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Louisville teen raising money for service dog

Shane Roof has made incredible progress, and now he's ready for the next step with a service dog.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) – Shane Roof is a local teenager who has been through more than most. He was diagnosed with AFM, a condition that affects the nervous system. Roof has even had to learn to walk again.

He’s made incredible progress, and now he’s ready for the next step with a service dog. Monday, the Penn Station on Outer Loop helped in a big way. The restaurant donated ten percent of its sales to the Roof’s fundraiser to get a service dog.

"I've been feeling great. I'm glad to be back in therapy. I'm just starting to build up my endurance ever since I got the surgeries,” Shane Roof said. "My main goal is to be more independent. I feel like if I had a dog, that would help me a lot with stability so I wouldn't have to have my parents with me 24/7, you know."

MORE | Louisville's Shane Roof continues to recover from illness, parents believe AFM diagnosis

The Roofs are working with the Humane Society of Oldham County to get the dog.

"They have a program where the dog is actually trained at the men's prison initially for general obedience. Then, it's handed off to a professional trainer,” Shane’s mom Alexandra Roof said.

It's another journey to get a service dog, and a pricey one at that. The animals cost around $6,000.

"We have a while to go still. We just kind of started. This is our first fundraising event. We plan on having a couple others,” Alexandra Roof said.

It's lunches like this that could lead to a better life for Shane.

"I'm never going to give up, and I'm always going to work forward,” Shane Roof said.

This special applies to all kinds of orders. You can call ahead and pick it up or dine in. The store is open until 10:00 p.m.

Click here to donate online.

Mr. Gatti's in Brandenburg is hosting another fundraiser for Shane Saturday, December 23 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. It will donate ten percent of its sales, as well.

►Contact reporter Sara Wagner at swagner@WHAS11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@WHAS11Sara) and Facebook.

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