Help Marian raise funds for a PTSD Assistance Dog

Hi my name is Marian. I have not told my whole story on such a broad platform before so I’m trying to bravely put it out there, to help break through some of the mental health stigmas, and because I need your help.

I was diagnosed with PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder following a horrific assault I endured by a gang of armed men while attending a conference in South Africa in 2007. Chronic Pain was later added to my list of co-morbidities in 2013 which is known to compound PTSD and depression.

I had been coping pretty well (read: avoiding, ignoring, masking my trauma) by throwing myself into work and studies, but recently, in about August 2020, I hit a wall when I started remembering details from the night of the assault that I had somehow kept repressed. Needless to say, my PTSD since then, especially my hypervigilance, nightmares and flashbacks are back with a vengeance and are wrecking havoc with my life.

One glimmer of hope in all of this is, is that I found out about what an amazing impact a specialized PTSD Assistance Dog could have on your life - they do, amongst other things: environmental scanning, blocking, ground you during flashbacks and wake you during nightmares, lead you through crowds. I have found a provider of these dogs: ‘Dogs for Life’ and had an assessment done by one of their OTs who concluded that I would a perfect candidate for such a dog. [See https://www.dogsforlife.com.au for more details if you wish].

I have applied to the Australian Government through their disability scheme (NDIS) for a PTSD assistance dog but did not receive the funding for the actual dog (I am in the process of requesting a review of this decision) - the funds for the OT training me how to handle the dog in relation to my PTSD behaviors have been approved. At this stage I’m going ahead with the training program but prior to the matching stage with my own assistance dog, I need to cover the upfront costs of the actual dog. This request for additional funding from NDIS is turning out to be a long, protracted and confronting process. It’s not a NO yet from NDIS but this stressful process of proving that an assistance dog would be beneficial to me and value-for-money for the NDIS certainly doesn’t help someone suffering with PTSD. 

There seems to be some support out there for veterans, police and first responders to cover the costs of these highly trained and expensive PTSD dogs but for victims of sexual assault with PTSD (the majority women), we seem to slip between the proverbial gaps. So funding through the NDIS is my only option unless I am able to raise enough funds through this campaign. 

If I receive enough funds through this campaign, I will hopefully get a black female Labrador who I will name Ogden. Please help me raise funds for Ogden - any amount, no matter how small will make a huge difference to me. Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far, please share in your networks if you think a mate (or organization) would be interested in making a donation. 

Thank you with kindness
Marian