Hello! I’m Gwen, and I need your help.

I suffer from a few disabilities, but the most notable are Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD) and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). HSD is a connective tissue disorder that causes chronic pain. POTS is a dysfunction in my autonomic nervous system that regulates the body, such as heart rate, blood pressure, the immune system, and more.

My conditions have caused me to lose consciousness in the past, and I’ve gotten close to passing out several times, especially recently. POTS can cause me to flare (a dramatic increase in symptoms) due to heat, stress, overexertion, and sickness. Any illness I contract presents more seriously in me, making me sicker than most people. This past Spring, I was bedridden with bronchitis from a cold. POTS also gives me severe brain fog, making it hard to think, remember/complete basic tasks such as taking medicine or doing homework. A service dog would be able to ground me and execute different trained tasks to help me manage my symptoms and stay safe. POTS flares can come on suddenly, and one of the tasks I am going to teach will be to alert me to a flare so that I can properly manage it to avoid loss of consciousness or worse.

Because of HSD, I have chronic pain in several locations throughout my body focused on major joints such as my knees and hips. I am nearly always in pain, and the frequency and severity that this pain can reach have me walking with mobility aids to limit stress on my joints. Even with aids, I am still in pain and things such as walking, standing, and sitting can and often do increase my pain.

The funding from this gofundme will be used to purchase a German Shepard Puppy, which I will be training as my service dog. He will be trained as a medical alert and mobility service dog so that I can regain my independence. A service dog would help me by alerting me to medical episodes (flares), helping me manage pain, and keeping me safe. I will be self-training the dog to limit expenses, as fully trained service dogs can be expensive; a previous estimate was around $60,000. With self-training (while consulting a professional trainer), the cost is cut to roughly $10,000, including the cost of the puppy, training, and some of the equipment costs. I hope that in the future, I will be able to pay most of the training costs myself, but I am also currently in college, and I cannot afford to pay the $3,000 necessary to buy the puppy and begin this process. But with your help, I can!

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

Macy was fully funded by her breeder in am act of incredible generosity! I cannot say thank you enough to all the wonderful people who have donated and helped us along the way. This fundraisers profits have been used for vet and other care fees and will remain open for donations for no use other than her personal and medical care, such as vet bills and food costs. If you have recently donated and do not wish for your funds to be used for this, I can send you a refund as soon as I'm notified.

Thank you so much, me and Macy (pictured) wish you all the best!