Hi, my name is Megan. I’m 27 years old, I enjoy spending time with my three cats and listening to music, and I live with multiple chronic illnesses.
I’ve had health issues my entire life but it wasn’t until about five years ago that things finally started getting taken seriously and I started truly getting diagnosed. Some of my health issues include:
- Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Migraines
- Endometriosis
- Fibromyalgia
- Dysautonomia
- Chronic pain
- Interstitial Cystitis
- Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
I’ve also been dealing with post concussion syndrome since April of 2023 after a car accident that’s left me unable to work.
I started this fundraiser back in February of 2023 when I was 25 years old after my doctors, family, and I decided that getting a service dog was the next best step to help with my confidence and independence as we continue to navigate my ongoing health issues. At the time, I had a little black lab prospect puppy who was 8 weeks old and my goal was to raise money to take care of and train her to be my service dog. A lot of time has passed since then and a lot of things have changed. I had a wonderful journey for almost a year and a half with that little black lab, Hela, where we made a lot of progress together and she showed a lot of promise in being the perfect service dog and companion for me. Unfortunately things didn’t turn out as we expected and I lost her to bone cancer in July of 2024. Now I’m starting over again, but my goal is still the same.
I would like your help to get a fully trained service dog.
Having a service dog would greatly improve my quality of life, both mentally and physically. Right now my health issues leave me pretty limited in the things I can do. Even the simplest tasks that you wouldn’t even think of being difficult, like cooking a simple meal, washing your hair, or even brushing your teeth can leave me drained or even be hard to accomplish on my worst days. While a service dog can’t do that, they can be trained to help me around the house or while I’m out. They can do tasks like:
- Retrieve items like pill containers, water, medical devices, etc.
- Help with stability during flares or falls
- Lay under my legs to help prop them up when I’m dizzy or pass out to help my blood flow
- Alert me and/or apply pressure therapy to help comfort me during episodes of CPTSD, anxiety, depression, or nightmares
- Create space around me when I’m overwhelmed in a crowd or alert me when someone’s behind me
- Go get help when needed
Things like this would make a major difference in my day to day life and now that I’ve experienced the love of a service dog I know how much happier and enjoyable life can be.
After everything was said and done, $35,505.91 went into Hela and now I have to raise money for a new dog on top of that. Prices range everywhere from a couple thousand dollars to $50,000. I know what I’m already trying to raise is steep so I’m hoping to find a more affordable, fully trained dog. I’m still in the process of looking and want to take my time to really find the right fit while I continue to raise funds.
Anything that you contribute, even if it’s just a couple of dollars, can make a huge difference. Sharing my story could end up doing even more. I appreciate the time you’ve taken to read my story. There’s also updates below that can share more of how things have gone since I started and more of a breakdown of what Hela’s costs were. You can also check out my Facebook page, Megan's Service Dog Journey, where I post updates as well as more information about my offline fundraisers.
Thank you again for your time!