Help Chelsea Get a Service Dog

Since becoming ill, Chelsea has lost a lot of independence. Once a nursing student, she has needed to take a leave of absence from school due to being too debilitated to attend. In April 2021, she almost lost her life and now deals with permanent chronic illnesses and disabilities (some of which we are still trying to figure out to this day). She struggles to function and do daily tasks independently as she can faint without warning due to POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) which is a form of dysautonomia/autonomic nervous system dysfunction. POTS comes with a lot of strange and debilitating symptoms which affects her day to day life. She may not look sick, but she is fighting for her life/quality of life everyday, which can be exhausting at times. With a service dog, she will be able to gain a lot more independence, quality of life, and feel more comfortable going back to school and completing daily tasks. Unfortunately, the cost of a service dog is very expensive, and with medical expenses and the cost of living, our goal of obtaining a service dog seems impossible to reach. Any amount would be greatly appreciated.

More info on service dogs: Service dogs are to help ill/debilitated people live a better quality of life. Unfortunately, insurance doesn’t cover a service dog. Service dogs could cost anywhere between 10,000 to 70,000 dollars. In Chelsea’s specific case, the puppy would be $3,500, the training would be about $10,200, plus dog care essentials and fees.

Read more on POTS here:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16560-postural-orthostatic-tachycardia-syndrome-pots

https://www.potsuk.org/about-pots/what-is-pots/