Family grateful for community's support of daughter

Amy Unkefer thought it would never be financially possible for her daughter to get a medical alert service dog, but a caring community made it happen.

“When we looked at the cost, I thought, 'You’ve got to be kidding me,'” Unkefer said. “I started praying about it and reached out to a friend at Warsaw Nazarene Church. We asked to use their pavilion during the Warsaw yard sales so Elizabeth could take some ownership over raising money for the dog. They were very gracious and welcoming.”

Elizabeth Unkefer, senior at River View High School, has DiGeorge syndrome, a genetic disorder caused by a missing piece of chromosome 22.

A few weeks after the yard sales, Amy Unkefer was contacted by the church.

“I was told they were praying about my daughter’s dog, and God wanted them to do more than just let us use their pavilion,” Amy Unkefer said. “They ended up raising $4,000, and some of the money came from people who hadn’t even met Elizabeth. That’s how we were able to get her dog. Everything just came together.”

The yard sale was in June, and by August they were able to go pick out a dog for Elizabeth to start training with.

“Mia was living her best life on a farm at the beginning of August, and now she is fully trained,” Amy Unkefer said. “Just last week Elizabeth had a reaction to medicine, and Mia picked up changes in her and alerted about them.”

So far people in the public have been very welcoming of Mia, including Elizabeth’s teacher at River View.

“Mia will be with Elizabeth all the time,” Amy Unkefer said. “If Elizabeth is somewhere, Mia will be with her. They are a packaged deal. This is one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. I don’t have to worry now. If I’m not right there watching, Mia is.”

Amy Unkefer is so thankful for the people at Warsaw Nazarene Church who helped make this happen.

“They are warm, inviting and loving,” Amy Unkefer said. “You can feel God there.”