Donation protected
Hello, hi. ♡ My name is Luca, and I am currently 20 years old.
My mental health has been a struggle for as long as I really can remember, and has gotten no easier with time or certain traumatic life events along the way.
Without delving too absolutely deep into something unnecessary to share here, for the respect of those who would struggle to read it, and for my own sake struggling to talk about it, I live with severe PTSD due to childhood grooming leading to sexual abuse and assault in my former home, leading to one final bad incident that woke me up from sleep in my own bed. Following this came me growing so scared and so desperate that I finally spoke out about what had been happening to me, and then a long military court case (the state itself had dropped the case due to a lack of visible evidence, and he was a highly respected Coast Guard Chief among his peers and the jury itself was just a bunch of other military ranks and coworkers, it was pretty obvious how it was going to play out.), where I was gaslit by the defense attorneys in front of my abuser, my pedophilic former step-father of eight predatory years, on the stands, told it was maybe all in my head and that I was too mentally unwell to understand the abuse I'd endured, or that I'd potentially wanted it, and asked for it.
The court case went on for two painful years, where I was constantly required to physically draw out and describe the scene, in immense and elaborate detail, of the assault time and time again. I was also stalked by a private detective he had hired, a stranger who showed up unannounced at multiple people I knew and hadn't spoken to in years' doors from states away, sharing what had happened to me to people I would have never told, just to get information on me, and find out if they knew anything about it. I felt exposed and paranoid and horrified, constantly. I fell into a deep depression, had to drop out of high school because I felt so scared leaving my home, was heavily suicidal, self harming, experienced constant flashbacks and nightmares, and was inpatient in psych wards multiple times over the course of the case because I could barely cope with what had happened to me. All in the end for him to eventually win the case, jump up and smiling and laughing and hugging his family and friends.
It's been a few years now since the case ended, but none of the aftermath for me has faltered. I am scared in public and alone, I am afraid of touch, I deal with severe hypervigilance and paranoia, I struggle to sleep, and consistently deal with nightmares and night terrors. What I had went through in my home between 8 to 15 were not isolated events, it was something I grew accustomed to, and grew accustomed to fear. Not to mentioned a relationship I was in simultaneously with a boy I knew and struggled to get away from during middle to high school was also unfortunately abusive and performed some of the same acts of assault onto me, as young as 11 and 12. I am still working on and trying everything to recover.
Furthermore, in the past year I received a diagnosis of ASD, or Autism Spectrum Disorder. Something that was always there, but never recognized. Nothing has really changed for me since learning this besides being able to put a name to the challenges I have faced and never understood prior. Between increasing social anxiety to the point of fearing leaving my home, getting easily overstimulated in busy places and crowds, struggling to be consistently verbal, to frequent shutdowns and panic attacks even when I'm all alone, I've lost a lot of hope in seeing a successful and independent future for myself.
But, the past two years I've been doing a myriad of research regarding possible treatment. I have attempted multiple different psychiatric medications, never to much avail, and some therapy and intricate PTSD treatment which will have to be ongoing for a long time. A repeated thing I've found can change the worlds of those who's lives are debilitated by PTSD are Psychiatric Service Dogs.
Beyond having a natural connection and love for animals, and have always been calmed by them, a Psychiatric Service Dog would especially be able to assist me in a multitude of different ways.
- DPT (Deep Pressure Therapy) for grounding and distraction during panic attacks
- Providing tactile stimulation to combat my frequent sensory overload issues,
- Reality checks and grounding with bad dissociation spells or vivid flashbacks
- Assist me with finding an exit to a place if during a panic attack I become confused or disoriented
- Interrupt mindless repetitive harmful behaviors
- Helping my with steadying my balance if I become too dizzy or disoriented
- Crowd control and blocking (standing directly behind me to block me if anyone were to try and come up behind me, something my hypervigilance is really bad about)
- Retrieve medication for me if I am in a shutdown and find myself unable to move easily
- To provide me with a sense of comfort and security while being able to do things, going about my life, working, everything, independently.
These are a small example of tasks that a PSD would be able to perform to make my life completely different. I would no longer have to rely on anti-anxiety medications for things as little as the grocery store, I would no longer have to worry about never making it out of a panic attack or flashback, or not having something to help guide me out of it.
A service dog is considered medical equipment and unlike a therapy dog or emotional support animal, would be protected under the ADA to accompany me wherever I would need to go, something I personally find necessary for the symptoms I've been enduring for years.
A service dog is also a privilege, and is absolutely not something everyone who may need one can have access to. Fully trained, grown service dogs, depending on the disability they are alleviating, can average from $13k to $30k, sometimes reaching $50k for specific tasks.
My goal is to owner train as oppose to buy fully trained, (with additional hired help and obedience classes) a golden retriever puppy, one of the breeds most natural for the type of work it would be trained for in my case. To reduce the risk of the dog washing (ending up unfit for service work after training has been attempted), it's important not to overlook where you are getting your puppy. There are breeders for working dogs, in which they will temperament train/check the puppy at a very young age to predict if it will be fit for service work, as well as introducing it to loads of different stimuli at and early age, so that it will be a calm working dog, and not a reactive unfocused one. They are also bred and checked with the best possible health in mind to be sure that their performance and livelihood will be as best as it can be.
I took about two years of researching, considering, weighing the pros and the cons before coming to the conclusion that this will be the best thing to help me in the next step of independence in my life.
This money would go toward adoption fees, training gear, a head-start on keeping up with shots and vet appointments, and assistance with private training.
If you've read this far, thank you. If you could share this, thank you, also. If you can donate even a little bit (only if in a position where you financially feel comfortable doing so), thank you from the very bottom of my heart. I've been very quiet about my struggles for years and it isn't easy for me to open up and ask for help, but I know I really need it.
I want to feel hopeful again. I want to be happy.
Much love, and thank you again. ♡
[& Quick side note; money is not on behalf of anyone else but myself, unlike states below the image, Doug is my partner who would hold the money for me. <3]
My mental health has been a struggle for as long as I really can remember, and has gotten no easier with time or certain traumatic life events along the way.
Without delving too absolutely deep into something unnecessary to share here, for the respect of those who would struggle to read it, and for my own sake struggling to talk about it, I live with severe PTSD due to childhood grooming leading to sexual abuse and assault in my former home, leading to one final bad incident that woke me up from sleep in my own bed. Following this came me growing so scared and so desperate that I finally spoke out about what had been happening to me, and then a long military court case (the state itself had dropped the case due to a lack of visible evidence, and he was a highly respected Coast Guard Chief among his peers and the jury itself was just a bunch of other military ranks and coworkers, it was pretty obvious how it was going to play out.), where I was gaslit by the defense attorneys in front of my abuser, my pedophilic former step-father of eight predatory years, on the stands, told it was maybe all in my head and that I was too mentally unwell to understand the abuse I'd endured, or that I'd potentially wanted it, and asked for it.
The court case went on for two painful years, where I was constantly required to physically draw out and describe the scene, in immense and elaborate detail, of the assault time and time again. I was also stalked by a private detective he had hired, a stranger who showed up unannounced at multiple people I knew and hadn't spoken to in years' doors from states away, sharing what had happened to me to people I would have never told, just to get information on me, and find out if they knew anything about it. I felt exposed and paranoid and horrified, constantly. I fell into a deep depression, had to drop out of high school because I felt so scared leaving my home, was heavily suicidal, self harming, experienced constant flashbacks and nightmares, and was inpatient in psych wards multiple times over the course of the case because I could barely cope with what had happened to me. All in the end for him to eventually win the case, jump up and smiling and laughing and hugging his family and friends.
It's been a few years now since the case ended, but none of the aftermath for me has faltered. I am scared in public and alone, I am afraid of touch, I deal with severe hypervigilance and paranoia, I struggle to sleep, and consistently deal with nightmares and night terrors. What I had went through in my home between 8 to 15 were not isolated events, it was something I grew accustomed to, and grew accustomed to fear. Not to mentioned a relationship I was in simultaneously with a boy I knew and struggled to get away from during middle to high school was also unfortunately abusive and performed some of the same acts of assault onto me, as young as 11 and 12. I am still working on and trying everything to recover.
Furthermore, in the past year I received a diagnosis of ASD, or Autism Spectrum Disorder. Something that was always there, but never recognized. Nothing has really changed for me since learning this besides being able to put a name to the challenges I have faced and never understood prior. Between increasing social anxiety to the point of fearing leaving my home, getting easily overstimulated in busy places and crowds, struggling to be consistently verbal, to frequent shutdowns and panic attacks even when I'm all alone, I've lost a lot of hope in seeing a successful and independent future for myself.
But, the past two years I've been doing a myriad of research regarding possible treatment. I have attempted multiple different psychiatric medications, never to much avail, and some therapy and intricate PTSD treatment which will have to be ongoing for a long time. A repeated thing I've found can change the worlds of those who's lives are debilitated by PTSD are Psychiatric Service Dogs.
Beyond having a natural connection and love for animals, and have always been calmed by them, a Psychiatric Service Dog would especially be able to assist me in a multitude of different ways.
- DPT (Deep Pressure Therapy) for grounding and distraction during panic attacks
- Providing tactile stimulation to combat my frequent sensory overload issues,
- Reality checks and grounding with bad dissociation spells or vivid flashbacks
- Assist me with finding an exit to a place if during a panic attack I become confused or disoriented
- Interrupt mindless repetitive harmful behaviors
- Helping my with steadying my balance if I become too dizzy or disoriented
- Crowd control and blocking (standing directly behind me to block me if anyone were to try and come up behind me, something my hypervigilance is really bad about)
- Retrieve medication for me if I am in a shutdown and find myself unable to move easily
- To provide me with a sense of comfort and security while being able to do things, going about my life, working, everything, independently.
These are a small example of tasks that a PSD would be able to perform to make my life completely different. I would no longer have to rely on anti-anxiety medications for things as little as the grocery store, I would no longer have to worry about never making it out of a panic attack or flashback, or not having something to help guide me out of it.
A service dog is considered medical equipment and unlike a therapy dog or emotional support animal, would be protected under the ADA to accompany me wherever I would need to go, something I personally find necessary for the symptoms I've been enduring for years.
A service dog is also a privilege, and is absolutely not something everyone who may need one can have access to. Fully trained, grown service dogs, depending on the disability they are alleviating, can average from $13k to $30k, sometimes reaching $50k for specific tasks.
My goal is to owner train as oppose to buy fully trained, (with additional hired help and obedience classes) a golden retriever puppy, one of the breeds most natural for the type of work it would be trained for in my case. To reduce the risk of the dog washing (ending up unfit for service work after training has been attempted), it's important not to overlook where you are getting your puppy. There are breeders for working dogs, in which they will temperament train/check the puppy at a very young age to predict if it will be fit for service work, as well as introducing it to loads of different stimuli at and early age, so that it will be a calm working dog, and not a reactive unfocused one. They are also bred and checked with the best possible health in mind to be sure that their performance and livelihood will be as best as it can be.
I took about two years of researching, considering, weighing the pros and the cons before coming to the conclusion that this will be the best thing to help me in the next step of independence in my life.
This money would go toward adoption fees, training gear, a head-start on keeping up with shots and vet appointments, and assistance with private training.
If you've read this far, thank you. If you could share this, thank you, also. If you can donate even a little bit (only if in a position where you financially feel comfortable doing so), thank you from the very bottom of my heart. I've been very quiet about my struggles for years and it isn't easy for me to open up and ask for help, but I know I really need it.
I want to feel hopeful again. I want to be happy.
Much love, and thank you again. ♡
[& Quick side note; money is not on behalf of anyone else but myself, unlike states below the image, Doug is my partner who would hold the money for me. <3]
Organizer and beneficiary
Luca Pecoraro
Organizer
Nashville, TN
Doug Metz
Beneficiary