Help Todd Jr. get a Psychiatric Service Dog
Donation protected
On December 20th, my son sent an alarming text message to a friend, and because that friend took action and showed their parents...my son is still here. We had no idea...
My son is 12yrs old and was diagnosed in February with MDD (Major Depressive Disorder) with severe psychosis (hallucinating and hearing voices), GAD (General Anxiety Disorder), and Self Harming. My husband and I had no idea he was depressed, so depressed that we had to hospitalize him. We sat there that night as he spoke to the doctor and I heard the most horrifying words come from his mouth...Yes, I have a suicide plan, he then went on to tell the doctor his plan...I broke into tears. That moment I knew I needed to do whatever I could do to help my son.
Since February he has been hospitalized 3x, he is on medication, but that is always tricky in finding the right medication that works. He goes to therapy once a week and we continue to keep him active in sports and music. He just came home 2 weeks ago from the hospital and seems to be doing okay. After switching to a new Psychiatrist that I really like, she highly recommends him to start the PHP (Partial Hospitalization Program) this summer when he turns 13. Along with that, we also spoke to her about a Psychiatric Service Dog, and she strongly agreed that would be very beneficial in his case and supports it 100%.
This was really hard to type, I really didn't want others to view him differently, but I want everyone to know that suicide, suicide ideations, and attempts are only increasing in youth and I am so thankful, thankful to God that my son is still here and that we are getting treatment for him. My husband and I had no idea how depressed he was...we felt we were very open with him and all our children, but this was something he has been battling with for more than 6 months and he didn't understand why he felt so sad, and why these feeling wouldn't go away. He felt like he needed to hide away these feelings and put on a happy face for everyone. Now that we know, he has been a lot more open with us. It is definitely a struggle every day, from his mood changes, irritability, aggression, anxiety...but I am so happy he is still here and we are getting the help he needs.
So I'm sitting here typing, backspacing, and retyping, how to say...We need help, my husband and I cannot do this on our own. With me in nursing school, he is the only one working right now. We just do not have the funds to be able to do this for our son. After speaking with friends and getting referrals for dog trainers that specialize in Psychiatric Service Dog training. We found a trainer locally and we will be working with Koba's Four Paws Institute and because we will be doing our service dog training with them, KJ's Texas Doodles will be able to donate a service dog for free or discounted and the litter will be ready in August. The service dog and Jr. will be doing a 2yr training program to train the dog specific task to help Jr. live his life out to the fullest. Just to name a few of the task the dog will be trained in:
-Deep Pressure Therapy--to help calm him before or during an anxiety attack or sense when his mood changes dramatically.
-Medical Alert--The service dog can alert a certain household member during a crisis or when Jrs. mood drastically changes.
-Night Terrors--waken him and comfort him.
-Companionship--The service dog can help my son with his negative self-talk, by being his companion and giving him a sense of purpose.
and so much more...
The cost of Koba's 2-year training program is $10,000 and the cost of the service puppy is $2,000. So I am wanting to raise $12,000.
I am asking you to take this leap with me. Please consider making a small donation to help me reach my goal. Any donation helps, I do know if every one of my Facebook friends donates $20 I'd reach my goal.
I just know having a service dog for my son will help him with so much, to comfort and motivate him when he is depressed, and to possibly allow him to lower his medication amounts in the near future.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and for making a small donation to help my son get a Service Dog.
My son is 12yrs old and was diagnosed in February with MDD (Major Depressive Disorder) with severe psychosis (hallucinating and hearing voices), GAD (General Anxiety Disorder), and Self Harming. My husband and I had no idea he was depressed, so depressed that we had to hospitalize him. We sat there that night as he spoke to the doctor and I heard the most horrifying words come from his mouth...Yes, I have a suicide plan, he then went on to tell the doctor his plan...I broke into tears. That moment I knew I needed to do whatever I could do to help my son.
Since February he has been hospitalized 3x, he is on medication, but that is always tricky in finding the right medication that works. He goes to therapy once a week and we continue to keep him active in sports and music. He just came home 2 weeks ago from the hospital and seems to be doing okay. After switching to a new Psychiatrist that I really like, she highly recommends him to start the PHP (Partial Hospitalization Program) this summer when he turns 13. Along with that, we also spoke to her about a Psychiatric Service Dog, and she strongly agreed that would be very beneficial in his case and supports it 100%.
This was really hard to type, I really didn't want others to view him differently, but I want everyone to know that suicide, suicide ideations, and attempts are only increasing in youth and I am so thankful, thankful to God that my son is still here and that we are getting treatment for him. My husband and I had no idea how depressed he was...we felt we were very open with him and all our children, but this was something he has been battling with for more than 6 months and he didn't understand why he felt so sad, and why these feeling wouldn't go away. He felt like he needed to hide away these feelings and put on a happy face for everyone. Now that we know, he has been a lot more open with us. It is definitely a struggle every day, from his mood changes, irritability, aggression, anxiety...but I am so happy he is still here and we are getting the help he needs.
So I'm sitting here typing, backspacing, and retyping, how to say...We need help, my husband and I cannot do this on our own. With me in nursing school, he is the only one working right now. We just do not have the funds to be able to do this for our son. After speaking with friends and getting referrals for dog trainers that specialize in Psychiatric Service Dog training. We found a trainer locally and we will be working with Koba's Four Paws Institute and because we will be doing our service dog training with them, KJ's Texas Doodles will be able to donate a service dog for free or discounted and the litter will be ready in August. The service dog and Jr. will be doing a 2yr training program to train the dog specific task to help Jr. live his life out to the fullest. Just to name a few of the task the dog will be trained in:
-Deep Pressure Therapy--to help calm him before or during an anxiety attack or sense when his mood changes dramatically.
-Medical Alert--The service dog can alert a certain household member during a crisis or when Jrs. mood drastically changes.
-Night Terrors--waken him and comfort him.
-Companionship--The service dog can help my son with his negative self-talk, by being his companion and giving him a sense of purpose.
and so much more...
The cost of Koba's 2-year training program is $10,000 and the cost of the service puppy is $2,000. So I am wanting to raise $12,000.
I am asking you to take this leap with me. Please consider making a small donation to help me reach my goal. Any donation helps, I do know if every one of my Facebook friends donates $20 I'd reach my goal.
I just know having a service dog for my son will help him with so much, to comfort and motivate him when he is depressed, and to possibly allow him to lower his medication amounts in the near future.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and for making a small donation to help my son get a Service Dog.
Organizer
Genevie Coleman
Organizer
Spring, TX
