Jason and K9 Kona

As always, I have attached a fundraiser. The money raised helps us on our journey. The unexpected ER vet bills, the weekly vet bills, adoption fees for the dogs, and endless training. Those bills are a constant. And we cannot continue to help our heroes without your support. Thank you all so much. 
My name is Jason, and I am a retired Paramedic of 20 years. I have worked in the Washington DC area, Atlanta, as well as Orlando in my tenure as not only a Paramedic but also a Neonatal and Pediatric Paramedic. During my 20-year career, I have seen things that I pray most will never have to witness. When you are a Paramedic, you are trained to act first and react later which I did successfully during my tenure.
I spent 6 weeks at Ground Zero doing search and rescue following the terrorist attacks in NYC. During that time, I found out that unfortunately one of my good friends was buried in the rubble of the WTC towers. When we do our jobs, we can disconnect from “reality” to focus on the task at hand, but not this time. This time I was working frantically for someone I loved like a brother.
I gained one thing from the multiple pediatric codes, the aftermath of Pulse, and countless other horrific incidents that I have been a part of: PTSD. Now that I am retired, my brain and body can finally come to terms with what I have seen and experienced. Night terrors, horrible anxiety, withdrawal symptoms, and overall anger and depression have plagued me since I stopped saving lives.
I luckily have an amazing wife and 2 girls who help me through the bad times and celebrate with me on the good days. I am hoping that receiving a support dog will help me with my anxiety and allow me to get back to doing the things I love with the people that I love.