My father raised me to be a “Pick Yourself Up by Your Bootstraps Kind of Man…” yet today I stand before a mountain I cannot climb on my own… a situation I cannot solve without your help.
Our family is asking for help to fund the purchase of a PTSD service dog for my beautiful bride, Jenn.
The backstory:
For many years Jenn has been dealing with depression. Unfortunately, two years ago while living in Ohio her medicines stopped keeping her illness in check and things began to deteriorate rapidly. Jenn’s depression led her to a place where she was planning to take her own life by driving into a flooded waterway. Once aware of the situation we immediately sought professional help for Jenn. The resulting diagnosis was a “Major Depression Disorder” which is exacerbated by also suffering from “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” (PTSD).
Her condition is the result of emotional, physical and sexual abuse she endured for years as an adolescent and as a young adult. I am guarding Jenn’s privacy by not sharing the details of abuse she endured other than to say it was emotionally degrading, horrifically violent and without exception criminal.
Life Today:
Hyper Vigilance (always on edge looking out for possible threats – checking, double and triple checking locks), panic attacks, flashbacks and sleepless nights because of nightmares are an everyday occurrence for Jenn. It takes everything she has to go to work each day and is currently using her FMLA benefits to help manage her struggles. “Good Days” are few and far between… if things don’t change for Jenn, I fear she will become a prisoner in her own home; someone who is afraid to venture out.
Hope for a functional future:
As a person of faith I declare that our hope is ultimately in Jesus Christ. Not a day goes by that we don’t invite the Great Physician to bring healing to Jenn’s wounds. I believe He can and will bring about healing and we believe that He is opening the doors for her service dog. We have looked at several different service / protection dogs over the last few weeks and believe that the dog we have selected will provide Jenn with a functional future and the security she needs.
We have contracted with Mace Malinois (macemalinois.com ) to provide Jenn with a PTSD Service Dog.
Boudreaux (pronounced Boo-dr-O) is a 1-year-old Dutch Shepherd who has been specially trained to provide assistance to people living with the effects of PTSD.
Boudreaux can/will:
*Detect a panic attack prior to its onset and diffuse the attack by redirecting and interacting with Jenn.
*Arouse Jenn from fear paralysis or disassociation spell.
*Travel with Jenn almost unrestricted.
*Provide a physical barrier between Jenn and someone else creating a buffer protecting her personal space.
*Search the house clearing rooms which will provide additional peace of mind at home.
*Wake Jenn up if she is having a nightmare.
Boudreaux is a highly trained service dog that was originally listed for $20,000 by his owner/trainer. However, after talking with the owner and the obvious perfect match Boudreaux is for Jenn he lowered his price down to $12,000 to help us out. It is noteworthy that during our negotiations for Boudreaux the owner received an offer from a doctor in Massachusetts who was willing to pay $25,000 for the dog. Mr. Mace refused the offer and accepted our deposit and removed Boudreaux from the market.
I began this post by saying that I am standing before a mountain that I cannot climb alone… the mountain I am referring to is the remaining $11,000 owed for Boudreaux.
According to Scripture (Mark 11:22-25)
“Faith can cause a mountain to be lifted up and be thrown in to the sea..”
Jenn has forgiven those who have hurt her and we believe that God can provide what is necessary for Boudreaux to make our home his home.
If you are led by the Holy Spirit to support this endeavor, we thank you in advance and welcome your support.
Tim, Jenn and kids
Our family is asking for help to fund the purchase of a PTSD service dog for my beautiful bride, Jenn.
The backstory:
For many years Jenn has been dealing with depression. Unfortunately, two years ago while living in Ohio her medicines stopped keeping her illness in check and things began to deteriorate rapidly. Jenn’s depression led her to a place where she was planning to take her own life by driving into a flooded waterway. Once aware of the situation we immediately sought professional help for Jenn. The resulting diagnosis was a “Major Depression Disorder” which is exacerbated by also suffering from “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” (PTSD).
Her condition is the result of emotional, physical and sexual abuse she endured for years as an adolescent and as a young adult. I am guarding Jenn’s privacy by not sharing the details of abuse she endured other than to say it was emotionally degrading, horrifically violent and without exception criminal.
Life Today:
Hyper Vigilance (always on edge looking out for possible threats – checking, double and triple checking locks), panic attacks, flashbacks and sleepless nights because of nightmares are an everyday occurrence for Jenn. It takes everything she has to go to work each day and is currently using her FMLA benefits to help manage her struggles. “Good Days” are few and far between… if things don’t change for Jenn, I fear she will become a prisoner in her own home; someone who is afraid to venture out.
Hope for a functional future:
As a person of faith I declare that our hope is ultimately in Jesus Christ. Not a day goes by that we don’t invite the Great Physician to bring healing to Jenn’s wounds. I believe He can and will bring about healing and we believe that He is opening the doors for her service dog. We have looked at several different service / protection dogs over the last few weeks and believe that the dog we have selected will provide Jenn with a functional future and the security she needs.
We have contracted with Mace Malinois (macemalinois.com ) to provide Jenn with a PTSD Service Dog.
Boudreaux (pronounced Boo-dr-O) is a 1-year-old Dutch Shepherd who has been specially trained to provide assistance to people living with the effects of PTSD.
Boudreaux can/will:
*Detect a panic attack prior to its onset and diffuse the attack by redirecting and interacting with Jenn.
*Arouse Jenn from fear paralysis or disassociation spell.
*Travel with Jenn almost unrestricted.
*Provide a physical barrier between Jenn and someone else creating a buffer protecting her personal space.
*Search the house clearing rooms which will provide additional peace of mind at home.
*Wake Jenn up if she is having a nightmare.
Boudreaux is a highly trained service dog that was originally listed for $20,000 by his owner/trainer. However, after talking with the owner and the obvious perfect match Boudreaux is for Jenn he lowered his price down to $12,000 to help us out. It is noteworthy that during our negotiations for Boudreaux the owner received an offer from a doctor in Massachusetts who was willing to pay $25,000 for the dog. Mr. Mace refused the offer and accepted our deposit and removed Boudreaux from the market.
I began this post by saying that I am standing before a mountain that I cannot climb alone… the mountain I am referring to is the remaining $11,000 owed for Boudreaux.
According to Scripture (Mark 11:22-25)
“Faith can cause a mountain to be lifted up and be thrown in to the sea..”
Jenn has forgiven those who have hurt her and we believe that God can provide what is necessary for Boudreaux to make our home his home.
If you are led by the Holy Spirit to support this endeavor, we thank you in advance and welcome your support.
Tim, Jenn and kids