Kristens Service Dog Fund

My name is Kristen Dannettel. I'm raising money to help pay for a service dog. I suffer from Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Sundrome (POTS) and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). These are both very debilitating conditions. POTS is an autonomic nervous system dysfunction, which causes me to spend most of my time lying down. My symptoms are persistent and severe nausea and dizziness, fainting spells, chronic fatigue, tachycardia and brain fog. All of these become much worse when I'm upright. EDS is a genetic connective tissue disorder, which causes chronic pain, joint subluxation/dislocation (occurring spontaneously or with simple movements) and gastrointestinal issues. I am unable to attend school or work. I have pretty much lost my independence, which is very hard at the age of 21. Service dogs can help people with POTS and EDS by alerting for fainting spells, detecting changes in heart rate and blood pressure, providing physical support, retrieving items and getting help when you're unresponsive. Having a service dog would greatly impact my life by providing safety, independence, confidence and companionship. Unfortunately, service dogs are extremely expensive. I would greatly appreciate any assistance in reaching my goal. Thank you so much for any donation you're able to make.
Sincerely,
Kristen