A Service Dog for Emma

No one wants to be that person who is constantly told “you are so strong “, “you are such a fighter“, “you are the toughest person I know.” Such compliments and words of encouragement indicate that a person has had a very difficult life. These badges of courage are typically earned in ways that most of us cannot even comprehend and quite frankly, don’t want to think about. And often they come along with lifelong challenges, even after the immediate danger has passed.

Emma is 24. She loves the ocean, animals, painting, working on her 500-piece Schitt’s Creek Puzzle (of David, of course), and riding her bike along the Stanley Park Seawall. Emma also suffers from severe PTSD which impacts every moment of her life—from excruciating nightmares to traumatizing flashbacks and panic attacks. From coping with debilitating anxiety to completely dissociating multiple times a day, Emma’s life thus far has been survived more than lived.

Emma has been living alone since she was 19, after aging out of foster care, where she was placed to protect her from the family that was unable to keep her safe. She dreams of going to college to become a counselor to help others like herself, but her PTSD symptoms prevent her from making this a reality without more support.

Many people who suffer from mental illness, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), go on to lead happy, independent, and productive lives, thanks to family, community, and professional support and treatment. Unfortunately, many sufferers do not have the privilege of access to the very things that would allow them to gain independence and stability. Emma has worked hard in ongoing therapy for over a decade, including intense trauma therapy for the past two years. She has made a lot of progress and her doctor and counsellor believe that with a bit more support her symptoms could be managed enough to allow her not just to accomplish basic tasks of daily living, but also to eventually hold a job or attend college.

Emma’s infinite kindness and compassion are obvious to all who meet her. She volunteers in organizations to benefit youth in and from care, has loved and nannied dozens of babies and children, and is a beloved caregiver to neighbourhood pets. Emma is constantly being told that she is strong. She is. She’s a fighter. And she truly is the toughest person you could hope to know. The experiences that made her such are not ones we like to hear about—partially because we don’t want to see a world that could be so brutal, and partially because we feel helpless to make any meaningful change.

But this time, there is a tangible way to make meaningful change.

Upon the recommendation of her therapist and medical doctor, Emma has been approved for a PTSD service dog. This would be a miracle for someone like Emma.

PTSD service dogs are trained to wake sufferers during nightmares and to detect and ground people during dissociation and flashbacks. They are also trained to protect her in crowds, as well as find a calm, safe space when needed. Having one would allow Emma to get enough rest and navigate the world around her, easing the hypervigilance that keeps her constantly on edge. In short, the day-to-day support of a PTSD service dog would transform Emma’s life.

This is where we come in. The cost of such a dog is a staggering $20,000. For someone on disability payments struggling to make ends meet, it would take a miracle to come up with this amount. On top of this, many organizations that provide service dogs for PTSD cater exclusively to veterans and first responders. We have found an incredible organization that could provide a service dog to Emma - MSAR. You can review their website for more info at https://msarservicedogs.com/ptsd/. Emma has already been approved and once she has paid in full she could have a service dog in 3-9 months!

We are reaching out on Emma’s behalf, asking you to pull together and make this miracle happen.

If we can get 1000 people (not a huge number for something shared on social media) to donate just $20 each, we could make this miracle happen for Emma. Maybe we can’t change the brutality of this world, but we can change the life of one person in a very real and tangible way. A person who has survived long enough. By sacrificing one lunch out we could allow Emma to gain independence and confidence to not just survive, but thrive.

Please donate if you possibly can and share this page with others! Let’s take this opportunity to make this happen for Emma!

Every dollar raised will go into a special account for the sole purpose of saving for a service dog. If the $20,000 goal is not met here, the money will be placed in a savings account to go towards Emma’s counselling.

“Small acts of kindness, when multiplied, can change the world”

-Howard Zinn