GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — A 12-year-old Grand Haven girl is raising money for an epilepsy service dog with the help of her community.
WATCH: Community rallies to help local girl raise money for a service dog.
Ava Schmidt has been raising awareness about epilepsy for the past year. On Monday, neighbors gathered at the Culver's in Muskegon to buy ButterBurgers and frozen custard to support her quest for a service dog.
Ava started experiencing seizures when she was 3 years old. She and her mother, Jana, say the diagnosis has brought hospital visits, uncertain times, and challenges.
"You either can be in hospital for one to two weeks, and then you can be at school for four months, and then a seizure kicks up," Ava explained.
"It's pretty unpredictable, but she's pretty, she's resilient," Jana Schmidt said.
Over the past year, Ava has learned a lot about the disease and raised awareness, even writing a book about it that she shared with her class. She's also started a Facebook page for people to follow along on her journey.
Winston, the service dog she's raising money for, will be able to alert her parents in the event of a seizure, as well as bring medicine and comfort.
"Just knowing that you have somebody there in case you have a seizure, you'll have another friend, you'll have somebody to be with you during those ups and downs," Ava said.
Hearing the need, dozens of people lined up to trade their kindness for custard, with a portion of the sales going towards Ava's fundraiser.
"We saw an article, and we just really wanted to support such a wonderful cause," Stephanie Thommen said.
"It just shows me how much people really love me and want to share my story," Ava said.
Ava will be holding another fundraiser at the Culver's in Grand Haven on May 5, or you can click here to donate.
