Help Woolly recover & lead a happier life
Donation protected
Hi, I’m Tom and I’m creating this fundraiser for my wife who is affectionately known as ‘Woolly’ online. I’m here to ask for help with our medical expenses.
We’re asking for help with psychotherapy costs. After years of abuse, which started in childhood, my wife has Complex PTSD. PTSD is widely known as an illness soldiers suffer with, yet it’s common amongst abuse survivors. PTSD can develop after a traumatic event; Complex PTSD develops after multiple or ongoing traumatic events. We’re also facing a number of additional diagnoses but unless she can get effective specialist therapy, the chances of untangling the issues and finally coming to terms with what’s happened to her are slim.
Furthermore, Woolly has lived with undiagnosed ADHD all her life; a recent evaluation revealed just how severe her ADHD is and how much damage has been done by it being misdiagnosed for decades. ADHD is a neurodevelopment disorder which shares a number of similarities with Autism, and they often occur together. If left unacknowledged they can cause serious life-impacting mental health issues and greatly reduce quality of life. Having severe ADHD further complicates Complex PTSD, and they need to be treated carefully together.
Specialist treatments are available, yet they aren’t available locally or on the public health service. For effective long lasting treatment we need to pay for private care utilising online services. Aspects of the specialist treatments can be re-traumatising, as painful memories are recalled, and to be of benefit the sessions need to take place in a space that is safe, quiet and private. Our living arrangement doesn’t offer that and could potentially make things worse should Woolly start this kind of therapy from home. We can’t afford to move so in addition to paying for specialist care we’re also seeking to rent a small, private space that’s free from noise, interruptions and triggers while she works through her sessions.
These aren’t issues that can be resolved quickly. Years of misdiagnosis and abuse have taken their toll. Medication alone hasn’t been effective. Standard therapy treatments have also proven ineffective over the years, but we do now see a route to getting proper care. Reaching our target would cover the costs of treatment for one year. We’re anticipating weekly sessions to be necessary for 2 years or more, and going beyond our target will help ensure her chances of living a longer, happier life.
Neurodivergences and mental illnesses are greatly stigmatised and receive relatively little funding or research. The lack of awareness and available treatment for these issues has been cited as a public health crisis by authorities the world over. Woolly has been putting others first since I’ve known her, always hoping that she would work her way out of the situation. Yet her mental health is more serious than we realised and has reached a life-threatening point. With your support I’d like to make sure she can put herself first for once.
We are incredibly grateful for any help you can provide - thank you.
We’re asking for help with psychotherapy costs. After years of abuse, which started in childhood, my wife has Complex PTSD. PTSD is widely known as an illness soldiers suffer with, yet it’s common amongst abuse survivors. PTSD can develop after a traumatic event; Complex PTSD develops after multiple or ongoing traumatic events. We’re also facing a number of additional diagnoses but unless she can get effective specialist therapy, the chances of untangling the issues and finally coming to terms with what’s happened to her are slim.
Furthermore, Woolly has lived with undiagnosed ADHD all her life; a recent evaluation revealed just how severe her ADHD is and how much damage has been done by it being misdiagnosed for decades. ADHD is a neurodevelopment disorder which shares a number of similarities with Autism, and they often occur together. If left unacknowledged they can cause serious life-impacting mental health issues and greatly reduce quality of life. Having severe ADHD further complicates Complex PTSD, and they need to be treated carefully together.
Specialist treatments are available, yet they aren’t available locally or on the public health service. For effective long lasting treatment we need to pay for private care utilising online services. Aspects of the specialist treatments can be re-traumatising, as painful memories are recalled, and to be of benefit the sessions need to take place in a space that is safe, quiet and private. Our living arrangement doesn’t offer that and could potentially make things worse should Woolly start this kind of therapy from home. We can’t afford to move so in addition to paying for specialist care we’re also seeking to rent a small, private space that’s free from noise, interruptions and triggers while she works through her sessions.
These aren’t issues that can be resolved quickly. Years of misdiagnosis and abuse have taken their toll. Medication alone hasn’t been effective. Standard therapy treatments have also proven ineffective over the years, but we do now see a route to getting proper care. Reaching our target would cover the costs of treatment for one year. We’re anticipating weekly sessions to be necessary for 2 years or more, and going beyond our target will help ensure her chances of living a longer, happier life.
Neurodivergences and mental illnesses are greatly stigmatised and receive relatively little funding or research. The lack of awareness and available treatment for these issues has been cited as a public health crisis by authorities the world over. Woolly has been putting others first since I’ve known her, always hoping that she would work her way out of the situation. Yet her mental health is more serious than we realised and has reached a life-threatening point. With your support I’d like to make sure she can put herself first for once.
We are incredibly grateful for any help you can provide - thank you.
Organizer and beneficiary
Tom Paterson
Organizer
Santarcangelo di Romagna, Province of Rimini
his wife Woolly
Beneficiary
