Get a PTSD Service Dog.

Hi everyone, I’m Valerie… a mom, teacher, animal rescuer/foster and an artist. I have always had anxiety, but an incident on Monday July 3rd has changed my life forever. We had started our journey home from Chicago in the middle of the night and everything went smoothly…. Then, my children and I boarded flight 3316 from Las Vegas back home to Maui and everything seemed as normal as a flight could be. I took my meds to sleep because flying gives me anxiety, got my kids situated and we took off. We all slept for the first 3 hours or so, on and off… we were about an hour over the ocean when the pilot came on and said there was a mechanical issue and we were being re-routed to OAK. I started panicking and watching the flight attendants to see what they were doing because I was always told that when you’re nervous, watch the flight attendants. They were acting a little weird and one was panicking, which didn’t help me at all. They had opened the landing gear, which was so loud flying that fast…. And the pilot let us know that it was to burn fuel because we weighed too much to land. So we flew to OAK with our landing gear open, flights attendants acting weird and me trying to keep cool for the kids but internally losing my cool. When we landed in OAK we were met with Bomb specialists, dogs and crew to figure out what happened. This sent my panic attack over the edge. It was really happening. All the intrusive thoughts that I have when it comes to flying had come true. Mechanical issue, check. Being turned around, check. Flying without my husband, check. A bomb scare, check. Delayed for hours in an airport, check. now don’t get me wrong, I am SO grateful that we are home safe…. But I was and am still, not ok. I have started seeing a therapist that specializes in PTSD and he has recommended me get a service dog trained to help de-escalate the panic attacks before they get to the point where TSA hugs me…

Fast forward to now…. We watched our island burn. I smell smoke every day and I am continually heart broken. My friends are moving, my extended ohana have lost everything and I feel helpless and sometimes hopeless. I have students that have lost everything and I try my best every day to do everything to make every one of them feel loved and special. We have been through a terrible and traumatic experience and we will never be the same…. My ptsd that was under control is no longer… 

 A side note of a little about me…. I spend my days with my kids with special needs. We volunteer with the Maui Humane Society and foster kittens and bunnies. We also volunteer with the Marine Mammal Center to help educate and protect the endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal. I clean beaches on island and reuse the sea glass in art and jewelry. I help as much as I can in the community and have a hard time saying no to those in need… we have 6 indoor cats that have all been rescued and 4 outdoor that were born on the property and we fixed and feed them. And then we have a big fat white bunny named Cheese after my favorite character from Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends. AND if you’ve read this far and haven’t fallen asleep, I appreciate you and your time.