Raising funds for service dog for toddler with medical conditions
Presley Grace Hoff will be 4 on Sept. 17. In the picture is her dad Ben, mom Nikki and older sister Payton, 6.
Presley is a toddler who is inspiring her community to step up and help out in more ways than her family could ever have imagined.
“She is spunky, joyful, extremely smart, caring and a lover,” said Presley’s mother, Nikki Hoff.
The 4-year-old suffers from ADHD, Tourette’s, sensory processing disorder, epilepsy so severe it is not fully controllable by medications, and a rare and severe condition called Chiari malformation.
Hoff described Chiari malformation. “Her skull is too small and is forcing her brain out of the hole where her spine is attached. At this moment her brain is descending 9 millimeters and sitting on her spine,” Hoff said. “There is a severe spinal fluid blockage, causing a pocket of spinal fluid to develop on her spine. This affects her balance and her speech. She twitches so badly she hardly can feed herself. It affects her eyesight and causes so much pain.”
The Hoff family started fundraising for a service dog for Presley prior to her Chiari diagnosis. Now they are hoping to raise funds for both the dog and to assist with medical expenses to help the family when father Ben Hoff has to miss work.
The canine companion will cost $15,000. According to Hoff, a service dog will help in a wide variety of ways: by responding to seizures, helping with mobility and balance, assisting in overwhelming situations, providing a calming mechanism, and being a consistent companion.
Medical costs are expected to be high, due in part to surgery necessitated by the Chiari. “The surgery is pretty intense and will require multiple-night stays in the hospital, a ton of physical therapy and a lot of time,” Hoff said.
The creative and industrious family, with the support of countless community members and businesses, has a variety of fundraising events coming up.
There will be a 5k race and a poker run in Hoff’s hometown community of Hillsboro. Locally the family is selling T-shirts and has a raffle in progress until mid-October.
“We are truly humbled by all of the community rallying around our family in our time of need,” Hoff said.
Numerous businesses stepped up to donate hundreds of dollars to have their company name listed on the Paws for Presley T-shirts.
The short-sleeved T-shirts are $12 each for youth sizes S-XL. Adult shirts are $20 each for sizes S-XL. Sizes up to 6X are available with pricing at $21 for 2x, $22 for 3x, and so on and so forth.
The Paws for Presley Benefit Raffle drawing will be held live on Facebook on Oct. 20. First prize is a half hog processed by 3-D Meats, second prize is a Winchester gun and third prize is $100. Tickets are $10. Deadline for purchase is Oct. 15.
Shirts and raffle tickets may be purchased by contacting Hoff on Facebook or by calling 330-317-7296. Find Paws for Presley on Facebook.
Tickets also may be purchased by contacting Marci Rehm via phone at 330-347-1780 or email at bode2808@gmail.com. Anyone wishing to sell a small pack of tickets also is invited to get in touch.
In addition the family is accepting donations online and via mail. To donate online, go to the Paws for Presley GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com/8rtxk-paws-for-presley. To donate directly, send a check to Hoff, 6746 Cleveland Road, Wooster, OH 44601.
“Presley is amazing,” Hoff said. “She is a life-changer. This is the Hoff family being as vulnerable and open as we can. The Lord gave her a purpose. Presley was born to move mountains.”
Hoff is quick to add again how grateful her family is for all the support that has rallied around her daughter. “The real story after mine,” she said, “is the community, both in my hometown and here in Wooster. It’s amazing. There are good people out there wanting to help.”