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Iowa teen gets dog trained to change his life

A 13-year-old Iowa boy with a crippling medical condition received a special gift Tuesday in East Moline. Adam Todd of Cedar Rapids has Lennox Gastaut Syndrome ...

A 13-year-old Iowa boy with a crippling medical condition received a special gift Tuesday in East Moline.

Adam Todd of Cedar Rapids has Lennox Gastaut Syndrome and has been suffering from seizures since he was three years old.  Milk Bone and Jewel Osco donated a seizure response dog to Adam and his family.

Through a bonding process, the dog will be able to detect onset seizures and alert help.

Adam's mother says they have been waiting a long time for this and look forward to not only a companion for Adam but a sense of security for them as well.

“Adam has had a lot of seizures during the night and short of staying awake all night, it is hard to know whether his is having one or not,” Sara Todd tells us.  “To just know that the dog will maybe be able to alert us, that would add just another level of safety and protection to him.”

Adam will get to take his new friend home after they both attend a two-week training.

During the presentation, Adam’s family was able to meet Mitch Peterson who also has seizures.  Mitch has had a seizure response dog named London for eight years and shared his experiences.

“He is an ice breaker,” Mitch says about London. “He made me not even think about my disability, and he helped me open up to another world where people look past it.”

Mitch says he thinks a service dog will open up new opportunities for Adam and change his life.

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