Carleton teen’s GoFundMe post ignites kindness from stranger to acquire service dog

It’s been said out of one act of kindness from a stranger is born a flame of hope. For 17-year-old Ny Kershaw, a random act of goodwill has ignited the opportunity to see goodness in others.

Ny is an abuse survivor with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dysautonomia symptoms.

“I suffer with circulation and blood pressure issues. I have had different diagnoses throughout the years. My first diagnosis was with ADHD at the age of 4 and I’ve been seeing doctors constantly since the age of 10,” Ny Kershaw said. “I had chronic pain and vomiting and I started passing out frequently in my first year of high school. I have spells of light-headedness and low to no appetite for days but having low blood pressure is most concerning.”

Dysautonomia is a medical term used when the autonomic nervous system does not work properly. The symptoms can come and go, often making them difficult to predict. Symptoms vary and may include low blood pressure; fast, slow or irregular heartbeat; nausea; chest pain; gastrointestinal problems; migraines; low appetite; and sensitivity to noise and light.

Ny doesn’t attend school. Instead, he works two jobs and is studying to take the second part of the GED test.

Sometimes, his symptoms hinder him from working at Tiffany’s Pizza in Carleton and Red Lobster in Monroe.

“I work three shifts a week at Tiffany’s and three shifts a week at Red Lobster. At Tiffany’s, I’m making food, answering the phones, speaking with customers and closing out orders. At Red Lobster, I’m baking and doing food prep but hope to get into a line cook position,” Ny said. “There have been times when I have been sent home early because I had been vomiting with no known cause. A couple of weeks ago, I had to leave work early to go the emergency room because of an extreme heart rate spike that we could not find the source of.”

His health is medically managed. In addition to his primary care physician, Ny sees a cardiologist, gastroenterologist, endocrinologist and is scheduled to see a rheumatologist.

A worthwhile treatment option recommended by his therapist was to get a service dog, so Ny created a GoFundMe online fundraiser in an effort to raise money for the special canine.

His message said, “The money will go towards the animal itself, as well as training, medical bills and equipment needed. A service dog would allow me to live independently and pursue my goals. The dog will be trained to block and perform crowd control actions, as well as wake me from nightmares, disrupt flashbacks and episodes, sense drops and spikes in heart rate to prevent fainting episodes and provide emotional support.”

Kindness from a stranger

Facebook friends shared the post and within a week, a 14-week-old male standard poodle was waiting for Ny.

Laura Fisher saw the post and quickly reached out to a friend from college who had shared it.

The Flushing resident works for a nonprofit organization that works with service dogs.

“My mom is a breeder. She breeds standard poodles. … She typically donates dogs to a service organization when she has a litter, occasionally. She feels that same way I do. We can’t always financially help but we do have the ability to breed and raise nice dogs. It’s something we want to share with others.”

The dogs have extensive health testing and are bred for temperament, so they are good service dog candidates.

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Fisher and her mother had a puppy they were waiting to donate and had a couple of organizations they had been working with but had not made a commitment.

When Fisher saw her friend’s post, she reached out and plans were quickly put in motion for Ny to pick up a puppy.

Fisher said she was impressed with Ny before meeting him and his father, Joel.

“Ny asked all the right questions when we were conversing about the dog and when he came to pick the dog up,” Fisher said. “His appropriate questions led me to believe he had done the background work. I was impressed that he asked about health testing. He also asked about the parents and what things the puppy already knew.”

Joel Kershaw, Ny’s dad, was touched by Fisher’s generosity.

“When we picked up the dog, I made a comment to Laura that I was overwhelmed with the kindness. I’m not used to being on the receiving end of things,” Joel Kershaw said. “When Ny and Keita met, it seemed like they were a good fit for each other.”

Keita means ‘blessing’

Ny and the black and white poodle quickly connected as he placed a collar on the pup with a name tag that read “Keita.”

As an African American who is adopted and doesn’t have much history about his family, Ny chose a West African name.

“I picked the name Keita because it means ‘blessing’ and this has been a huge blessing in my life,” he said. “I have so much trouble with everyday tasks. Keita will not only help with medical episodes but will be able to help wake me from nightmares, which I have frequently.”

The canine, now 16 weeks old, will provide the companionship and emotional support Ny needs.

For the Carleton teen, the focus will be teaching Keita basic obedience training before actual service training can commence.

“The specialized training is going to be a major expense,” he said. “It will cost close to $4,000 for 20 in-home lessons with a specialized trainer through Michigan Dog Training.”

Ny’s made a list of estimated costs for the first year. Overall training alone will cost $6,500 along with additional expenses like neutering, vet care, pet insurance, food and grooming.

His online fundraiser has been updated with a goal to raise funds for Keita’s training.

Health permitting, Ny will also continue working two jobs to support his service dog.

For this Carleton teen, the kindness of others offers him a glimpse of hope.

“It’s hard for me to put into words, but I feel so emotional thinking about strangers wanting to help. To know there are good people in this world especially because I suffered so badly at the hands of people,” he said. “It feels very good to be reminded there are people who care about me without ever meeting me.”

More information on Ny and how to help can be found at “Provide an abuse survivor with a service animal,” gofundme.com/f/provide-an-abuse-survivor-with-a-service-animal.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Carleton teen’s GoFundMe post helps acquire service dog