When I was little, I was a fun, bubbly and very happy child. I loved to dance and play games with my older sister. The picture above is from last fall when she moved away to college. When I was in fourth grade, my entire world was flipped upside down when my parents got a divorce. It was a horrible battle my sister and I were caught in the middle of that lasted for over two years. I suffered through a traumatic time and my self esteem was shattered. I began to show the first signs of anxiety and panic, I also began counseling. During middle school I had a small group of really good friends, but then we experienced severe bullying over several years that was primarily aimed at me and in the end, it broke us all apart. Only a few months later, the summer after 8th grade, I had a huge fight with one of my parents and experienced my first panic attack. I tried to recover but the damage was so deep that I could not. I attempted to transition into high school that fall but I could not fully function. We tried everything, we reached out to our doctor multiple times trying different medication that just made everything worse. Finally were able to see a psychiatrist.  I was immediately diagnosed with social phobia and panic disorder (directly related to school) and also put on meds which slightly alleviated some of my anxious symptoms. I have continued counseling regularly since then, as well as medication, but I still struggle going to school daily and sleeping at night. I am very driven to have accurate knowledge about things and so I have researched everything possible to try to find solutions that may help me.  I have  had a range of different health issues ranging from a eczema to severe abdominal pain that we thought was appendicitis.  After months of pain, hormonal issues and doctors appointments, I was diagnosed with endometriosis at the age of 16. I am incredibly thankful that it seems to be under control for now, but I know that it will be something that I may have to deal with for many years to come. Most anxiety med don't help anymore and I started getting migraines from them so I have switched out to vitamins, which will hopefully help. I tend to metabolize certain things instantly, so it can be tricky to find the right things. When I am stressed at school my hearing gets worse due to auditory processing problems (caused by the anxiety), so my grades will fall some, but I am a hard worker, and have taken online PSEO courses so that I will graduate early next fall. I am ambitious, I want to go to college in AZ for criminal justice and eventually apply for the FBI. I just want to feel good, be happy and help others. In doing research, I came across information about service dogs for anxiety and at my last psychiatric appointment was approved for one. FINALLY, something that gives me hope and will help me achieve my future education goals.  Service dogs are amazing but also super expensive, so I am asking for help. Any money I received will go directly towards purchasing the dog, training, supplies, and giving it the best life I can. Thank you for reading my story, I am truly blessed to have this opportunity and just hope I can pay it forward some day in return.