Shawn Sondervan, 8, needs a psychiatric service dog to help with his post-traumatic stress disorder, which he developed after being sexually abused. His mother Stacey Sondervan is holding a yard sale to raise funds to purchase the dog and is seeking donations of items to sell.The eight years of young Shawn Sondervan's life have been difficult.
He was born with a heart defect that required him to have open-heart surgery at 4 months old.
He has been diagnosed with the developmental disorder Aspberger's along with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
And last year, a tumor was discovered in his intestines that had to be removed.
But his mother, Stacey Sondervan, said the worst of Shawn's problems started about four years ago, when she decided to go back to school. Her classes started four weeks before Shawn was to begin school, so she asked her best friend at the time to watch Shawn while she was in class.
Over the course of the month, Shawn developed extreme anxiety. His mother discovered that during those four weeks, her friend's son had been sexually abusing Shawn, who has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Shawn now regularly experiences night terrors and feelings of anxiety, hopelessness and fear that someone will hurt him, said his mother.
In researching things she could to help her son, Stacey Sondervan discovered Canines 4 Hope, an organization that could provide Shawn with a psychiatric service dog trained to pick up on his anxiety before anyone else could.
The cost for the dog is $12,500, she said, and so far she's raised about $3,000. Four months ago, she set up a fundraising page on youcaring.com, and last month she held a charity yard sale, which she said has been her most successful fundraiser yet.
She plans to hold another sale at her home, located 2 Hillendale Drive in Rossville, Saturday, July 16 beginning at 7 a.m. She is seeking donations of items she can sell to raise funds, such as toys, home furnishings, light fixtures and tools. Sondervan said she will graciously accept anything, though she still has plenty of clothes, which don't sell as well as other items, from the previous sale.
She said she wants to make donating as easy as possible and will pick up items if necessary. She can be reached at staceyjerseygal@gmail.com.
"My son has had a very rough life," said Sondervan. "He's just suffered for so long, and every day is a challenge. I have hope at the end of the tunnel, but can't give him the tools that he needs because I can't come up with the money.
"My son deserves nothing but happiness at this point in his life."
For more information or to make a monetary donation, visit Shawn's page on youcaring.com by searching "Hope for Shawn Sondervan with the Help of a Service Dog."