Danny Walsh is a beautiful, blue-eyed, 20-year old young man. He is an angel that was sent here to teach compassion, patience, and to bring back the simplicities of life. He loves basketball and spends hours a day shooting hoops. He lives at his St. Louis home with his parents Kevin and Maggie Walsh, and his 15-year old brother, Kenny. While Danny has touched many lives through his warm nature and smile, his challenges are many. Over the years, Danny has been diagnosed with Non-Progressive Encephalopathy, Intractable Epilepsy, Autism, Mental Retardation and ICD (Impulse Control Disorder).
Throughout Danny's life he has gone through many challenges including rejection, physical and mental pain, communication deficits, and the struggles with living in a world that does not understand him. This can lead to behavior issues. Danny has no fear, which leads him into dangerous situations. He also has difficulty in transitioning, which often times leads to meltdowns. Danny is now over 6 feet tall and weighs 190 lbs. He is physically larger and stronger than both of his parents and brother, making it very hard to contain him when necessary.
Danny's dog will be trained in behavior disruption, tethering, tracking, and possibly seizure assistance. This means that when Danny has behavior issues, the dog will be trained to intervene and help Danny redirect and focus. Tethering is where the dog can be harnessed to Danny, as well as the parent or caregiver, to avoid the temptation to run off. The dog will be trained to track Danny if he were to be lost. Danny recently had surgery for his seizures. In several months his seizure control will be re-evaluated to determine if the dog needs to be trained for seizure assistance. All of these services will provide Danny with a more safe and secure life that his parents have waited 20 years for; also bringing more freedom and normalcy to Kenny's life.
