Ryan's story
Ryan and his wife were worried about finding the money to pay for the autism assistance dog their daughter needed. They were close to reaching the payment deadline and had run out of options. Then Ryan’s HR Manager, Carly Wilkes, at Enterprise Rent-A-Car mentioned Ben...
Watch Ryan's story“In March 2020, we found out that our application for an autism assistance dog for our daughter, Phoebe, had been accepted. It had taken a year of applications. Phoebe is autistic so regularly suffers with anxiety, meltdowns and is sometimes overwhelmed with sensory problems.
"She struggles day to day - for example, getting ready in the mornings can be overwhelming for her. She also struggles with changes in routine which can create problems and anxiety. An autism assistance dog provides emotional support, picking up on anxiety and providing comfort by being there or lying down next to the person.
“Having our application accepted meant that we needed to fundraise for the dog and the ongoing training needed so we worked hard and raised a lot but there was still a large amount left to pay. When the pandemic hit, we weren’t able to do many fundraisers. And, as everything shut down, my application for charity support through work couldn’t get looked at or approved.
“We were concerned and anxious as we needed to pay the remaining balance for the dog in instalments and we were getting close to the deadline. Our savings had already been eaten up because my wife hadn’t been able to work due to Covid and we also paid £5,000 for a personal diagnosis for Phoebe which wasn’t available through the NHS. This was important as it meant she could get the support she needed at school.
Ryan's story
“We were worried that a lot of the resources and plans we made had been washed away during the pandemic. We had reached out to so many organisations for support but nothing came of it. To fund the rest of the amount ourselves, we thought we would have to borrow the money or resort to using a credit card. It wasn’t an option not to have the dog, it was something that Phoebe really needed. It would have been a financial burden which we would have been repaying for a long time.
“Then my HR manager at work informed me about Ben. When we called Ben, they were extremely helpful, supportive and kind. We discussed the situation and we got a call back to say that they would support us by paying the final balance for the dog, which was £2,000; jointly funded by Ben and the BMTA. This was such a happy day, it was amazing and meant the world to us! We were gobsmacked and in tears!
“This means that Phoebe gets her autism assistance dog, called Sunny, which is life-changing and we don’t have to worry anymore! Phoebe gets something she really deserves. We have another child too so we feel very relieved to provide Phoebe with the extra support she needs. Knowing that we have the dog makes me feel great, we’ve achieved something. As a family, we want to get back to normal now and we can stop worrying about where the money will come from. We spent a lot of time talking about how we would raise the money, so now we can just enjoy our time together as a family.
“Sunny is currently doing the rest of his training and he’s due to be back with us in April for good - Phoebe is really excited. We’re looking forward to weekends filled with dog walks which make Phoebe happy and takes her mind off other issues.
“I think one thing we’ve learned is that it's ok to ask for help, even if you feel too proud to ask. Do it, seek support, you never know what may happen. And that, with determination, you can overcome challenges. We can’t thank Ben enough, this support has truly been amazing.”
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