Help Anna Get a Service Dog to Improve Her Quality of Life
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Anna (“Annie”) is a 26-year-old who lives with multiple complex medical conditions, including dysautonomia, hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), small fiber neuropathy, and erythromelalgia. Despite exhausting all available treatment options and medical therapies for her conditions, Anna still experiences daily challenges due to her health. Receiving a specialized service dog will help mitigate the impacts of Anna’s medical conditions, allowing her to overcome obstacles in her path and navigate her day-to-day life with the added security that a trained service dog provides.
More of Anna’s Story
If you know Anna, you know her joy, determination, and steadfast faith. Over the past four years, Anna has faced significant health challenges. Her conditions have caused her persistent symptoms that interfere with nearly every aspect of her daily life.
Despite these overwhelming obstacles, Anna has shown extraordinary resilience. She has leaned on her faith in Jesus, sharing His joy even on her hardest days. Amidst her health struggles, Anna has excelled as a medical student at West Virginia University, where she is committed to becoming a compassionate pediatrician. She also volunteers in the rare disease and disability communities, advocating for patient-centered care and accessibility.
Her determination is remarkable, but the toll of her health remains significant. Anna has been hospitalized multiple times, undergone extensive testing, and traveled across the country to leading institutions in search of better treatments. Despite her best efforts, her conditions continue to affect her ability to live the life she dreams of.
What Anna Needs: A Service Dog
A trained service dog is one of the few remaining options to significantly improve Anna’s quality of life. A service dog will assist Anna in many ways, including helping with mobility, alerting her to medical episodes, and ensuring her safety during medical emergencies. This would offer Anna greater independence and peace of mind knowing she has a companion by her side when needed most.
The cost of receiving a fully trained service dog is substantial—currently, Anna has been quoted $15,000. As full-time medical students, we cannot afford this on our own.
How You Can Help
We are asking for your support to help Anna raise the necessary funds to obtain a service dog. Your generous contribution will make an immeasurable difference in her life, helping her navigate daily obstacles with greater independence, comfort, and security.
No donation is too small, and each contribution is appreciated beyond measure. If you're unable to donate, sharing this campaign with your friends and family can also have a huge impact.
Anna is one of the most loving, kind, and resilient people you will ever meet. With your help, she can take the next step toward a brighter, more manageable future.
Thank you so much for your support. It means the world to Anna, her family, and all of those whose lives she touches.
With gratitude,
Josh Peterson
FAQs:
What will Anna’s service dog be trained to do?
- Anna’s conditions impact her life in many ways, but some of the greatest disruptions have been from recurrent fainting, dizziness, and joint instability. Anna’s service dog will be trained to recognize warning signs and provide medical alerts to Anna to prevent fainting and falls. Additionally, her dog will aid in tasks that minimize sudden changes to Anna’s heart rate and blood pressure, such as retrieving items to prevent Anna from bending over. Lastly, Anna has been an ambulatory wheelchair user since 2024. Her dog will be trained to assist in mobility-related tasks to help Anna navigate the world more easily.
Where will the money raised go?
- Anna and her husband, Josh, have vetted numerous service dog programs. Indigo Canines Co., LLC. emerged as the best option for Anna with a solid track record of training excellent service dogs tailored to the needs of people with dysautonomia and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. The money raised will go directly to covering the cost of a fully trained service dog from Indigo Canines Co., necessary service dog equipment, and related travel expenses.
If I am unable to give, what other ways can I support Anna?
- Anna and her husband, Josh, humbly ask for your diligent prayers that the Lord will open the door for Anna to receive a skilled service dog. They have been praying over this and feel led to pursue a service dog.
- Additionally, we would appreciate it if you would share this fundraising campaign with friends and family to help Anna bring her service dog home as soon as possible.
Organizer
Josh Peterson
Organizer
Morgantown, WV