Dominic's story

I want to tell you about three extraordinary people: my friends Karen and Jim Guglielmo, and their son Dominic - or Dom for short. After a long and challenging journey to become parents, Karen and Jim finally realized that dream in 2012, when they adopted their son Dom at the age of seven. I’ve never known two more selfless, loving parents than Karen and Jim, and I’d never seen them as happy as when Dom officially became their son.

Dom was such a happy, thriving kid. But over the past several months, Dom has been suffering from PTSD caused by childhood trauma. As a parent, it’s heartbreaking for me to think about all the damage that childhood trauma causes - not only the suffering of a small, innocent child experiencing trauma, but the impacts that trauma can have on a child throughout his whole life - like PTSD.

Luckily, there are very good treatment programs that can help people who are experiencing PTSD. Karen and Jim have identified an excellent inpatient program for Dom, and it’s not too far from their home. Unfortunately, the program costs over $600 a day, and insurance covers very little of that cost. Since Dom will likely need to be in a program for 6 months or more, that puts the program well out of their financial reach.

That’s why I’m asking for your help. Please help me raise $75,000 for the Guglielmos, so that Dom can get the treatment he needs to cope with his PTSD. I’m extremely grateful for any amount you are able to contribute. Please help us spread the word by sharing the page on social media and/or sharing the link with others who might be able to help. Thank you so, so much for your help!

Dominic's Story - by Karen Guglielmo

Can I encapsulate in a few short sentences the depth of our love and the longing in our hearts for our son to receive, what we truly believe to be, life-saving treatment? I’ll try.

I’ve started this sentence so many times: DOMINIC IS…a beautiful young man. He is an honor roll student, who loves to play the bari-sax. He can tell you pretty much anything you’d like to know about Ancient Rome or Medieval Europe, as he breathes ancient history. He is an avid science fiction/fantasy reader, and also is a Pokemon know-it-all. Dom is a builder, a designer, and a creator, who has spent hours building complex models with his dad. He is an intelligent, curious, precocious fellow.

This just tips the iceberg though, and you’ll realize that when you meet Dom. He has the enthusiasm of an entire cheer team, the heart of a lion, and a smile that says, "Everything will be OK." Dominic is a natural helper. HE’S the guy that would run into the burning building. HE’S the one that makes sure nobody picks on his friend. HE’S the one that someday could be the psychologist, fire fighter, paramedic, teacher, or doctor.

This beautiful young man, along with his four sisters, was born into some of the most deplorable and traumatizing circumstances that any child should have to endure. The people that should have loved and protected him couldn’t. Didn’t. And this story of his early upbringing, and the neglect and abuse he experienced is his story to tell. When he is ready and capable.

Unlike other types of trauma, psychological trauma affects the entire body on a cellular level, changing its chemistry, forcing the brain to work constantly to stay out of its fight, flight or freeze response. Dom suffers daily with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In the last three months he has gone from being an honor student to a failing student. He cannot sit in a classroom, as sight and sound overstimulate him. The tap of a pencil is like a jackhammer. His peers don’t know what to do as he paces about the classroom, lashing out at the teacher or other students.

PTSD can present as irritability or extreme rage. It can present as ramped up hyperactivity, insomnia, nightmares, heightened anxiety and hyper-vigilance, deep depression and shame. Dom is experiencing ALL of this, one symptom on top of and crashing into the next. He can’t function at school, and now he cannot function successfully at home. He needs very specialized care.

We found a program that we believe will provide the care that Dom needs, called the Developmental Trauma and Attachment Program (DTAP). This program is intricately designed to help children who have been in foster care after experiencing extreme trauma in their youth. The Accelerated Program in which he’d participate is fully trauma-informed, with interventions that will help Dom reform family attachment, integrating his traumatized self with the young man fighting PTSD. The program is truly family-centered, and we will not be separated from Dom for long periods of time. Our participation is welcomed, and frankly expected. The end goal for treatment is healing of Dom’s mind and heart, and the empowerment that comes with utilizing a set of coping skills that will minimize the effects of any lingering symptoms.