Service Dog & Medical Expenses for Emrrys
Donation protected
Why I need a service dog:
Hi I’m Emrrys. And we are raising money for a service dog for me. I have struggled with different difficulties all of my life. And in recent years these have become disabling.
I have anxiety attacks and sensory overload multiple times each day. I am constantly tripping, bumping or walking into stationary objects and getting bruises all over. I also randomly pass out without warning which has caused at least 3 concussions. A service dog can help mitigate all of these medical issues. I’ve described all of this in more detail further below.
How the money will be used:
I have been approved for a service dog that is task trained for mobility, guide work, anxiety alert and response, as well other tasks. The service dog will be program trained at Aspen Service Dogs in Edmonton.
$5,000 - Deposit to hold a spot and start training a puppy
$10,000 - One year later
$15,000 - At the 2 year mark prior to transfer of ownership to me
All proceeds from this fundraiser will go towards the expenses involved in obtaining the service dog. Other expenses that my family will pay for include: traveling to Aspen Service Dogs multiple times to meet with the trainers, one week in Edmonton to train specifically with the service dog, travel expenses for a trainer to come to train with me at home and school for one week, and all expenses of maintaining a service dog including food, veterinary care, pet insurance, maintenance training classes, gear, dog supplies at home, etc.
I’ll start a timeline for you:
Keep Reading or Click here to Watch my Video
For as long as I can remember I have been extremely sensitive to light, sound, and touch. I have frequent sensory overloads. Even though I now wear sunglasses and noise cancelling headphones every time I leave the house, I’m so sensitive that they aren’t enough to stop sensory overloads.
Another thing that has been a problem for my whole life, is my bad depth perception (knowing how far away or close things are) and proprioception (knowing where your body is in space). These along with my bad balance have given me multiple injuries a day. From walking into walls, door frames, tripping, and the most fun one walking into things left on the floor. I am constantly bruised on my legs from this. I constantly have bruises.
It’s been recognized all my life that I have anxiety, my first official diagnosis of anxiety was around 5-7 years old. I have been undiagnosed because I had supports and was doing better, and every time they are taken away I get worse. Even though I have been undiagnosed with generalized anxiety it has never actually gone away, just improved. I have been rediagnosed since. Years ago my anxiety became disabling, and earlier this year I was hospitalized for emergency medication change because it was so out of control. I have multiple anxiety attacks a day which I can’t recognize until it is a full blown anxiety attack and I’m not able to self regulate.
In kindergarten I got my first concussion, and needed stitches on my head. At that time I thought that I “just blinked for a really long time” I had done this many times before this. It was actually me loosing time and passing out to the ground. Since then I have had 2 more concussions from passing out. I get no warning, no symptoms, nothing. Just standing, walking, running, or swimming (things I have done when I have passed out) and then next thing I know I’m on the ground. After I realized I was passing out all these years I have noticed 5 different types of passing out just in the past year. Only one has warning. I have been to the ER multiple times for these.
I was diagnosed with severe depression in grade 4. I have almost no memory of this time because I was so depressed. I still have depression although not as severe.
Two years ago I started suffering severely from whole body pain and extreme fatigue. This has caused me to miss months of school, this past year has been the worst. I have been to school about a total of one week this past school year. When asked on a scale of one to ten, my pain is usually a 6 at the minimum. Let that sink in for a second, a minimum pain level of six. Every. Single. Second. Add on anxiety, sensory sensitivity, and fatigue and every moment is extremely overwhelming.
Because of my fatigue , pain, and balance issues it often becomes very difficult to walk.
I also have a very poor memory which causes me to not eat enough or drink enough or remember to take medication and do self care.
I also have dermatillomania. Which is a compulsive skin picking disorder. I have dealt with this for most of my life. It also interferes with me trying to take care of myself. Getting ready in the morning or before bed becomes an extreme episode where instead of being able to do the things I need to do, my compulsion takes over and I try and find more and more places to pick. The little energy I did have gets used by this all consuming episode leaving me aching and defeated.
I’m also trans Non binary. This is not the issue. However the dysphoria (your gender identity or inner self doesn’t match your body and causes you extreme emotional pain). This increases my problems. My dysphoria also drastically increases my anxiety and other symptoms.
How a service dog can will help me with these things:
A service dog can help with my sensory sensitivities by alerting me to an oncomingsensory overload, giving deep pressure, licking, and guiding me to a dark/quiet place. As well as other things that will help ground me and decrease sensory input to help get me out of it. A service dog can help with my injuries caused by my bad depth perception & proprioception by doing guide work to stop me from hurting myself by walking into things and retrieving items for me so I don’t fall over.
One of the main things the service dog will be for is my severe anxiety. The service dog will help me with my anxiety by alerting me to an oncoming anxiety attack, stop self harm behaviour, alert others of the situation, and help me regulate my breathing. Among other things, a service dog can help me with passing out by alerting to me passing out and get me to sit or lay down to prevent injuries. And help stabilize me for when I pass out temporarily so I don’t fall.
A service dog can help with my depression by doing a crying response and because dogs are automatically emotionally supportive, even as service dogs. A service dog can help with my chronic pain by bringing me pain medication when it gets too bad and helping me work through the pain when I can. And can help with my fatigue by bringing my things when I’m too weak to get up and, do mobility to help me walk when I’m very weak.
A service dog can help with my memory by reminding me to eat, take medications, and alert me to alarms going off.
A service dog can help me with my dermatillomania by stopping me when I start to pick so it doesn’t escalate.
A service dog will help me with the side affects of my dysphoria. Such as helping deal with the pain, anxiety, and depression.
A service dog will help with sleeping by sleeping next to me so I know I’m protected and by providing deep pressure to help me fall asleep.
And so because of these things life had been extremely hard. I cannot function on my own. I don’t even have the energy to take care of myself let alone have fun and do things with friends. A service dog would give me freedom. A service dog will give me a life again. With a service dog I don’t need to worry about all the reasons why I need a service dog.
Hi I’m Emrrys. And we are raising money for a service dog for me. I have struggled with different difficulties all of my life. And in recent years these have become disabling.
I have anxiety attacks and sensory overload multiple times each day. I am constantly tripping, bumping or walking into stationary objects and getting bruises all over. I also randomly pass out without warning which has caused at least 3 concussions. A service dog can help mitigate all of these medical issues. I’ve described all of this in more detail further below.
How the money will be used:
I have been approved for a service dog that is task trained for mobility, guide work, anxiety alert and response, as well other tasks. The service dog will be program trained at Aspen Service Dogs in Edmonton.
$5,000 - Deposit to hold a spot and start training a puppy
$10,000 - One year later
$15,000 - At the 2 year mark prior to transfer of ownership to me
All proceeds from this fundraiser will go towards the expenses involved in obtaining the service dog. Other expenses that my family will pay for include: traveling to Aspen Service Dogs multiple times to meet with the trainers, one week in Edmonton to train specifically with the service dog, travel expenses for a trainer to come to train with me at home and school for one week, and all expenses of maintaining a service dog including food, veterinary care, pet insurance, maintenance training classes, gear, dog supplies at home, etc.
I’ll start a timeline for you:
Keep Reading or Click here to Watch my Video
For as long as I can remember I have been extremely sensitive to light, sound, and touch. I have frequent sensory overloads. Even though I now wear sunglasses and noise cancelling headphones every time I leave the house, I’m so sensitive that they aren’t enough to stop sensory overloads.
Another thing that has been a problem for my whole life, is my bad depth perception (knowing how far away or close things are) and proprioception (knowing where your body is in space). These along with my bad balance have given me multiple injuries a day. From walking into walls, door frames, tripping, and the most fun one walking into things left on the floor. I am constantly bruised on my legs from this. I constantly have bruises.
It’s been recognized all my life that I have anxiety, my first official diagnosis of anxiety was around 5-7 years old. I have been undiagnosed because I had supports and was doing better, and every time they are taken away I get worse. Even though I have been undiagnosed with generalized anxiety it has never actually gone away, just improved. I have been rediagnosed since. Years ago my anxiety became disabling, and earlier this year I was hospitalized for emergency medication change because it was so out of control. I have multiple anxiety attacks a day which I can’t recognize until it is a full blown anxiety attack and I’m not able to self regulate.
In kindergarten I got my first concussion, and needed stitches on my head. At that time I thought that I “just blinked for a really long time” I had done this many times before this. It was actually me loosing time and passing out to the ground. Since then I have had 2 more concussions from passing out. I get no warning, no symptoms, nothing. Just standing, walking, running, or swimming (things I have done when I have passed out) and then next thing I know I’m on the ground. After I realized I was passing out all these years I have noticed 5 different types of passing out just in the past year. Only one has warning. I have been to the ER multiple times for these.
I was diagnosed with severe depression in grade 4. I have almost no memory of this time because I was so depressed. I still have depression although not as severe.
Two years ago I started suffering severely from whole body pain and extreme fatigue. This has caused me to miss months of school, this past year has been the worst. I have been to school about a total of one week this past school year. When asked on a scale of one to ten, my pain is usually a 6 at the minimum. Let that sink in for a second, a minimum pain level of six. Every. Single. Second. Add on anxiety, sensory sensitivity, and fatigue and every moment is extremely overwhelming.
Because of my fatigue , pain, and balance issues it often becomes very difficult to walk.
I also have a very poor memory which causes me to not eat enough or drink enough or remember to take medication and do self care.
I also have dermatillomania. Which is a compulsive skin picking disorder. I have dealt with this for most of my life. It also interferes with me trying to take care of myself. Getting ready in the morning or before bed becomes an extreme episode where instead of being able to do the things I need to do, my compulsion takes over and I try and find more and more places to pick. The little energy I did have gets used by this all consuming episode leaving me aching and defeated.
I’m also trans Non binary. This is not the issue. However the dysphoria (your gender identity or inner self doesn’t match your body and causes you extreme emotional pain). This increases my problems. My dysphoria also drastically increases my anxiety and other symptoms.
How a service dog can will help me with these things:
A service dog can help with my sensory sensitivities by alerting me to an oncomingsensory overload, giving deep pressure, licking, and guiding me to a dark/quiet place. As well as other things that will help ground me and decrease sensory input to help get me out of it. A service dog can help with my injuries caused by my bad depth perception & proprioception by doing guide work to stop me from hurting myself by walking into things and retrieving items for me so I don’t fall over.
One of the main things the service dog will be for is my severe anxiety. The service dog will help me with my anxiety by alerting me to an oncoming anxiety attack, stop self harm behaviour, alert others of the situation, and help me regulate my breathing. Among other things, a service dog can help me with passing out by alerting to me passing out and get me to sit or lay down to prevent injuries. And help stabilize me for when I pass out temporarily so I don’t fall.
A service dog can help with my depression by doing a crying response and because dogs are automatically emotionally supportive, even as service dogs. A service dog can help with my chronic pain by bringing me pain medication when it gets too bad and helping me work through the pain when I can. And can help with my fatigue by bringing my things when I’m too weak to get up and, do mobility to help me walk when I’m very weak.
A service dog can help with my memory by reminding me to eat, take medications, and alert me to alarms going off.
A service dog can help me with my dermatillomania by stopping me when I start to pick so it doesn’t escalate.
A service dog will help me with the side affects of my dysphoria. Such as helping deal with the pain, anxiety, and depression.
A service dog will help with sleeping by sleeping next to me so I know I’m protected and by providing deep pressure to help me fall asleep.
And so because of these things life had been extremely hard. I cannot function on my own. I don’t even have the energy to take care of myself let alone have fun and do things with friends. A service dog would give me freedom. A service dog will give me a life again. With a service dog I don’t need to worry about all the reasons why I need a service dog.
Organizer and beneficiary
Tracey Materi
Organizer
Tracy Oliver
Beneficiary