The TAPA Initiative for PTSD Awareness

Hi, my name is Vincent Milland, I am a Senior at Pine View High School, and I have PTSD. In October of 2019, I was at a regatta in Tampa for rowing. This race course was known for its piles of fire ants, but since I had never had a problem with them before, and I'd never had an allergic reaction to them, I didn't think much of it. We arrived early in the morning, and within the first 30 minutes I had 6 bites on my leg. These bites began itching more and my skin began to swell up. I still didn't think anything was wrong, as I didn't even know I was allergic. Things started to get serious, the rest of my body began swelling and my throat started to get tight after 25 minutes. The ambulance arrived as I started to lose vision. They began pumping me with epinephrine and tried to keep me awake, but the reaction was too severe for the materials they had in an ambulance. Needless to say, if traffic had been worse or they had to take an extra 5 seconds on a turn, I wouldn't be here today. After getting out of the hospital 6 days later, the night terrors began. I would wake up in the middle of the night gasping for breath, I would have trouble focusing, always thinking there were ants near me, or the itch on my leg was a bite, life became miserable. This anxiety and PTSD slowly got better for the next 2 years until it happened again, this time, an even closer call for my life, hearing the paramedics count down my heart rate as my body began to give up. This experience set my PTSD in stone. It was harder to focus at school, it was a struggle to go to sleep, and keeping myself happy had become a battle. Shortly after this reaction, I had also gotten into a car crash. Another car hit me, a split second for me to brake. Now the terrors followed me into the day, I'd stare off into space and get jolted back as I envisioned a car slamming into me. My grades began to slip and I got nervous behind the wheel. Although I suffered through this PTSD, I never told the people around me, I felt embarrassed, scared, and ashamed that I, a young and strong teenager, was capable of having anxiety or PTSD. Pictured below are both events of me in the hospital for my allergic reactions.

That is the reason that I have created the TAPA Initiative, in an attempt to bring awareness to children's and teen's anxiety and PTSD, no matter what it is that they've been through, big or small and making the ability to talk about their issues freely, without embarrassment, and receive help. On this GoFundMe, I'm raising money for a non-profit charity we have partnered with named Rebekah's Angels Foundation, who provide specialized care and treatment for kids dealing with PTSD of any sort. This initiative means an incredible amount to me and any contribution will help greatly. Here you can read more about the Rebekah’s Angels Foundation.

Thank you,

Vincent Milland

TAPA Initiative