Hi everyone,
My name is Selena. I am 19 years old. I am currently in my 2nd
year studying to become a Social
Worker at St-Lawrence College in
Kingston. After completing my program, I would like to work
with
domestic violence victims. I am myself a survivor of childhood
domestic violence which makes
everyday a challenge. Every night, I
have nightmares and flashbacks from my previous abuse
experiences.
These nightmares and flashbacks prevent me from having a peaceful
sleep. These
recurring nightmares make me go through all the
domestic abuse all over again. When I wake up
from such a
nightmare, I have panic attacks that can last up to 20-30 mins on a
good night or up to
1 hour 30 minutes on a bad night.
In March of 2020, I was diagnosed with “long standing anxiety and
symptoms of agoraphobia”.
Recently in October, I was also diagnosed
with PTSD and “traits of borderline personality
disorder”. My
anxiety and PTSD don’t allow me to live a full independent life
anymore. I can’t go by
myself anymore and even then, when I go out
it has to be a quick trip out and then immediately
back home. I
tend to avoid public areas and crowds due to fears of flashbacks. I
always feel in a
heightened state of hypervigilance and wonder when
the next panic attack will happen or how
severe it will be.
With the help of K4Paws, I will hopefully gain my independence
back and be able to go out in
public to enjoy everyday life. Having
a dog beside me will have a huge impact on my daily life by
helping
reduce my anxiety and keep me grounded. A service dog will help me
recognize episodes
of panic attacks and also so coping strategies
before they get out of hand. A service dog will help
me identify
what are my stimulus that triggers my symptoms like heightened anxiety
when in a
crowd of people which can render my social life
non-existent. Such a great dog will be able to help
me safely
navigate and manage my symptoms. With the assistance of a trained dog
for my
conditions, I will be able to help better manage my symptoms
and I will be able to live a full life
while being a contributing
member of society.
My first contact with Kingston 4 Paws was a year ago when we
became a foster family for one of
their dogs in training. The more
I learned about the organization, their mission and the more I
got
involved the more I could see that many of the symptoms I was
experiencing could be helped with
my own service dog. I therefore
decided to apply to get a dog to help me manage my own anxiety.
I
am so thankful for an organization like Kingston 4 Paws that can help
people that have needs like
mine and others that have their own
needs. It’s a great opportunity that we have now to help
each
other. I hope you will consider helping me by making a
charitable donation to this organization on
my page. Each dog costs
approximately $20 000 to $25 000 from puppy in training to full
adult
assistive dog for a person with debilitating life challenges.
Any amount would be greatly
appreciated and used by K4Paws.
Thanks for your generous support.
Selena
