I'm Virginia, and I am raising money for my sister, Sarah, to get a psychiatric service dog. Sarah has Bipolar II Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder. She has been struggling with the symptoms of these disorders for nearly a decade, and finding effective treatments has been difficult. 

She experiences severe mood symptoms, panic attacks, and has been hospitalized several times previously for suicidality. It has been recommended by her psychiatrist, in addition to the treatment she is currently undergoing, that she have a psychiatric service dog, in order to be as independent and stable as possible.

The service dog would primarily perform the following necessary tasks: 

- retrieving her medications
- deep pressure therapy
- sensing mood symptoms and panic attacks
- carrying and/or retrieving emergency medications for panic attacks
- waking her up from sleep paralysis

Costs for a service dog, including training of these specific tasks, has been estimated at 40,000, which we are trying to raise as soon as possible in order to get a dog from a local trainer.

Any contribution is appreciated, and we thank you again for viewing this fundraising page and reading Sarah's story. 

Also, regardless of the size of your donation, you can help by sharing this page so that it can reach as many people as possible!

As we continue in the process of getting a service dog, we will post updates to this page so that you all can see how your funds are being utilized.