Dec 9, 2016 4 min read

In February 2014, Hunter Kalchthaler organized a benefit spaghetti dinner as her senior project to help two Belle Vernon boys who were born with an extremely rare chromosome defect.

Now, it’s Hunter’s turn. On Sunday, family and friends will host a spaghetti dinner from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Bentleyville Social Hall to help pay for training and other expenses associated with Hunter’s service dog, a young poodle named Tetras.

Combined with other fundraisers, the family hopes to raise at least $20,000. Hunter’s mother, Sharee Kalchthaler, said training alone costs $9,000.

“It sounds like a lot of money, but it will be worth it for what she’ll be able to do for Hunter,” Sharee said.

Hunter has a rare chromosome disorder called Tetrasomy 8 or 48 XXXX, which is the presence of four X chromosomes instead of two. Only 40 cases had been documented worldwide when Hunter was diagnosed in 1998. The disorder can cause developmental delays and mild to severe mental and physical health problems, and heart defects are common.

Hunter is considered high-functioning, but the 20-year-old Bentleyville woman has endured some very difficult times, especially this past summer after she developed pancreatitis when doctors switched her seizure medications during the spring because she was having a lot of tremors.

“It was time to take a break,” Sharee said.

But nine days into the process of weaning her off the medication, Hunter went through extreme withdrawal.

“She started taking seizures on me,” Sharee said. Days 10 and 11 brought incredible back pain.

Finally, Hunter had to be sedated to sleep, and spent nearly 20 hours a day in bed. She lost the ability to eat, walk or talk, and developed nonepileptic seizures.

“She had a very, very rough summer,” Sharee said. “She had so many things going wrong.”

That’s what prompted the family to consider bringing a hypoallergenic service dog into their home – and it happened much sooner than they expected.

Although they were told the process could take up to a year, a litter of poodles became available in August, and after several visits during the next few months, Tetras moved into the Kalchthaler home at the end of October. Tetras, who is named after Hunter’s chromosome disorder, will stay with the family until the end of December.

After that, she will alternate weeks with her trainer and Hunter until training is complete, “so she’s not gone for a whole month,” thus eliminating any separation anxiety, Sharee said.

“They get along very, very well,” Sharee said. “She knows what she’s here for. They have the same personality. We took her to a wedding, and she sat beside Hunter. She’s very, very well-behaved. She knows she’s being trained. She knows when it’s work time.”

And Tetras’ job is to help Hunter with her balance when she has seizures and reduce her social anxiety when she’s in a crowd.

“Right now, Hunter is doing a lot better, but she’s not back to 100 percent,” Sharee said.

Among the volunteers Sunday will be Jill Cleeg, whose family was the beneficiary of Hunter’s kindness three years ago. Two of Brian and Jill Cleegs’ two sons were born with Med 23, an intellectual gene disability that results in delayed white matter in the brain in the early years of life. It also has caused muscle stiffness, incessant screaming, spasticity of the extremities, gastrointestinal issues and developmental delays in the boys.

The defect is so rare and new to medical science that it has been identified in just one other family. That diagnosis was made in 2011 in Algeria. The Cleeg boys were diagnosed in May 2013 – almost three years after their initial consultation in the undiagnosed diseases program at the National Institute of Health.

A benefit spaghetti dinner for Hunter Kalchthaler, 20, of Bentleyville, will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Bentleyville Social Hall, 908 Main St. Cost is $10 for adults and $8 for children 12 and younger. Dinner will include spaghetti, salad, dessert and beverage. Takeout will be available. Tickets can be purchased at the door. There also will be a Chinese auction and a 50/50 drawing, and T-shirts will be sold.