ROSIE O'DONNELL A Mother's Love

As a mother of five, Rosie O’Donnell knows a thing or two about parenting.

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But after her youngest child, Clay, 12, was diagnosed with autism, “I did feel like somebody kicked me in the stomach,” O’Donnell, 63, admits to Us. “This was something that made me feel their vulnerability in a way that I hadn’t before.” After discovering the benefits of service dogs for children with autism — and adopting their pup Kuma via Guide Dogs of America — the lives of O’Donnell and Clay (who identifies as non-binary) have been profoundly changed. “Before we got the dog, there was talk in the school [about] whether or not they would be allowed to go the next year [because] there was some behavior issues,” she says. “That year, we got the dog in February, and by the end of the year, [Clay] was voted the most improved student.” Inspired by Clay’s journey of healing, O’Donnell executive produced and stars in the new Hulu documentary Unleashing Hope: The Power of Service Dogs for Children with Autism, which spotlights the power of service dogs. “I wanted to give other people the chance to experience the amount of help that a service dog can bring your autistic child,” she adds, “and your whole family.”