My name is Wilna Octelus and I have Vitiligo, SLE Lupus, anxiety, and depression. I was an orphan at the age of 13, and by the grace of God, my older brother took care of us, and he was only 17. Fast forward to 17, I had my one and only daughter. She was kidnapped by her dad, which put me into a depression that I wasn’t aware of. I was in a really dark place… I eventually was awarded temporary custody of my child until we established visitation. Fast forward years, the pandemic came, and I was in the first batch of people that caught it in Sept 2019. I woke up in the hospital, where I was unconscious for a week, not knowing they performed a biopsy of my kidney because it was failing. That’s when they discovered that I had Lupus. I couldn’t walk, my bowels stopped, so I had to get a catheter placed in, which I had for 5 months. When the announcement was made about the virus in 2020, my rheumatologist decided to do a test to see if that is what woke up the Lupus that was stagnant in my body. My skin also became allergic to the sun, and for 3 summers in a row, I had 3rd-degree burns. The inflammation in my skin caused it to burn, so I would be hospitalized for months, leaving my kids to raise themselves with the help of family. Then I got an ulcer in my left eye and had to get that removed, leaving me blind in my left eye. Two years later, the bacteria came back, and to save the brain from getting infected, they removed my eye. That brought on extreme anxieties and major depression because I am a single mother of 5 lovely boys that helped me through it all. So I bought a dog because my boys were getting older, and by walking her three times a day with my walker, I got to walk without needing assistance. She (NaeJah) became my emotional support pet and like a daughter to me since I got her at 3 weeks. Fast forward 5 years, we became displaced by hurricanes Milton and lost everything. FEMA helped us with hotel stay until they couldn’t anymore. They gave us funds to move, but with my disability, my income wasn’t enough to qualify for an apartment or house in Orlando, FL. All low-income apartments were FULL. So we bought a used car for $2000 and used the car to DoorDash in order to pay our hotel room daily. One day while dashing, the car broke down, and we slept in the car for 12 days. I reached out to the Commissioner in our district and left a message explaining our situation. The very next day, her assistant reached out to me and referred me to the Homeless Service Network for assistance. It was the hottest week of summer, and thank God my skin didn’t start to burn off. In the process between that time, my fur baby was stolen. Thank God my sister found a mid-rise apartment downtown that HSN paid the deposit and 3 months of rent. My only issue is dogs are very expensive, and I feel useless without NaeJah around. I miss our morning walks, which were our favorite of all the walks because we would go to the field, and I would throw sticks so she could fetch. I miss walking in the door from stepping outside to smoke a cigarette, and she was so happy to see me like I was gone forever.

So I am asking for a GoFundMe to get a puppy because I can’t afford one living off a fixed income. My fur baby was a Morkie (Yorkie mixed with Maltese); her size was perfect. If anyone has a small breed dog, I will take that over the money. I just really want a fur baby to love and care for, to be my forever pet. Anything will do because it adds up, so please donate OR if anyone has a puppy they can donate, please reach out to me. It would be a blessing and a reason to get out of bed in the morning. I’m not married, and my youngest is now 13, so he doesn’t need me for anything other than keeping a roof over his head, food in the fridge and pantry, and love. My 18-year-old graduated this year from high school and was attending the firefighter class while in high school; now he’s moving on to the academy to pursue his career.

Thank you, and may God give you back 3x of what you give me. To make this quick and simple, I would MUCH rather a puppy than the money.