A Companion for Healing: Support Me With a Service Dog

Frantzie and Jihan Bazile is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Jihan Bazile.

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A Service Dog to Help Navigate Grief

On October 19, 2024, I lost my mother - my first friend and favorite person to endometrial cancer. Cancer was hard enough but the journey through Florida's fragmented healthcare system made it even harder. Losing her left an emptiness that I feel every moment of my day. Now, I'm seeking help to fund a psychiatric service dog to help navigate my profound loss and the mental health challenges that I am experiencing.

The Broken Healthcare System That Changed Everything

My mom’s cancer journey showed us the brutal gaps and failures in our healthcare system. Between Baptist Health, Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Lynn Cancer Center, West Boca Medical Center, endless battles with Blue Cross Blue Shield, expensive drug costs, and desensitized healthcare and social workers we faced a system that exhausted our emotional reserves rather than heal. Each denied claim, pre-authorization waiting period, insurance obstacles, poor communication and medical workers who missed the human element in her care made her fight even harder. This experience didn't just take my mom and best friend - it left me with emotional trauma that I'm still learning to process.

My Four-Legged Angels

In my darkest moments, three remarkable dogs were a comforting presence:

Phoebe, a people-magnet and therapy sheepdog from Bonafide Therapy Dogs whose gentle presence brought moments of joy in a building I hated
Scotti, my brother's newly adopted rescue dog, whom I had only just met somehow sensed my pain, stayed close and offered healing support the same day my mom passed.
And, then there was Justice, my cousin’s Doberman, who I met at Thanksgiving. His loving eyes and calm presence helped me through my first Thanksgiving holiday without my mom.

These couldn’t have been coincidences. In the documentary, Inside the Mind of Dog (Netflix) researchers say that dogs can detect our emotional state through subtle chemical changes in our body. They lower stress hormones like cortisol while increasing oxytocin, creating a pathway for healing. This isn’t just an emotional connection-this scientifically proven stress reducing support.

The Weight of My (Haitian) Cultural Grief

While outward expressions of grief like wailing (Woy!) and loud crying is encouraged during funerals, the journey of grief and mourning afterwards is expected to be private and quiet. My mom also lived by those rules. She faced all her hardships dignified and quietly. This cultural expectation has been particularly challenging for me. Some days, the simplest tasks like answering a text, brushing my teeth, cleaning up, or doing laundry, feel like pushing a boulder uphill.

Why A Psychiatric Service Dog?

While I’m working with my own therapist and exploring grief counseling, a psychiatric service dog could be life-changing. Psychiatric service dogs are unlike emotional support and therapy dogs in that they don’t just provide companionship; they support you in life-changing ways:

When grief tightens my chest, creates a "pit" in my stomach or makes getting out of bed feel impossible they could interrupt those moments with gentle nudges.
They would create a sense of purpose and responsibility.
They would offer unconditional support.

Bonafide Therapy Dogs

I'm working with Bonafide Therapy Dogs , an organization that offers a comprehensive Service Dog Training Program designed to assist individuals in training their dogs for service work. Together, we hope to match the right dog with me. Their service dog training program includes:

Basic training and leash skills for service work.
Prepares dogs for public places like stores, doctor visits, and even air travel.
Assistance in finding the right dog for service work and doctor's note to qualify.
Runs for 8 weeks, covering everyday skills like obedience, travel, and handling crowds.
Offers extra help to finish training and get the dog fully certified as a service dog.

The Financial Goal

I’m raising $2000 to cover:

Training Program Fees
Dog supplies and equipment
Service dog certification requirements

Any funds raised beyond this goal will be donated back to Bonafide Therapy Dogs to help others access their program and match with their own life-changing service dog.

How Your Support Makes A Difference

Your contribution isn’t just funding a furry companion - it’s investing in a science-backed healing partnership.
Long-term emotional support
Supporting an organization dedicated to helping others build life-changing connections

A Big Thank You

Whether through donations, shares, or kind thoughts - thank you. Your generosity helps others understand the powerful role service dogs play in mental health and would help me immensely.

With a heavy heart,

Frantzie Earline Bazile