Minnesota family fundraising to train seizure alert dog for 2-year-old girl

MINNEAPOLIS — From the outside looking, Eloise Lugo seems like any other 2-year-old.

"They look at her and see this beautiful, spicy, sweet toddler," Eloise's mom, Lauren Stenzel, said.

Eloise had her first seizure when she was just 5 months old. Months later, genetic testing confirmed she had Dravet syndrome: a rare, drug-resistant form of epilepsy. Her seizures are frequent, unpredictable and life-threatening.

"Some days are hard. I'm not going to lie," Lauren Stenzel said. "It is hard to think, we just don't know what it's going to look like for her."

To prepare for the worst, Lauren and her husband Iscar fitted her bedroom with a camera and motion detector, but nothing is perfect. Iscar says he hasn't had a full night's sleep since Eloise was diagnosed, fearing he might not hear her if she needs help.

"I always say, it's like a ticking time bomb," Lauren Stenzel said. "You never know how big the bomb is going to be or when it's going to go off."

It's why a soon-to-be new addition to the Lugo family gives them hope: A seizure-alert dog that can catch falls, alert to an attack, monitor at night and more.

"A seizure could come and take her out at any moment," Lauren Stenzel said. "That was really our motivation for the dog. This scary looming thing that we have no control over."

At $25,000 just to train the therapy dog, it's not a small financial feat. In order to bring this type of therapy animal home, the Lugos are asking for help through an online fundraiser.

"We're really looking forward to having that, just so we can give her more of a chance at having a normal life," Lauren Stenzel said. "Despite all the challenges she's going to face and is currently facing."

To the Lugos, that is priceless.

"When you're told that your kid has a life-limiting condition, which is what Dravet Syndrome is, our goal and my goal has always been to make it as less limiting as possible," Lauren Stenzel said.

The Lugos already have their dog picked out. He's a red English lab named Jake. Once they reach their fundraising goal, Jake can start training. The sooner they reach their goal, the sooner the life-changing therapy animal can join their family.