Welcome to my fundraising page and thank you for taking the time to read my story and about the amazing service of Little Angels Service Dogs. My name is Kaitlyn Wainscott. I am a Migraine Warrior. I was officially diagnosed with Migraine in 2015 after meeting with a neurologist and after going over my history, I have most likely been battling Migraine since childhood. On April 1, 2016, my life changed completely. I spontaneously developed vertigo for the first time in my life. After months of not being able to work or drive, various appointments and therapy, I was diagnosed with Vestibular Migraine. Currently there is no cure for Migraine, only management of symptoms. Despite trying various treatment modalities, I have yet to find a way to manage my symptoms enough to regain the life I once lived.

Battling chronic migraine has been exhausting, scary and filled with continuous uncertainty. Each day varies with a cacophony of sensations and experiences conducting my day creating its own unique symphony. Migraine, specifically Vestibular Migraine, has forced me to change my life, my goals and expectations. My daily symptoms have forced me to change careers and significantly limit my ability to work. I grieve my past self and the life I thought I could build and have. I have had to give up hobbies and certain independencies. Through several draining years of battle with Migraine, I eventually found myself majorly depressed and anxious leaving me without the strength to keep fighting or the will to live. It was at this terrifyingly low point that I finally reached out for help after many years of pretending I was okay and downplaying my experience due to fears from stigma and my own cognitive distortions.

Since that day, I have slowly been working to build a sustainable life. This has included trying various medications, therapies, and modifications. Despite my extensive efforts, I am still in need of assistance to get around either holding onto someone or using trekking poles to maintain my balance walking outside of the home. Daily activities around the home drain me easily. Due to the unpredictability of my symptoms and needs, it is impossible to know when and how much assistance I need, limiting me further depending on the resources available to me at a given moment.

After much research and discussions with treatment providers, family and friends, it was determined a service dog would be of great support. I have learned how a service dog can provide mobility assistance, help picking up my frequently dropped things, provide emotional support during challenging times, potentially learn to predict attacks and most importantly help me regain some of my lost independence. To be able to have a service dog would allow me the freedom to get out of the house more and be more successful in my daily endeavors such as doing laundry, grocery shopping, enjoying nature or visiting friends. I once used to be very active hiking, swimming, kayaking, yoga, and simply exploring new adventures. 

I am truly fortunate to be an approved candidate for a mobility assistance service dog as it is a very selective process to be selected. Only 5% of service dogs have the correct temperament and ability to be trained as a mobility assistance dog.

As a result of my research, I found Little Angels Service Dogs. They provide service dogs to assist their recipients with Mobility Tasks, Seizure & Diabetic Alert, Hearing Loss, Autism, PTSD, Panic Attacks as well as many other needs. They are a nonprofit organization and are supported financially only through donations. Every donation helps Little Angels reach the goal of training more dogs for recipients like me. The therapeutic benefits of assistance dogs for people with disabilities such as myself are life changing.

Little Angels Service Dogs is an Assistance Dogs International Accredited, 501c3 nonprofit corporation that reaches across all of the United States, partnering service dogs with the disabled. They are dedicated to providing the highest quality dogs to assist in the daily lives of their recipients.

Please consider donating today to Little Angels Service Dogs so that you can help people like me. Lives will continue to be changed for the better, one person at a time, because of donors like you. Donations are tax deductible! If you feel inclined to donate to Little Angels Service Dogs you can follow the link to donate online or donate directly by check.

For checks:

Make Payable to: Little Angels Service Dogs

Please put in the memo: PM-WA-KA

Mail to: Little Angels Service Dogs 

PO Box 219 Jamul, CA 91935