Abram NEEDS a service dog

This is my 15-year-old son, Abram and he NEEDS a Service Dog. In 2016, after several years of struggling with depression and anxiety, my son Abram was diagnosed with Bi-Polar disorder. He is currently under the treatment of a psychiatrist and doing better, however, we have been unable to control his debilitating anxiety. We have tried several different medications for his anxiety and have not found the right one yet. His anxiety has gotten so bad that he will no longer go outside because the neighbors will see him. he has given up all of his friends, and he won't talk to anyone he doesn't know for fear they could be ISIS. He is now skipping school because the thought of having to walk out the front door and have the neighbors see him is excruciating. Some days he can hardly get out of bed. He also suffers from PTSD because of the feelings of abandonment caused by the separation of his father and I. Since we had lived in Georgia and came to Michigan for what was supposed to be a temporary situation, when his father and I got divorced it made it very difficult to see his father due to the distance. This inability to see his father caused him to have feelings of abandonment. There is also the issue of him going on and off his medication and his missing school. Since I am a single mother working 50+ hours a week, I am unable to make sure that he gets up for school and actually goes. He can be up and be getting ready when I leave for work and then will lay down and fall back asleep and miss school. Since his medication needs to be taken at bedtime and I go to bed much earlier than he does he will quite often "Forget" to take his medications, even when reminded. While this going on and off medication is "NORMAL" behavior for someone with his disorder, it is extremely dangerous and keeps us from correctly determining how well we have his disorder under control. After many crying sessions, much research, and numerous conversations with his primary care physician, we have decided that a psychiatric service dog would be of great help to him. Abe's Psychiatric Service Dog will be trained to do the following tasks: 1. Remind Abram to perform her or his daily routines. 2. Wake Abram to prevent him or her from sleeping too much. 3. Assist Abram in creating a safe personal space in public, serving as a physical buffer to calm Abram and reduce feelings of emotional distress in crowded places. 4. Reorient and "ground" Abram to current place and time when struggling with PTSD episodes. 5. During a panic attack, a psychiatric service dog can assist Abram by providing tactile stimulation to refocus his attention away from the source of the panic. In addition to aiding with clinical symptoms, these service dogs can help with more general symptoms. The dogs can: 1. Assist Abram when he or she tries to relax (self-soothe) in order to complete uncomfortable tasks. 2. Accompany Abram while in stores and other environments to reduce stress associated with daily activities, as well as facilitate social interactions and reduce fear associated with meeting new people. 3. Alert when Abram is starting to experience anxiety problems reminding the handler to take his or her medication. 4. Remind Abram to take walks, which encourages Abram to be more social and increases the amount of exercise he gets. This also helps Abram keep a constant schedule and will be a reason to get out of bed in the morning. As you can see, there are many things that a service dog can do for Abram that I, as a single mother working 50 hours a week, am unable to do for him. That's why I am trying to raise the funds necessary to get him a service dog in the hopes that it will help him too, not only function better now but function better when he graduates and needs to go on to college and lead his adult life. To purchase a Service dog would cost between $10,000 and $20000 and would require Abram and me to stay in another state for an extended period of time for training ourselves. Training is also expensive, between $12000, and $20000 but allows us to remain at home, where Abram feels safe and secure. I have found a retired trainer in my area who has agreed to work with Abram and I so we don't have to travel. I have also been given a purebred lab puppy (due in early May) by someone in my church. Now I am reaching out to you to help raise the remainder of the funds needed to properly train this puppy and get Abram the service dog. Our goal is to raise $10,000 to cover the cost of the training, licensing, fees, and the required equipment for the service dog. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated and, if you would share this with others, we hope to reach our goal within the next few months so that we can sign the puppy up as soon as we bring her home. Thanks in advance for your help!! Barbara