Help Alex Cope With C-PTSD/Trauma
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HELP ALEX BRING APEX HOME & OVERCOME C-PTSD/CHILD TRAUMA
My name is Laurie & I am a single parent collecting funds to help towards a medical alert service dog for my son, Alex. Not only is he the joy of my life, he is a kind, funny & lovable young man with a gentle soul. You would not necessarily know it when looking at him, but Alex has been very ill for more than two years, unable to live a normal life. Alex has an “invisible” illness called Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD), along with other diagnosis, which has contributed to his isolation & withdrawal from others, secondary to these symptoms.
Unfortunately, the severity of Alex’s symptoms has interfered with his ability to engage in age-appropriate activities of daily living. Alex whom just turned 16, has been largely housebound, causing him to lose much of his past two academic school years. During this time, we have made multiple visits to the ER department at our Children’s Hospital, received ongoing care from specialist/doctors/therapists, attended a day treatment placement program, & are currently receiving in-home assistance twice a week while home schooling. To put it in perspective, this is a boy that at one time was so traumatized he was unable to come out of his bedroom closet because it felt like the only safe place. I have spent time sitting on the bedroom floor next to his closet to bring him a dinner plate, to just be with him & to try to give him with as much love, understanding and & support a possible, as this was all he could manage at that time. Doctors discouraged hospitalization & decided on outpatient treatment, as it was felt the best place for him to feel at ease was at home with me. Over the months & now years, he has progressed to a point where he can now come out of his room & be around the house, & on good days, make short outings if I am by his side. He has gone from being deeply depressed & unable to get out of bed to now having energy to shower, do some studying, or the odd chore, & attend a number of regularly scheduled medical appointments. Quite simply, the world to Alex has become an unsafe place & he can experience a flash back anytime & anyplace ( as being out & about, or around others puts him on edge & a painful memory can be triggered). I even have to be careful at home, to ensure I knock on the bedroom door and receiving an acknowledgment from Alex before walking in as this can trigger an epidsode (which are traumatic & exhausting for Alex to re-live, not to mention when it happens many times a day). I am so proud of this young man for continually working hard at improving his health through various types of treatment, which is achieving slow & steady progress. However, it had become apparent that additional interventions are required to address Alex’s needs & support him towards recovery.
Here is an informative link on Complex PTSD/Development Trauma & how it differs from PTSD:
What is C-PTSD?
Alex has been a keen animal lover, it has often been his love & attachment to his pets that has kept him going. He has demonstrated a consistent interest in having a PTSD medical service dog. It has been recommended by 3 of his doctors that he receive such, to assist him in his functioning. It has been Alex’s dream for some time now to be able to go out in public places again--to catch a movie with his friends, return to school, & just be a regular teen. To have a constant four-legged companion has been something Alex has wanted for so long. Service dogs are trained to detect & intervene when their handler in anxious; contribute to a feeling of safety for their handler; & promote a sense of relaxation & socialization for their handler.
As we began our search in late 2016 & applications in early 2017, it became apparent that finding a PTSD service dog would not be an easy task. Most PTSD Service Dog sites & services are for veterans and first responders. There are few organizations out there that offer such for child trauma victims. I have applied, called, & searched in Canada and the USA to try and find an available dog for Alex. And, for many programs there are years to wait before even being considered. After conducting an exhaustive search we eventually got lucky in March of 2018 when contacting the Thames Centre Service Dogs. We discovered that they specialized in PTSD service dogs, & work with children & the school board(s). Better still, there were a few pups currently in training of which one could be available! Without hesitation, Alex & I made the 6 hour trip to the training center that weekend where he was paired with his service dog. After watching the few available pups interact with Alex, the trainer determined which dog would be the best match for him.
Alex’s next task was to give his pup a name. Alex thought long & hard until be decided upon a meaningful name for his service dog. When asked to explain his name choice, Alex said that his journey to recovery has been a difficult, uphill climb. However, in being paired with his white German Sheppard, he feels like he has reached the peak or “apex” of a white, snow covered mountain & is on top of the world. And, this is how he decided to name his dog, APEX.
For More Information on Thames Centre Service Dogs, please see the link below:
http://www.thamescentreservicedogs.com/about-us.html
Since then, we have been making the trip to the training center as often as possible. We started going every ~3 weeks for Alex to train with Apex, which was a very big step for him (since it has been years since he has traveled from home). We managed to take a week in July, August & September to train & have some real bonding time with Apex, in which Alex was out & about for the first time in years!!
To say that this experience has been life changing for my son is an understatement. There are no words to describe the joy he has when with his service dog & the ability to just feel normal again. I have a glimpse of my old Alex back as his flash backs are reduced. He is smiling & has more confidence in his step with his companion by his side. We continue on his recovery plan, but Alex feels a real sense of hope now, & is excited about life & what the future may hold (i.e. we are hoping Apex is fully trained early 2019 as Alex would like to register back in school). Since Apex has come into his life, Alex has been able to eat out at a restaurant in public, go to a few movies & passed his G1 exam with his service dog by his side. For a young man that cannot stand to be touched, he was even able to go & get a haircut with Apex looking on. Quite simply, there is no way I could possibly describe how the incredible bond Alex has with his service dog has helped him. Apex knows when Alex is becoming anxious & puts his head on his handler’s lap to calm him. When Alex goes into a public washroom, his dog is right by his side standing guard. Apex gives him a reason to go out & feel the breeze & sunshine when taking him on a walk. Alex is such a good kid & seeing him slowly start to smile again, to laugh, & just improve one step at a time is amazing. His tears now are tears of joy as his dog has become his life line allowing him to re-enter the world again with confidence.
I have been hesitant to post a go fund me page as he is a minor, but am doing so carefully, at the request of my son. I am a single working parent & have had to reduce my work hours for medical reasons. The $30K goal is to cover the cost of the dog, gear & travel expenses for training. There are other expenses such as insurance for the dog & medical expenses for Alex’s treatment not covered by insurance that are not included in this total. Alex has been through so much, but is doing his best to get out in the world again. He has developed a self-awareness, empathy & maturity level beyond his years & has a lot to offer. Once stronger, Alex would like to help diminish the stigma attached to mental health issues. His dream is to continue in his recovery in order to one day be a role model in the community with his trusted companion. Maybe even learn to become a dog trainer himself or a youth social worker. These are options he is considering, to help make his experiences have purposes & to come out of this stronger with something positive to offer. Thank you for your time to read about his story & learn about his condition.
Please consider donating or sharing this page. Even the smallest contribution can help bring Apex home and assist Alex in over coming his condition. We want to thank & recognize everyone that has offered support throughout this journey.
Sincerely,
Laurie (On behalf of Alex)
My name is Laurie & I am a single parent collecting funds to help towards a medical alert service dog for my son, Alex. Not only is he the joy of my life, he is a kind, funny & lovable young man with a gentle soul. You would not necessarily know it when looking at him, but Alex has been very ill for more than two years, unable to live a normal life. Alex has an “invisible” illness called Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD), along with other diagnosis, which has contributed to his isolation & withdrawal from others, secondary to these symptoms.
Unfortunately, the severity of Alex’s symptoms has interfered with his ability to engage in age-appropriate activities of daily living. Alex whom just turned 16, has been largely housebound, causing him to lose much of his past two academic school years. During this time, we have made multiple visits to the ER department at our Children’s Hospital, received ongoing care from specialist/doctors/therapists, attended a day treatment placement program, & are currently receiving in-home assistance twice a week while home schooling. To put it in perspective, this is a boy that at one time was so traumatized he was unable to come out of his bedroom closet because it felt like the only safe place. I have spent time sitting on the bedroom floor next to his closet to bring him a dinner plate, to just be with him & to try to give him with as much love, understanding and & support a possible, as this was all he could manage at that time. Doctors discouraged hospitalization & decided on outpatient treatment, as it was felt the best place for him to feel at ease was at home with me. Over the months & now years, he has progressed to a point where he can now come out of his room & be around the house, & on good days, make short outings if I am by his side. He has gone from being deeply depressed & unable to get out of bed to now having energy to shower, do some studying, or the odd chore, & attend a number of regularly scheduled medical appointments. Quite simply, the world to Alex has become an unsafe place & he can experience a flash back anytime & anyplace ( as being out & about, or around others puts him on edge & a painful memory can be triggered). I even have to be careful at home, to ensure I knock on the bedroom door and receiving an acknowledgment from Alex before walking in as this can trigger an epidsode (which are traumatic & exhausting for Alex to re-live, not to mention when it happens many times a day). I am so proud of this young man for continually working hard at improving his health through various types of treatment, which is achieving slow & steady progress. However, it had become apparent that additional interventions are required to address Alex’s needs & support him towards recovery.
Here is an informative link on Complex PTSD/Development Trauma & how it differs from PTSD:
What is C-PTSD?
Alex has been a keen animal lover, it has often been his love & attachment to his pets that has kept him going. He has demonstrated a consistent interest in having a PTSD medical service dog. It has been recommended by 3 of his doctors that he receive such, to assist him in his functioning. It has been Alex’s dream for some time now to be able to go out in public places again--to catch a movie with his friends, return to school, & just be a regular teen. To have a constant four-legged companion has been something Alex has wanted for so long. Service dogs are trained to detect & intervene when their handler in anxious; contribute to a feeling of safety for their handler; & promote a sense of relaxation & socialization for their handler.
As we began our search in late 2016 & applications in early 2017, it became apparent that finding a PTSD service dog would not be an easy task. Most PTSD Service Dog sites & services are for veterans and first responders. There are few organizations out there that offer such for child trauma victims. I have applied, called, & searched in Canada and the USA to try and find an available dog for Alex. And, for many programs there are years to wait before even being considered. After conducting an exhaustive search we eventually got lucky in March of 2018 when contacting the Thames Centre Service Dogs. We discovered that they specialized in PTSD service dogs, & work with children & the school board(s). Better still, there were a few pups currently in training of which one could be available! Without hesitation, Alex & I made the 6 hour trip to the training center that weekend where he was paired with his service dog. After watching the few available pups interact with Alex, the trainer determined which dog would be the best match for him.
Alex’s next task was to give his pup a name. Alex thought long & hard until be decided upon a meaningful name for his service dog. When asked to explain his name choice, Alex said that his journey to recovery has been a difficult, uphill climb. However, in being paired with his white German Sheppard, he feels like he has reached the peak or “apex” of a white, snow covered mountain & is on top of the world. And, this is how he decided to name his dog, APEX.
For More Information on Thames Centre Service Dogs, please see the link below:
http://www.thamescentreservicedogs.com/about-us.html
Since then, we have been making the trip to the training center as often as possible. We started going every ~3 weeks for Alex to train with Apex, which was a very big step for him (since it has been years since he has traveled from home). We managed to take a week in July, August & September to train & have some real bonding time with Apex, in which Alex was out & about for the first time in years!!
To say that this experience has been life changing for my son is an understatement. There are no words to describe the joy he has when with his service dog & the ability to just feel normal again. I have a glimpse of my old Alex back as his flash backs are reduced. He is smiling & has more confidence in his step with his companion by his side. We continue on his recovery plan, but Alex feels a real sense of hope now, & is excited about life & what the future may hold (i.e. we are hoping Apex is fully trained early 2019 as Alex would like to register back in school). Since Apex has come into his life, Alex has been able to eat out at a restaurant in public, go to a few movies & passed his G1 exam with his service dog by his side. For a young man that cannot stand to be touched, he was even able to go & get a haircut with Apex looking on. Quite simply, there is no way I could possibly describe how the incredible bond Alex has with his service dog has helped him. Apex knows when Alex is becoming anxious & puts his head on his handler’s lap to calm him. When Alex goes into a public washroom, his dog is right by his side standing guard. Apex gives him a reason to go out & feel the breeze & sunshine when taking him on a walk. Alex is such a good kid & seeing him slowly start to smile again, to laugh, & just improve one step at a time is amazing. His tears now are tears of joy as his dog has become his life line allowing him to re-enter the world again with confidence.
I have been hesitant to post a go fund me page as he is a minor, but am doing so carefully, at the request of my son. I am a single working parent & have had to reduce my work hours for medical reasons. The $30K goal is to cover the cost of the dog, gear & travel expenses for training. There are other expenses such as insurance for the dog & medical expenses for Alex’s treatment not covered by insurance that are not included in this total. Alex has been through so much, but is doing his best to get out in the world again. He has developed a self-awareness, empathy & maturity level beyond his years & has a lot to offer. Once stronger, Alex would like to help diminish the stigma attached to mental health issues. His dream is to continue in his recovery in order to one day be a role model in the community with his trusted companion. Maybe even learn to become a dog trainer himself or a youth social worker. These are options he is considering, to help make his experiences have purposes & to come out of this stronger with something positive to offer. Thank you for your time to read about his story & learn about his condition.
Please consider donating or sharing this page. Even the smallest contribution can help bring Apex home and assist Alex in over coming his condition. We want to thank & recognize everyone that has offered support throughout this journey.
Sincerely,
Laurie (On behalf of Alex)
Organizer
Laurie (Mother)
Organizer
Carp, ON
