Donations to Obtain a Psychiatric Service Dog

Hello,

My name is Kamryn and I am a chronic mental health sufferer.

Each year, 1 in 5 Canadians will suffer from a form of mental illness.

In Canada, there are limited opportunities to acquire a psychiatric service dog. There are no designated psychiatric service dog organizations and the only way to receive one is to pay out of pocket and train it on your own with a service dog trainer. This is a costly route that many people with mental illness have to take.

The psychiatric service dog is a helpful tool for those dealing with any mental illness. The service dog can go above and beyond by interrupting depressive episodes, retrieving medication, and even by providing support during panic attacks.

About me…

I am clinically diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety, and major depressive disorder with mood incongruent psychotic features.

I have always had a mental illness from

a young age, but it did not impact me much until my early teens. Around the age of 14, my OCD started to impact my hockey greatly. I could not leave the house or be mentally focused for my game without completing an exhausting routine. Two years later I had to walk away from the game. My greatest passion turned into my worst nightmare. I found myself hitting rock bottom with no way out and the thought of suicide brought me closer to feeling peace. At this point, I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder. I could not function socially, my grades were not where I wanted them to be, and I couldn’t be around a hockey rink without getting flashbacks of what hockey was like for me. Even though I was going through all of this and being mentally drained, I put on a fake smile each day and pretended that nothing was wrong.

Each day is a struggle for me. I feel paranoid all the time, I constantly have a low mood, and I can’t go out in public unless someone is with me. A psychiatric service dog will help alleviate some of my symptoms and help me get my life back on track. I am setting up this gofundme page, so it can help cover some of the basic costs for the service dog, such as the training and start up costs.

Thank you in advance,

Kamryn