Service Dog for Maddi

Many of your probably are not aware of the mental health journey that our daughter, Maddi, has endured over the past few years.

I have her permission to share her story here, and I am so proud of her for being willing to share it with you all. Destigmatizing mental health issues is a big step in helping those who have been through a mental health crisis....

A couple years ago, we started seeing signs in Maddi that were not normal behavior. Eventually, she began running away, seeing things that weren't there, hearing things that weren't there, and suffered from bouts of psychosis and severe depression.

...then the really bad stuff began.

Maddi started to show symptoms which led her to wanting to end her life. She even tried a time or two. Jaden and I decided to take drastic steps to save our daughter's life.

Through intense prayer and support, we sent her away to Idaho to a teen challenge program. This promptly failed and she got kicked out of the program after just one month.

Suicidal and hopeless, she was placed in a hospital by a wonderful police officer who recognized that she needed help.... help that we could not find and were refused multiple times in Oregon.

She entered an accute mental health care facility in Idaho and finally got a diagnosis and medication that allowed her to finally start to stabilize. Maddi was formally diagnosed with Severe Depression with Psychotic Features.

3 weeks later, we transferred her to a facility in Reno, NV for a long term inpatient program for mentally ill children. This only lasted two months because, praise the Lord, she was doing so well that she was discharged quite quickly.

That wasn't the end of her journey though. She faithfully and diligently completed nearly 6 months of online therapy and treatment after she returned home in March, and now, she is back in school, doing reasonably well, and setting goals and making dreams for her future, which looks brighter every day.

So... why a gofundme?

We are praying for full recovery for Maddison, and until that time we will continue to support and love her. Recently, her doctor suggested that a psychiatric service dog would be a great tool for her currently and for her future as she transitions into adult life.

We have a breeder, we have placed a deposit, and Maddi has raised about $1400 through can donations, cash donations, and hard work to help earn this animal.

Unfortunately, we still have a ways to go. We will be picking up the puppy in November and there are big preparations underway. A dog run/kennel is being built for the benefit of the new dog and our current pooch. We have found a training program that allows Maddi to be the trainer while bonding with her companion. Still, a psychiatric service animal is not cheap and the training alone will be be 2 years and over $2500, not including the kennel/run construction and everything needed to care for the animal while it undergoes its training.

So, we are asking for help to support Maddi and her service dog. Donations go to helping her pay for the 2 year training program and supplies and materials to take care of the animal for the first 2 years of its life.

This animal, once trained, will help identify when Maddi is having psychotic episodes, help remind her to take her medications, keep her out of trouble and danger if she has a psychotic episode, treat her depression by providing companionship and loving support, and being her 24/7 partner to help Maddi on her mental health journey.

Please be a part of Maddi's mental health journey by helping us provide and support an animal that will be her constant companion for the next 10-15 years. What a gift and incredible contribution that will be!

Thank you so much in advance and God Bless!