Hi. My name is Sutton.
I’m a 14 year-old from Springfield, Missouri. I like art, anime, manga, cosplay, riding horses, playing with my dogs Loki and Maddi and my pet snake, Mochi. About 4 years ago I was told I am on the spectrum (Asperger’s). Being on the spectrum means lots of different things for different kids. For me it means that on the outside I seem shy but pretty much like most other kids my age, but on the inside I suffer from really bad social anxiety, depression, and have really terrible panic attacks. Even though I work really hard to get through these things, they still hurt me every day. Sometimes I can’t get out of bed because I’m afraid of the day. I get really scared in social situations. I have a really hard time sleeping at night because I get worried about all the difficult things people are experiencing around the world. I just can’t stop my mind, sometimes. Panic attacks are the scariest because they come out of nowhere sometimes and I can’t control them. They’re hard to explain, but they are terrifying. One thing that always helps me are animals. Animals seem to like me I (I think because I’m calm) and being around them really helps my anxiety and depression and they can help me get through a panic attack. Loki helps me feel safe at home, but unfortunately he and and Maddie are way too crazy to take in public places like school, the mall, or on trips. I work really hard. I work every day on my anxiety, and on ways to stop panic attacks. I don’t like depending on other people. I hate asking for help, but I’m also learning it’s okay. Right now I could use some. I am SO excited that I was approved to get a support dog from Paws 4 Autism. It makes me happy and hopeful to know I’ll have some help getting through all these things and becoming a stronger person. My ultimate goal for the future is to have a career helping animals and kids like me who have a lot to give but just need a little help. If you can help with a donation I would appreciate it. I researched it, and it’s really expensive to train and care for a support dog. It costs more than $10.000. All your donations will go to Paws 4 Autism so they can train and care for a dog for me and keep training ones for other kids. My family has also decided to do 20 volunteer hours for every $1,000 that is raised. Thank you so much for reading this. I hope you can donate but If you can’t, that’s okay. |