Meet Evan Moss, 7-year-old Author

Evan Moss didn’t set out to write a book. After all, he’s only seven years old, but his first book My Seizure Dog got him excited and now Evan says he wants to be a famous author when he grows up. He’s already on his way, and this kid inspires us to speak up too. Evan has suffered seizures since birth, sometimes hundreds a month. Evan and his family got a specially-trained dog from the non-profit 4 Paws for Ability organization to secure a constant companion to act not just when Evan was having an epileptic seizure — usually in the middle of the night — but sniff it out beforehand and alert others to Evan’s side. The application for the dog required Evan speak on his behalf and he did so with a hand-made, self-illustrated book, the kind he learned how to make in his first grade class. The cost of the specially trained seizure dog, a Labradoodle, is $13,000 and the family knew they had to get creative to raise the money so they decided to publish Evan’s book. Publishing Evan’s book looked promising and the CreateSpace platform provided the family with a quick, easy and affordable way to get My Seizure Dog book out. Little did they foresee that Evan’s story would hit a responsive chord with nearly everyone who heard Evan’s story. Within one month of the book’s publication through its availability on amazon.com and book signings at a local coffee shop in his hometown of Alexandria, VA, Evan’s $10 book drove in substantial sales and donations so the Moss family could acquire the dog Evan needed and they could help others, too. Evan’s dog is being trained and he’ll get his new best friend — after his big sister, Aria — next July.

Help Evan to Help Others

Now that Evan has raised enough money for his own dog — and helped support the fundraising efforts of at least three other families — he wants to raise more money to help other children acquire the seizure dogs they need. You can help! People Magazine is holding a “Readers Choice Hero” competition that awards the grand prize winner with $10,000, which Evan will put towards helping another child acquire their seizure dog. You can vote Evan by clicking the link, act now, because the voting ends on Thursday October 13th. And of course, you can purchase Evan’s book, the My Seizure Dog. evan moss, GET INSPIRED, inspirational story, Seizure dog