AEM Grants Columbus, OH Child’s Wish of a Service Dog!

Asher is a bright, outgoing seven year old boy who lives near Columbus, Ohio with his family. Like many other kids his age, Asher loves to care for his Webkinz and play with his other toys. Something you may not know by looking at Asher is that he suffers from a debilitating disorder called Mitochondrial Disease, a disease that can cause a wide variety of problems such as diabetes mellitus, deafness, neuropathy, blindness, digestive disorders, and a host of other issues.

Because of his disease, hospital visits are a regular part of Asher's life, but they are hard for someone so young. Hospitals are a scary place and it can get really lonely in there. Asher wished he had a service dog that could accompany him to the hospital and make him feel safe.

American Equity Mortgage, through AEM Cares, teamed up with the Make-A-Wish foundation to make Asher's wish come true. In June, Asher welcomed Lila into his life, his very own service dog! American Equity employees held a wish party for Asher and Lila, and Asher had a great time showing off his new best friend to everyone.

Patrick Showers, Branch Manager of our Columbus, Ohio branch, commented on the party, "Granting the wish for Asher and his family was a very rewarding experience. Seeing the smile on his face that truly lit up the entire room touched all of our hearts. Asher and his family were very thankful for the experience, and it will be a day they remember for a very long time."

Asher's mother shared a story with us about how much Lila has changed their lives. Lila had been with the family for just over a week and only barked one time, so the family knew she was a quiet dog. In the middle of one night over the weekend, Lila started barking and would not quiet down. Asher's mother went up to his room and found the reason for Lila's persistent barking - Asher's feeding tube stand had fallen over and was no longer working! Needless to say, the family is very thankful that Asher's wish was granted, and American Equity Mortgage is proud to have helped the Make-A-Wish foundation make Asher's wish come true.