Hello! My name is Vin and I'm a disabled 21 year old from Connecticut. I am a community college student hoping to transfer to a 4-year university in the next couple of years to pursue acting and film production.

I was diagnosed with Tics at age 4 where it turned into Tourette Syndrome at 14, Functional Neurological Disorder at 15, Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome at 17, Dissociative Identity Disorder + C-PTSD at around 18-19, and am in the process of testing for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. I see 2 therapists twice a week and see my other medical team personnel routinely around every 3 months, not including ER visits when needed.

My conditions each have their own role to play in terms of making my life difficult. My Tourette's cause me to make uncontrollable noises and movements. When my anxiety rises, they tend to get worse and can turn into a tic attack, where the noises and movements heighten in severity in quick succession which can last anywhere from 30 minutes to multiple hours.

This results in my body becoming extremely exhausted and can trigger my Functional Neurological Disorder. My joins can lock in place, I could pass out, my muscles could grow weak, I could go paralyzed and require the use of my wheelchair, my speech patterns could change (stuttering, unable to speak entirely, etc.), my gait could change (foot dragging, limping, etc.) making me rely on my crutches or wheelchair, and I could even have non-epileptic seizures. These symptoms don't happen primarily due to my Tourette's, but my Tourette's being unstable can be a big trigger.

Due to my suspected Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, my heart rate spikes by an abnormal amount when I stand up from laying down or sitting, when standing for a long period of time, when doing any amount of physical activity (even leisurely walking), or just at random. This can cause me to experience pre-syncope and potentially pass out. I use a cane regularly to combat the balance issues that come with it.

These disorders also cause me a lot of chronic pain and fatigue, making even doing a basic task such as getting out of bed, brushing my teeth, eating, or even communicating verbally extremely difficult.

My Dissociative Identity Disorder and C-PTSD piggyback off each other due to the nature of the disorders. I experience panic attacks, amnesia, lack of a sense of my own identity, identity alteration, dissociation, depersonalization and derealization, time loss, flashbacks, sleep disturbances, and more.

Due to the disabling nature of my conditions, working or being independent in general is almost impossible without support. I have had two jobs in the past, both lasting no longer then 2 weeks before needing to quit due to medical reasons, causing me to rely on SSI. SSI gives me less than $1000 per month which is under minimum wage in my state, and I cannot save in a legal manner, nor have more than $2,000 in my bank account at a time or I lose my benefits that I desperately need.

My monthly income leaves me unable afford things that will allow me independence such as moving out of my parents house, having my own form of transportation without relying on my family, paying off college debt, and even affording medical necessities.

Other than independence revolving money, my disorders require me to have supervision and aid in public spaces. At the moment, my parents are my caregivers. They get paid by the state to do so which helps the financial situation my family is in as a whole a little bit. However, I do not want to live in my parents house forever. I want to be able to work and afford my own independence and luxuries. I want to continue my education in a safe environment and not be fearful of when my next medical emergency will be.

Due to the nature of my conditions, I do not need 24/7 care from another human being. This is why, with the input of my medical team, we all are in agreeance that having a service dog would be beneficial to me and my overall quality of life.

I have tried applying for service dogs through organizations, but every time we do, they deny me due to the complexity of my conditions. Most organization trained service dogs tend to only be trained in one, rarely two areas of need. But my dog will need to be for multiple purposes which unfortunately, the organizations I've communicated with are unable to help me with. That being said, my medical team agrees that self-training with the help of a trainer is the most logical way to go.

To be 100% transparent, the money funded here will be used for purchasing the dog from a reputable breeder, vet bills for the medical procedures and vaccinations the dog will need as a puppy, paying a trainer who is educated in training service dogs, and other necessities such as food, the crate, treats, toys, etc. Depending on how things go down the line, the end goal amount may be adjusted accordingly.

To those who are able to donate, I really really do appreciate you. Anything helps and I am thankful for even 50 cents. Having this dog will help me finally start living my life instead of just surviving it. It will help me be able to work and be independent. It will help me continue college to pursue my dreams. And most importantly, it will help me manage my conditions and alert me of an emergency before the emergency can happen and help me through it when it does, providing me safety and support in one cute, fluffy package.

The hope is to be able to get the puppy by this upcoming fall or winter so I can have time to train the dog enough to be ready for transferring and living in the dorms of my future college. Having this dog will be life changing for me in more ways than one and I greatly appreciate anything anyone can give to help, even if it's simply sharing this around to other people.