Mom shares her daughter's heart-wrenching story: Raises money for Brooklyn's service dog Bridge

DISPUTANTA - A non-verbal, autistic 9-year-old girl desperately needs a service dog. Due to traumas experienced while living from hotel room to hotel room before being placed into foster care at age three, Brooklyn Bradshaw also suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD].

Brooklyn's mom Katie Bradshaw is organizing a second golf tournament to raise money for her daughter's service dog.

"We need $8,000 more," said Bradshaw. "Fundraising has been tricky with COVID and all the guidelines, so we had to get creative. We're blessed with a very supportive community."

The golf tournament last August raised around $6,000 to put towards the special dog with a $30,000 price tag. Brooklyn and her mom also prepared boxed lunches three Fridays in December to raise money.

"That was a lot of teamwork. Genuine teamwork," said Bradshaw. "Boar's Head donated meats, others donated chips."

Brooklyn's story will touch your heart

Bradshaw, a preschool teacher, struggled with whether to share the details of Brooklyn's story or not, but she believes it will help put into perspective the reasons why Brooklyn needs a service dog.

"Please know that we do not hold any hard feelings toward her biological family especially her biological mom who struggled with her own demons and issues based on what she had experienced as a child and grew up with," said Bradshaw.

Bradshaw created a video for Brooklyn to view when she is older to help her understand where she came from and the places she can go.

"There are things I literally can not vocalize at events because it will make me cry," said Bradshaw. "I don’t want to do that in front of a room full of people."

Bradshaw has a message for people who choose to view the video, "Please be kind when viewing this. It is raw. You will cry. You will be triggered."

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The video has been created as if Brooklyn is telling her own heart-wrenching story. It begins when Brooklyn's biological mom and her boyfriend drop 3-year-old Brooklyn off at a homeless shelter with her mentally disabled grandmother and then stop all communication.

Dressed in filthy clothes with holes and covered in bruises, Brooklyn was taken to MCV/VCU where she stayed for two weeks while Child Protective Services tried to find a foster home.

Due to mattes needing to be cut out, Brooklyn's long hair became a mullet. The only way to get Brooklyn to hold still for a stylist was to keep her attention focused on eating a McDonalds Happy Meal.

"I used to get naked right away or go sit in a seat and wait for something to happen to me," writes Bradshaw. "My foster parents would kneel beside me and let me know 'little ladies keep their clothes on' and redress me."

According to Bradshaw, Brooklyn's diaper rash was so bad that it took two months to heal; and, it also took Brooklyn two months to make eye contact.

"I have night terrors a few times a week," writes Bradshaw. "I wake up screaming 'Ow' and 'Opp' [stop]."

While doctors tried to figure Brooklyn out, she gradually began to have fun figuring out her foster parents.

After specialists determined three-year-old Brooklyn was at an 18-month-old level developmentally, she began weekly therapies: play, speech, and occupational.

"I'm finally learning to be a kid," captions Bradshaw on a photo of Brooklyn dressed as a princess followed by photos of her swinging gleefully, painting, playing a game, brushing a dinosaur's teeth, fingernails being painted, and romping in the grass with her foster parents.

At Christmastime, Brooklyn had to be taught how to open presents.

"My foster parents throw me a birthday party," writes Bradshaw. "I had so much fun. I'm a big 4-year-old now."

A precious moment was captured of Brooklyn and her foster father cuddled up looking at a tablet together. Richard Bradshaw is a linesman with C.W. Wright Construction located in Chester.

Message of hope and love

Viewing her story will melt your heart, but seeing Brooklyn bond with her foster parents and their smiles of joy relays a message of love.

"I hope my story inspires you to maybe be more open to those around you," writes Bradshaw. "We all have a story you might not know about, so the next time you see someone struggling and you don't understand...remember to always pray for those you see."

The Bradshaws, who adopted Brooklyn when she was six, feel it is important to stay connected with Brooklyn's mom so she will have that connection when she is older.

"Not everyone gets to experience the type of parents my husband Richard and I have been blessed with," said Bradshaw.

Police officers support Brooklyn

Brooklyn's Bridge Fundraiser Golf Tournament to raise funds for Brooklyn's Goldendoodle will be held weather permitting at the Prince George Golf Club on April 17.

"Most of the fundraisers we've done, the Prince George County police officers have shown up and handed out stickers to the kids," said Bradshaw. "They signed up a team for the golf tournament for a second time. They've been a big help."

Bradshaw expressed that developing a relationship between Brooklyn and police officers is important.

"If Brooklyn wanders off or gets in an accident, hopefully, she'll be familiar enough with the first responders so she won't get scared," explained Bradshaw.

Brooklyn's dad mentioned how David Harrison Elementary School's faculty and staff have been very supportive of getting groups together to attend events and ordering items from fundraisers.

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The Bradshaws feel a calling to foster children

Brooklyn's very first foster placement was with the Bradshaws, and she never left.

"After trying to have a baby for six years, a church member suggested we foster," shared Bradshaw. "We thought to ourselves...do we spend money to make a biological child that may or may not work, or do we help a child out that God's already created."

"We've had other kids in and out of our home several times," said Bradshaw. "Whether they're with us long-term or a season is God's plan."

According to Bradshaw, they have received calls in the middle of the night asking them to foster a child involved in a domestic situation who has no biological family to turn to. The child or siblings stay with them two weeks to six months until they get back with their family or in long-term placement.

"We're a stepping stone to help them get to their family," said Bradshaw.

"Since Brooklyn entered our lives, we have been blessed with two biological children," shared Bradshaw. "Brooklyn's brother Memphis is 18-months old and her sister Georgia is three."

After raising $15,000, Brooklyn's service dog arrives home

"We decided on the name 'Bridge' because she will be 'Brooklyn’s Bridge' in society and helping her bridge the gap she needs in daily life," said Bradshaw. "We selected a Goldendoodle since they're hypoallergenic and Brooklyn has allergies."

After being trained in Ohio by Pride and Prejudoodles as a certified emotional support dog, 6-month-old Bridge arrived at the Bradshaw's around Thanksgiving to begin her intermediate-level training.

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"Bridge's current trainer Andy is with Off Leash K9 Training," said Bradshaw. "He gives us homework until Bridge starts her next round of intense training in May."

The owner and founder of Off Leash K9 Training Nick White is a former U.S. Marine and former U.S. Secret Service Agent who specializes in training PTSD service dogs.

"Bridge is 10 months old and can't become a certified service dog until she is 18 to 20 months old," said Bradshaw. "It will be a 6-month process."

"Bridge can learn if we're consistent with her training," said Bradshaw. "She knows that when that harness is on her... she's working.

"We have to be careful not to allow Brooklyn's siblings to pet Bridge too much," said Bradshaw. "Georgia loves 'Bridgy', but her main interaction has to be with Brooklyn since she is a service dog...not a pet.

"Brooklyn and Bridge have actually been doing pretty good and have bonded," said Bradshaw.

Who's up for a round of golf?

The 4-person Captain's Choice tournament has a 10:00 a.m. shotgun start on Saturday, April 17 with a rain date of April 24.

On the morning of the tournament, registration and check-in will take place between 9 and 9:45 a.m. at the Prince George Golf Course located at 8399 Golf Course Road in Disputanta.

The tournament is open to all golfers and organizations. Two awards presentations and a luncheon will take place.

The costs to participate are the following: $100 /player, $400/team sponsor, $100/hole sponsor, $250/beverage cart sponsor, $5 Mulligans, and $1 raffle tickets. The prices include drinks, luncheon, cart, and greens fees.

Prizes will be presented for the following: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd closest to the pin, longest drive [man, woman, and senior], putting contest, and hole-in-ones.

"We have 10 teams registered so far," said Bradshaw. "If we meet our 20 team goal, we will meet our goal for everything that we need for Brooklyn’s service dog."

The Bradshaws will be donating any extra money raised from the tournament to another child in need of a service dog.

"Everyone is fighting a battle," said Bradshaw. "What can you do to help them fight it?"

Please contact Katie Bradshaw at 804-731-8446 or email her at BrooklynsBridgeK9@gmail.com to register, sponsor, or ask questions. Donations for prizes or raffle items are accepted and appreciated.

Follow Brooklyn’s story and her journey on Facebook @Brooklyn’s Bridge the road to her service dog.

Read this story online at progress-index.com to view the video created by Brooklyn's mom.

Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly is the trending topics and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Contact Kristi (she, her) at khiggins@progress-index.com, follow @KHiggins_PI on Twitter, and subscribe to us at progress-index.com

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Mom shares her daughter's heart-wrenching story: Raises money for Brooklyn's service dog Bridge

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