letter for faiths grant application.....

I am pasting a copy of the one page letter I wrote for the grant application for Faith's service dog. Maybe you all can give me some feedback on what you think. I am going to mail it out tomorrow. I am also going to past it on some FB pages of organizations that I am seeking assistance from. Please pass it around and maybe it will get in front of the right set of eyes. Thanks, Kris...... Being able to provide a service dog for my daughter Faith would help lay the foundation for the changes necessary for her to live the rest of her life as a productive member of our society and help her accomplish all of her dreams and goals she has aspirations to achieve. Faith suffers from early onset BiPolar and severe anxiety. She is ten years old and at this time in her life her anxiety from “not feeling good”, or even the possibility of, is so severe that she is unable to attend school. Her doctors, as well as her mother and I, feel that a service dog will help Faith gain back the ability to leave home and go back to school. At this stage in her life Faith is so scared of having panic attacks that she can hardly leave her house without either her mother or I with her. She needs us as to provide the security and assurance that someone will be there to help her when her mood disorders kick in. I currently serve in the US Army, which means that I am away from her one year out of every three, leaving her only her mother. The doctors are presently unable to proceed with any desired treatments because Faith is not able to overcome the anxiety issues. She needs something other than her mother that she can depend on to be with her twenty four hours a day and to love her unconditionally no matter how she is feeling. When Faith is “not feeling good”, or when she can tell something is not right she wants to return home as soon as possible and return to the comfort and safety of her home. She is afraid she will lose control and be remembered as that “crazy” kid if she has a meltdown or panic attack in public or at school. She has had a couple extreme and severe episodes when she was seven and before we had any idea that she was suffering from mood disorders. A service dog will help her get out of uncomfortable situations, will keep people out of her bubble, will apply pressure on her chest during melt downs to help her gain control, and will be the “best friend” she can lean on and depend on during her daily ups and downs. Being able to trust and know that she will have this dog with her at all times will open up many doors of opportunity that Faith is currently unable to go through. She will be able to go back to school, she will be able to stay the night at her grandparents house, she will be able to keep prior commitments because of her confidence with the dog when she is not feeling 100%, which is most of her day. Most importantly I think it will help her validate and explain to the public and her classmates that she does in fact have a hidden disability and she is not a “spoiled” or “misbehaving child” that needs some discipline. Mood disorders are seldom understood by those who do not live with them. This hidden disability is hard for most adults to manage and explain to people. Imagine being ten years old and trying to explain what goes on inside of her head to friends when in fact she cannot even explain to her doctors. She is tired of hearing “she looked fine when I last saw her” or “take her to the emergency room if she is not feeling good”. To be able to do the things that normal kids do like ride a bus and attend school, go out and play with friends, stay the week with her grandparents, go to birthday parties, or even spend the afternoon at a friend’s house are the little things in life my child cannot do because of her mood disorders. A service dog will give her the opportunity to experience these things that all children should enjoy. Every child deserves to be “wanted” and to feel “special”, this service dog will add another being besides her parents to shower her with these wants. It has also been told by our doctors and those that we have met that service dogs have enabled many children who suffer from mood disorders to come off of some of their medications. Over the past twelve months Faith has unsuccessfully attempted to admit herself into a psychiatric hospital twice. Her anxiety has kept her from the treatment she wants and deserves. Both hospitals said she would have to be tranquilized and restrained, which would not benefit her and would only add to her bad experiences. Thank you for your consideration in providing what we think will be a life altering friendship and relationship a service dog and provide my daughter Faith. https://www.facebook.com/FaithsMission