Hello there! My name is Dusty McCallum I am reaching out for help - through the recommendation of my psychiatric team I have adopted a brilliant puppy we have named BONES (or Bo for short) - a terrier/bulldog/boxer mix - who we have registered and enrolled into registered service dog training programs to be able to fulfil and meet our needs. As a service dog she is working to deal with the bulk of my disorders/disabilities. Becoming fully trained as my saviour. To hopefully help me be able to live (as normal as can be achieved) a normal life. To hopefully lower my dependency on medications. And ultimately, save my life.Who am I? I am a father of 3 beautiful young children, a husband, a brother, an uncle, a son, a nephew, a friend, a survivor, and small business owner.All while suffering from:  • Extreme rapid cycling Bipolar Disorder (with manic and depression episodes weekly/monthly). • Major depressive disorder • PTSD from life altering trauma • Obsessive-compulsions • Attention-deficient hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) • ... as well as several stress and anxiety disorders. What’s happening? These disabilities impact my life significantly - every moment of every day. Waking up is a challenge most every day - staying awake and on my feet is a challenge - and even at night going to sleep can be a challenge due to insomnia caused by a combination of all my disabilities/disorders.At any given time in a day I am battling bipolar and major depression, manic episodes, obsessive compulsions, triggering events, inattentive or overactive tendencies along with life’s normal battles: getting up, showering, getting dressed, planning and eating three meals a day, and managing the healthy well-being and development of my three young children as they grow and develop as little humans. All while my extremely understanding and supportive wife works the 9-5 to be able to put food on the table and a roof over our heads.But, in these harsh times added to my personal struggles we just barely make ends meet when I am able to function, work, and contribute - and not at all when I can’t.Life has been pretty extreme. No one gets off easy in life, but, it was much later than it should have been that I found out that I don’t share the same struggles as everyone else. That in fact - these struggles do matter and that it’s not supposed to be this way. Growing up was a challenge. I could never really fully relate to anyone. Making friends was hard. Keeping friends was nearly impossible. As anyone who grew up with me would know - somethings always been a little off and i didn’t always act “normal”. I didn’t know any better at the time - it was just the way it was. I was just seen as antisocial. Angry. Difficult. And to this very day - even with medication - these issues are still present.Luckily, during my childhood, I had my 2 brothers to help guide me through.But being young I didn’t know something was wrong - I was just filled with anger and irritability. I could never settle. I was always on edge. There was always something wrong with whatever I was doing. Satisfaction became unattainable.My parents would tell me to calm down or they would put me in anger management. They probably should have - but they never did - nor did they question the source of the anger. In school, I spent a lot of time in the principals office - and that didn’t stop during my entire education. I was always fighting in my mind and on the playground. Getting suspensions from school which left me alone with my thoughts. A dangerous and dark place.It started as early as I can remember and would lead to such extreme episodes I started getting terrible headaches and migraines. At times they started leading to other things that should have been red flags - nightmares/terrors and hallucinations. From that, my mind was split and at times I can no longer tell if what I was experiencing was real or not. Still, it was never seen as something of great importance or anything out of the ordinary. It wasn’t until a school councillor took notice and was willing to work through it with me that I started to be able to unravel the issues in which I was facing. But, there were extreme limits to their knowledge and abilities - as they were a guidance councillor not a psychiatrist so mainly focused on the social aspect not making note of any issues beyond my behaviour at the time. I still had to get out into the world and fight my way through it all. Hurdle after hurdle, we have worked with what we have, seeking counselling and support, both in the community as well as through the public and private healthcare systems, and have tried our very best to over come.Support groups, psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors/counselling, nurses, doctors, hospitals.. it's been a very long and hard battle. But I am still here… and have been fighting hard to stay here. And these continue to be my realities and I continue to fight for my life every day with the assistance of sessions with professionals and medication.There has been a lot of very bad things happen to and around me - witnessing failed suicide attempts from firearms, drugs, recklessness - among other self harm methods, abuse/injury, gun and weapon violence, assault at the hands of both familiar and unknown individuals, and extremely traumatic situations (leading to some uphill battles with alcohol) among other things. All very hard to forget or get past. Even relocating and leaving all the situations that caused the trauma a 12 hour drive away - didn’t stop or heal the damage.But there has also been some light in the darkness - I have found a very good friend and confidant (Miss Katy M.) who suffers from some very similar issues and is always there night and day to help and assist in any way she can. And in 2009 - 13 years ago - I met my wife. My saving grace. Who has partnered with me to create a life and to create life - our beautiful children. They are my only real stability - and i need to be able to expand on that and be at a state where I am able to let others into my life and be in the right place mentally and physically to keep those relationships whole and strong.Although one can not truly understand the pain and what goes on inside my head or anyone in a similar situation.. my wife has tried her best and been my rock. She is holding down the fort while trying her best to get me what I need. But, she can only do so much. Whenever my disabilities take over - the finances are impossible. And added expenses begin to once again add on.So with this - I turn to you - anyone out there who can lend a hand… without the generosity of others - this cannot happen.We are hoping to raise the sum of $50,000 to help cover the costs (which are being put on credit) for the training to have our puppy certified as a service dog and to help pay our various medical bills as they pile up from treatments, medications, and what will be the extra expenses of our service dog to keep her happy and healthy - so she can do the job she will be trained to do. To help save my life.Please. Anyone out there. Even if you can’t help by donating anything - just share this - that too will help so very much.  #savedustyslife #mentalhealth #bipolar #adhd #ptsd #addiction #mentalillness #illness #servicedog #anxiety #depression #abuse #savealife #donate #fundraiser #hope #canada #care #caring #treatment #mentaldisorder #mentaldisability #disability #help #endhate #stophate #edmonton #alberta #canada #hatecrime #discrimination #outreach #gofundme #donations #live #laugh #love #hashtag #liveyourtruth #holdon #payitforward #facebook #instagram