Service Dog for Sarah

Hi, my name is Sarah. I am 18 years old and this past year I was diagnosed with a chronic illness.

After getting COVID for the third time in January of 2022, I never fully recovered. In September of 2022, I was diagnosed with Dysautonomia and POTS - postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. I spent most of the next few months bed-bound or in a wheelchair. I was not able to attend my senior year of high school or do things I love like drawing, singing, or playing music.

POTS affects my autonomic nervous system, meaning that all the things my body does without me thinking about it no longer function like they should. It's kind of like being taken off of autopilot. It is different for everyone. For me, it mostly means that my body doesn't pump the blood correctly so it all gets stuck in my feet and my heart has to work overtime to fix it. This causes my heart rate to increase sometimes upwards of 150 bpm and I pass out. It is really exhausting and I have severe fatigue all the time. My nerves send the wrong signals, that mostly means that I am in a lot of pain or I can't feel anything at all. That mostly happens in my legs and the wheelchair really comes in handy.

I've spent the last year working to get better with support from friends and family. I am now able to walk much farther and do almost all of the things I enjoy, although modified. My life looks a lot different than I imagined it to be but I am still working hard to live the life I want. One of the hardest things for me to learn was how to ask for help. When I first got sick I went from being almost completely independent to having to ask for help doing even the smallest thing like getting a glass of water from the kitchen. This didn't stop me though. I am still looking for ways to be more independent. My health has improved but the thing that has really made a difference is learning how to accommodate for my illness. Whether that be mobility aids, braces, compression garments or medication. Me and my family have been working with doctors and other professionals to figure out how to give me the most normal life.

One of the bigger things we decided on was getting me a service dog. We had decided to look into getting a service dog pretty early on as the earliest that the doctors thought I would get better was 4+ years out and I was still planning on attending my first year of college the next fall. This plan didn't pan out but we learned more about what a service dog could mean for me and it became more and more evident that it was the right thing to do.

A service dog could mean that I could go out by myself and eventually be able to live alone. My service dog would be trained to do the things that I struggle doing. The dog will pick things up from the ground, bring me water, bring my medication or help me open a door. Most importantly she would alert me when my heart rate gets too high or low and I am about to faint, she will signal me to sit down and will stay with me until I wake up.

The downside is that it is very expensive. I am not able to work right now due to this illness so fundraising and asking for donations one of the options I have to help with this expense. Any help is very appreciated.

I already have the puppy I am going to train picked out. She is a three-month-old golden retriever named Athena. She is so sweet and cute and loves cuddles. She loves to train and get treats. She is very active and excited about everything. She is the sweetest little girl and I am so excited to spend more time with her. She is staying with our trainer for now until she is potty trained and will be officially a service dog in training and will start to go places with me.

POTS and Dysautonomia aren't well known so I'm going to list a few things that I deal with to give a better understanding.

POTS: Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome - there is a significant (above 20 bpm) change in heart rate upon changes in position ie. sitting to standing.

Dysautonomia - a dysregulation in the autonomic nervous system.

Heart racing

Low heart rate

Low blood pressure

Dizziness

Passing out - syncope or pre-syncope

Nausea and vomiting

Numbness and tingling

headaches/migraines

Severe generalized pain

Stomach cramping

Blood pooling

Severe brain fog

Severe fatigue

Insomnia

Temperature dysregulation and temperature intolerance

Joint pain

Hyper-mobility, subluxation and dislocation

Vision issues

Most of these symptoms I have everyday and all day. The severeness changes day to day and sometimes hour to hour.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for considering a donation to help me with my service dog.

I am really looking forward to the next step in my journey!

Sarah