A Service Dog for Tye

I am a survivor, I am a dancer, a spouse, a student, a friend, a daughter, a volunteer and an advocate. I am a nurse and an EMT. Just by looking at me you may not know I am autistic, nor that I struggle with disabilities. My name is Tye (they/them) and I change this world with everyone I meet.

I was born into violence leaving me with a brain injury, unable to have biological children, and trauma that still plagues me. After years in foster care I was adopted and saved at the age of 5, unfortunately life continued to be a struggle. Growing up in the 80s-90s autism was reserved for “lower functioning” individuals with the associated stigma. Autism wasn’t on the radar, leading me to believe for 2 ½ decades that I was broken. Self-harm, addiction and suicide attempts became how I coped with these feelings until they almost killed me.

Learning I am on the spectrum allowed me to become a person I am proud of. My spouse has been able to watch me grow into a strong sober person, I have now been sober for 18 years. I help others as much as possible. I volunteer my time and medical expertise, an example being a vaccinator at Flu and COVID19 mass vaccination clinics. I am developing my American Sign Language skills and it continues to improve my communication. Constant learning and self-improvement have helped me to learn my actual limitations.

Unfortunately, despite this growth I still have disabilities that dominate my life. When my best is not good enough and I know I gave it my all, it feels like a rejection of me as a person when I don’t succeed.

I struggle with: 

• crippling anxiety
• panic attacks
• executive functioning deficits
• lack of sleep causing mania and subsequent depression ( resulting in catastrophic consequences)?
• emotional dysregulation
• impaired sensory processing
• hearing challenges
• low HR with syncope

I would like to stop struggling with these overwhelming symptoms, which is why a service dog is so important to my life.

Partnering with a service dog will improve my quality of life. My service dog will:

• Combat anxiety and dysregulation
• Reduce the amount of my energy expenditure allowing me to do more with my time
• Enable me to be more self-reliant and more reliable to myself and others
• Make social pragmatics easier for me
• Support my mental and physical safety
• Mitigate sensory overload, so I can perform overwhelming tasks alone
• Establish/maintain routines and sleep schedules

My experience being a patient with a disability taught me about the deficits and the “cracks” people fall through in the healthcare system. As a nurse, I give 100% to every patient I care for, ensure equity, and raise my voice for those who can’t. Having a service dog on my team will make my challenges less debilitating and ensure I can maintain employment long term, so that I can continue helping others too!

I have personally already paid almost two thirds of the fee for my service dog, but I need help with reaching my goal!

Please make a one-off or reoccurring donation now to help me achieve the independence and wellness I so desperately seek!

I am deeply grateful to all that contribute and thank you for taking the time to read about my life, challenges and goals!

Please Note: Diggity Dogs Service Dogs Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization.  All donations are tax-deductible and non-refundable.  A receipt is automatically sent to every donor upon submitting a donation. All donations are subject to a 2.9% fee from Paypal which is deducted from your donation total.