Service Dog for Sharmaine

See Update for an extensive Thank You and explanation.


Overall, I was accepted to receive a service dog from Fidos for Freedom (Website Link ), a much closer organization and for a much lower cost. 

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My LinkedIn Page  if you wish to know more about me (https://www.linkedin.com/in/millersharmaine/) and the Davis Hopkins Lab Page to affirm that I am a Postdoc at JHSPH (https://publichealth.jhu.edu/departments/environmental-health-and-engineering/research-and-practice/faculty-research-interests/one-health-laboratory-at-johns-hopkins-university/one-health-research-team). 

Here is my Twitter as well @SharmaineMlrPhD 

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My story:

Hello,

 

My name is Sharmaine Miller and I am raising funds to receive a service dog from the organization Domesti Pups (website and Facebook link above)). I am doing this process as I am 29 years old and suffer from Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Small Fiber Neuropathy (SFN), Asthma, and Hidradenitis Suppurative (HS). I am currently raising donations via this GoFundMe page for $14,000. [

In January 2016 and as a Penn State graduate student, I traveled to Panama to carry out my PhD dissertation research. Despite taking proper personal precautions, I contracted the Zika virus and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever while working in the rainforest. I was quickly taken to the hospital and became bedridden for two weeks in the Intensive Care Unit. Below is a picture of me with one of my nurses on the day I was discharged from the hospital.



As time elapsed after this incident, I began to experience chronic muscle pain and fatigue often, eventually becoming daily and debilitating. I continued and completed graduate school, but admittedly in mental and physical shambles. Simultaneously in school, I continued to search for a diagnosis. After 5 years of pursuing answers, I finally found a neurologist who listened and helped me find them.

 

Despite my chronic pain lessoning in severity due to 600mg of gabapentin 3 times per day, I still suffer from mild to moderate musculoskeletal flares often because of my small fiber neuropathy. With my POTS, despite wearing compression garments daily, taking salt tablets as needed, and drinking plenty of water, I still suffer from daily fatigue flares where I am hit with a brick wall of exhaustion and must lay down and sleep to recuperate. These flares are caused by problems in blood flow while sitting or standing, particularly blood pooling in the lower legs and blood vessels having trouble circulating blood back up to the chest and brain (due to gravity).

The below are my daily medications, Breo for Chronic Asthma; Gabapentin for nerve pain; Propranolol for heart palpitations (POTS); Lamictal, Duloxetine, and Bupropion for anxiety and depression (stemming from my illnesses). 

Today, I work at the Hopkins School of Public Health, but everyday has been an overwhelming physical and emotional struggle to work through a day and also care for my family or even myself. I become exhausted while washing my curly hair (even on my shower stool), vacuuming my home, or walking around the grocery store. I even suffer from brain fog and become fatigued after sitting and working for 2-3 hours. I am seeking a service companion to improve my quality of life to ease my physical struggles and consequently rebuild my emotional health.

The below picture is me volunteering at a Hopkins event to spread awareness on the importance of COVID-19 vaccines and healthy living.

A service companion would provide pressure therapy on my legs to increase blood flow and shorten my fatigue episodes. This companion could also provide counterpressure to my neck and back when I experience pain flares. Task retrieval is another behavior I would value, as when I am ill my companion could find and bring me medicine or items for pain-relief, e.g. a heated blanket or neck-pillow. Finally, the companion could assist with momentum pulling when I need to walk for extended periods of time, which would help minimize the amount of energy I extend, and as a result, reduce the severity of fatigue flares. Overall, more mental and physical energy would allow me to work more efficiently and longer, perform more chores, run errands with peace of mind, dabble in hobbies I’ve pushed down the self-care list to conserve energy (like play guitar or draw), and most importantly be able to tend to self-care and spend more time with family without the consequence of needing to sleep for an hour or more, or lay-down because of pain.

 

With this being an expensive process, I have reached out to Penn State to see if they would provide medical financial assistance since I was a working student when I fell ill in Panama. I am grateful for their paying my medical expenses abroad, especially considering the urgency of the situation; however, for medical expenses after Panama Penn State has unfortunately declined my request for financial assistance.  In addition, neither Medicare/Medicaid, nor private health insurance, cover or assist in covering the cost of acquiring a service dog.

 

 

Thank you for your consideration and any support provided.

 

Warmest Regards.

Sharmaine Miller, PhD Department of Biology, Penn State Class of 2019