just turned 20, yet she functions at the level of a young teen. She isn't able to work, drive, travel independently, see friends on her own, or even consider university or living independently. But we know she is capable of all this and more. She just needs the right support and resources.

Jasmine receives support from various teams, but no one seems to see her as an individual. The support offered often follows a “one size fits all” approach, which is unsuitable for our unique family dynamics. An assistance dog for Jasmine would be life-changing, creating bridges towards the independence she longs for. This dog won't just change Jasmine's life; it will transform our entire family’s world.

That's why we are taking on the marathon of marathons! We're committing to walking 26.2 miles, 26.2 times—a total of 686.44 miles over the next two months. We'll culminate this journey with Chris and Olivia walking the route of the London Marathon together on Saturday, August 3rd. This is our fight for Jasmine's future, and we won't stop until she has the support she deserves.

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