Hi there!
My name is Christina, I am 36 years old, and I am fundraising for a service dog. The cost of the specially trained dog is $14,000. I am allocating an additional $2,000 to use during handler training (9-14 days long). This will cover transportation, lodging, and meals when I travel to Valley Service Dogs in Alpine, CA (San Diego County) to learn how to handle the dog and eventually take he or she home when we are certified as a working team.
A little about me:
I have Conversion Disorder (also known as Functional Neurological Disorder). This disorder causes me to show psychological distress in physical ways. I also suffer from chronic and severe anxiety.
Conversion Disorder affects me on a daily basis. I am overly sensitive to auditory & visual stimuli, motion & vibration, and overly crowded spaces (whether it be people or objects). When I reach sensory overload I have involuntary movements of my upper body and my leg buckles. These attacks are Non-Epileptic Seizures (NES). NES are not caused by disrupted electrical activity in the brain as seen in epilepsy but rather parts of the brain stop working together properly when it is overloaded.
How can a service dog help me?
A service dog will help me to become more independent, build confidence, keep me calm, act as a distraction so I can focus on the well-being of the dog rather than my symptoms, alert me before I become overstimulated, provide mobility support when my leg buckles, and provide deep pressure therapy.
How can YOU help?
I hope you can support me in my endeavor in raising $16,000. Every donation helps! You can even be anonymous if you wish:-) You also can help by sharing my story across social media as often as you can. The more publicity the better!
THANK YOU for your support!! Words cannot describe how grateful I am for my family, friends, and those I have yet to meet!
Sincerely,
Christina S.
UPDATE 4/27/18:
I decreased the fundraising goal to $14k.
My name is Christina, I am 36 years old, and I am fundraising for a service dog. The cost of the specially trained dog is $14,000. I am allocating an additional $2,000 to use during handler training (9-14 days long). This will cover transportation, lodging, and meals when I travel to Valley Service Dogs in Alpine, CA (San Diego County) to learn how to handle the dog and eventually take he or she home when we are certified as a working team.
A little about me:
I have Conversion Disorder (also known as Functional Neurological Disorder). This disorder causes me to show psychological distress in physical ways. I also suffer from chronic and severe anxiety.
Conversion Disorder affects me on a daily basis. I am overly sensitive to auditory & visual stimuli, motion & vibration, and overly crowded spaces (whether it be people or objects). When I reach sensory overload I have involuntary movements of my upper body and my leg buckles. These attacks are Non-Epileptic Seizures (NES). NES are not caused by disrupted electrical activity in the brain as seen in epilepsy but rather parts of the brain stop working together properly when it is overloaded.
How can a service dog help me?
A service dog will help me to become more independent, build confidence, keep me calm, act as a distraction so I can focus on the well-being of the dog rather than my symptoms, alert me before I become overstimulated, provide mobility support when my leg buckles, and provide deep pressure therapy.
How can YOU help?
I hope you can support me in my endeavor in raising $16,000. Every donation helps! You can even be anonymous if you wish:-) You also can help by sharing my story across social media as often as you can. The more publicity the better!
THANK YOU for your support!! Words cannot describe how grateful I am for my family, friends, and those I have yet to meet!
Sincerely,
Christina S.
UPDATE 4/27/18:
I decreased the fundraising goal to $14k.