A specialised medical alert dog is the miracle this family has been hoping for to give their young daughter her childhood back. Thanks to South Africans who are stepping in to support, that possibility grows closer every day.
Gqeberha, South Africa (15 April 2026) – Ava-Maré is a six-year-old learner at Newton Park Primary in Ggeberha. She’s a kind, energetic, and spirited little girl who loves school and her friends. Her folks say she lights up every room she enters. Sadly, she’s also had to navigate a very difficult road at her young age.
Following a serious fall at daycare when she was just a toddler, things changed for Ava-Maré. She was eventually diagnosed with Rolandic Epilepsy, a condition that has progressed into tonic-clonic seizures. These episodes come without any warning and cause her to collapse and lose consciousness. It’s scary and distressing for Ava, and her parents spend each day in a state of high alert, never knowing when the next seizure might happen.
Because these seizures are so unpredictable, the constant fear of Ava-Maré getting hurt is a heavy weight for the family. This is where a specialised seizure alert dog comes in.
These dogs, placed by Honey’s Garden Medical Alert Dogs all the way in Cape Town, are specially trained to sense a seizure before it even happens. By raising an early warning, they can give caregivers time to react, keeping people with disabilities and chronic conditions safer.
The glimmer of hope for Ava-Maré arrived when she was soft matched with a seizure alert dog named Nova. The two met in Cape Town recently and instantly connected.
During their first training session, the family watched with teary eyes as Nova stayed focused and professional while in her working jacket, only to turn into a playful friend the moment it was taken off. They said it was remarkable how she knew the difference between work and play.
Ava’s doctor fully supports the connection and believes that Nova will provide the safety and peace of mind the family has been desperately hoping for.
There is a hurdle. Training a life-saving dog is a massive undertaking, both in time and money. The total cost in the process of securing Nova sits in the R100,000s, which includes the logistical challenge of getting back and forth from Gqeberha to Cape Town. The family needs to travel at least three or four times over the next 18 months for bonding and training sessions. This time together is non-negotiable and crucial, because it’s how Nova learns to recognise Ava-Maré’s very specific needs.
The family has already seen a beautiful wave of support, with nearly R29,000 raised through their BackaBuddy campaign. However, they still need to reach a R100,000 goal to cover the remaining cost of the dog, the training, and the travel expenses.
“We still have a long way to go, but because of your support, we remain hopeful, encouraged, and determined.” the family shared in a recent update on their campaign. “If you feel moved to do so, we would be so grateful if you could continue to share Ava-Maré’s story and her fundraising link. Every share helps us reach someone new who might be able to help bring her one step closer to her hero dog, trained to warn us when a seizure is coming and to support her when she needs it most.”
Beyond financial donations, the family is also looking for a little Ubuntu regarding their upcoming training trips in September and December. They are hoping to find pet-friendly accommodation or sponsorships in the Bellville or Bloubergstrand areas to help keep their costs down while they work with Nova.
As far as Nova goes, she will also need support to make her future home with her forever family comfortable. A poster has been created for supporters to pin down easy ways they can help in this regard. That includes shopping for doggie toys and items!
If the funding is successful, Nova will officially graduate and join Ava-Maré permanently in December 2026, finally giving a little girl the four-legged protector she deserves.
If you’d like to help Ava-maré get her seizure alert dog, follow this link. If you can’t help, simply sharing this story might help it reach someone who can.
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