Sammy the Service Dog

01/02/2025

12/31/2024

**Really Late Post**
Christmas was a bit different this year for me. I was sooo behind. Or what felt like behind to me. I didn't get to stick to my "normal schedule" like I usually do. I didn't even have time to finish all my decorations😭. However, when I did get started I started decorating the kitchen and the first tree up was the Pioneer Woman Christmas Tree.
I had been in a flare for several days before Istarted decorating. Sammy is usually close by me. But every now and then he'll run off and play or lay with trea and Zalinah. On this day, when I started decorating he was extra close though, but i felt "fine🤷‍♀️". While getting the tree set up, he randomly jumps up on me and health checks me (smells my breath). Then, he drops his paws to my thighs applies pressure signaling for me to sit down. So, I do as I am told and sit like a good human of a service dog. And I sit... YALL!!! He doesn't let me get up for a good 30 minutes. Possibly longer but honestly doesn't matter to me. Because two years ago when i didn't have him. I would have been found lying on the ground next to that tree by either Trea or Zalinah.
Sammy has stopped me from having so many episodes there is no point in even counting them. We are so beyond thankful for our Sammy!!!!

XOXO
~Sammy & Anna

12/30/2024

I have been doing some hard core deep cleaning in the kitchen the last several days... yes several days.. in one room. Us chronically ill people are lucky to even finish one room before being bedridden 😂🤷‍♀️
But.. while I was cleaning out the old medicine cabinet and rearranging things. I dropped something off the counter (yes was sitting on the counter under human and service dog supervision 😊😊) without any kind of command!!! Sammy got up immediately picked up the item and gave it to momma just like a good boy does!
So proud of you Sammy!!!
🩵Always
~Sammy &Anna
Three Dimensional Dog

12/13/2024

11/29/2024

❤️Rare Post❤️
I know Sammy isn't in this picture but dont worry he was under my feet the whole time! One of the things I miss the most before my health started going downhill is cooking and baking. When I first got married I cooked six days a week! Did I bake all the time? No.. but I absolutely loved finding new recipes or making things from scratch. Especially making old family recipes!! I get questions and comments ALL the time about me not cooking much. Like.. do you ever cook for your family? Do you even know how to cook? Or I don't understand why it's so difficult to do something so simple.. TRUST ME I would love nothing more but to be able to cook like used to! My health slowly started going downhill at first and the cooking just slowed down. Then the cooking stopped just as fast as my health went down.
Something that most people don't realize about any chronic illness is most likely the person is also diagnosed with chronic fatigue. So by the time you do the prep, the cooking ALL the things that has to be done. It is mentally (helloooo brain fog) and physically exhausting.
Another thing that makes cooking really hard for me is I have temperature intolerance with my POTS. Which means my body has a really hard time adjusting to temperature changes.. opening the oven door, standing over a hot steamy stove and then walking away, or it could be ANYTHING! Like if I walk outside right now and our thermostat is set on 64, it's currently 38 degrees outside. My body is going to freak out on me if I just step out two seconds and then right back in.. I have to gradually make my way out and back in (which isn't easy).
Something so simple as standing up can be one of the hardest parts to cooking. Especially if you're cooking something that involves you to keep an eye on, or turn and grab things. Standing in general for too long can trigger dizziness. Then you add turning to get something to standing up for a while.. most likely with me... will end with the room going black real quick.
🩵 Now if you've stuck with me this long and read this far... here's the point of this post🤣. This morning I chose laughter, giggles, and a HORRIBLE mess in the kitchen but an amazing memory with Zalinah over my health. She's been wanting to make cake batter cookies for a while and we finally did it this morning! She wanted to do them by herself so she could take them to Thanksgiving. Buutttt I wasn't for that😬. So instead we had the BEST time this morning baking cookies like we used to when she was so small she sat on the counter to help me. Was it easy? Absolutely not... she definitely picked up slack when I was struggling.. and honestly she did most of the work.. did I suffer the consequences.. yes, a few... I wasnt able to eat my Thanksgiving food at first.. but I got there eventually. But I was still with my family listening to everyone laugh and reminisce on the past. ANNDDD it was Sammy's first Thanksgiving family get together!!!
I really really hope there are more moments like this in the future.. and praying one day when she is a little older. I can just supervise and share all my secrets with her.
I love you Zalinah RayAnne!
Moon and Stars 🩷🩵💜

11/18/2024

Shout out to Barktown Sheffield for letting me do a little training at Sammy's fun place today!! We hung out in the lobby and worked on him focusing on momma while other doggies and people came in and out. It wasn't the easiest for him at first.. but he caught on really quick!! Super proud of my Sammy boy!!
If you don't have a place for grooming and dayare and need somewhere who loves your baby as much as you do! Barktown is the place!!!
He also had an awesome check up for his yearly visit 🩵🩵

10/25/2024

Three Dimensional Dog and his team did this write up on sammy and me!! Aaron and his team are phenomenal!!! They have been amazing during our journey and my extremely long list of things i wanted him trained to do 😂 between zoom calls, one on one training, group classes and all the things! They have been there for everything!! I will forever be grateful for all the hours they have invested in us! I hope sharing this write up will help anyone with questions or needing guidance towards owner training!!! 🐕‍🦺🩵
Dysautonomia International Dysautonomia Talk

Many pretrained service dog programs can take upwards of 2 years. In Sammy's case, in-home service dog training began almost immediately.

10/19/2024

🩵🐕‍🦺 Sammy Fundraiser 🐕‍🦺🩵
Who doesn't love Krispy Kreme doughnuts!?!
We are selling Krispy Kreme Doughnuts to help raise money to go towards more training, supplies, and expenses for him to stay on track with his health to be best help and provide for his momma!!

Original glazed doughnuts $14.00
Raspberry or Kreme filled doughnuts $16.00
BOGO Cards $22.00

All money and orders have to be paid by Oct 28th
You can pay with cash or PayPal or venmo!!
PayPal [email protected]
Venmo amosley91

10/18/2024

neurocardiogenic syncope is the most common form of syncope, impacting approximately 20% of the global population. Learn more about fainting disorders at dysautonomiainternational.org/syncope or watch this lecture by world-renowned syncope expert and Dysautonomia International Medical Advisory Board member, Dr. Blair Grubb: vimeo.com/160728361

10/18/2024

Day 16 and 17!! Dysautonomia friendly hobbies and go to comfort show!!
Dysautonomia friendly hobbies i like to do are read, go on short walks with Sammy, spend time with Zalinah and of course sleeeep 😴🙃
Dysautonomia go to comfort show.. I have several!! Definitely Reba!! The Golden Girls, Fresh Prince and Full House 🩵🩵

10/16/2024

Okay so for some reason my post yesterday failed and I didn't know it 😭😭😭
Soooo Happy Dysautonomia Awareness Day in Russellville AL (yesterday October 15th) take 2!!
Thank you City of Russellville, Alabama- Government for recognizing a day and month that means so much to my family and me!!
Scroll through the pictures and see pictures of Mommajoyce and Poppa for the inspiration of choosing Oct 15th as Dysautonomia Awareness Day in the city of Russellville AL. October 15th was my Poppas birthday! I miss him so much but I know now he is healthy and healed! He LOVED advocating and raising money for the Relay even before he was diagnosed with leukemia. Him and Mommajoyce (and my momma of course! I dont know how she does everything she does sometimes Julia Fleming Sullivan) poured everything they had into raising money for a good cause. I know he would be proud to celebrate his birthday with me for Dysautonomia Awareness!
These are my a couple of my favorite pictures with Mommajoyce and Poppa.. the one of Poppa and me with the trophy is from the my senior year in Miss RHS and he got to come home that day from Birmingham the first time! Second picture of us is us getting ready for hugh school graduation. A graduation I never thought he would attend but he did!! Picture of Mommajoyce and me dancing and being silly at my sister's for a get together.. and it is my FAVORITE picture of us!!! We both danced and acted silly like we do.. and made comments while dancing like "why are the two most fragile ones the only ones acting like this?" And then a picture of Zalinahs first Relay for Life with family and the winner of the Jimmy Fleming Spirit award for the year for 2016. I would love to have him here with us watching his Great grand babies grow up play ball, and i know he'd do everything he could to get to ALL Jackson, Zalinah and Ryleighs games!! He would be so proud of them.. he is home, healthy, and happy holding his beautiful Great granddaughter Maysen!! 🩵🩵

10/16/2024

Thank you to CB&S Bank for wearing turquoise in support for Dysautonomia Awareness month and Dysautonomia Awareness Day in Russellville, AL.

10/14/2024

The most common age of onset of is age 14, but POTS is not just a teenaged condition - about half of patients develop POTS in adulthood. Mayo Clinic researchers have estimated that POTS impacts 1 out of 100 teens.

Dysautonomia International offers a teen support group, along with over 80 other support groups. Connect with other dysautonomia patients and caregivers at dysautonomiainternational.org/support

10/14/2024

Took Sammy to the grocery store with us last week and he went to counseling with momma!! Aaron McDonald

10/14/2024

This is something that absolutely terrifies me... when i initially saw the post I messaged my nurse about it and she said she would check emails to see how we would be affected.. the next morning I woke up to a message from her saying this is NOT a drill... with a comedy skit. She always knows when to make me laugh because I will immediately panic right after 😂😬
Unfortunately, hurricane Helene has affected everyone nationwide. Hospitals have made major cut backs on which patients will and will not receive fluids during their care. I am currently on five infusions a week to help manage my symptoms. However, pharmacy's will recieve a lower percentage of their norm than hospitals recieve. With that being said... I have no idea what my next delivery will look like for November, praying i recieve a delivery!
We immediately went to the store Thursday to buy supplemental things i can do if I cannot receive an infusion. Today, there are a lot of posts on different dysautonomia pages about how they are struggling to find the drinks they use to manage their symptoms since the shortage started (some of these posts are coming from people who do not receive infusions).
PLEASE, please!!! If you are just stocking up on gatorlyte, biolyte, pedialyte, Gatorade fit.. or any other high sodium drink.. just to stock up. Please save some for us who need them to are seriously trying to manage our symptoms... and stay standing up not horizontal on the ground..
I promise I am not being ugly by saying any of this!! Because a lot of these items are probably just items on their grocery list and you honestly had no idea.. but If you are stocking up on these items to be stingy like the covid 2020 milk and toilet paper aisle.. with all the kindness in my heart (and I am sure I speak for other dysautonomia warriors) please for some us!!! I know you love the drink.. we do too... I know you are working out, running, hiking etc. And need the extra hydration. We aren't physically doing those things but our body thinks it is and we need them too! And drinking just regular water won't cut it for some of us... supplementing these drinks for infusions won't even cut it for some, but we are trying our best and would love the help and support of others!!!
Thank you so much
Sincerely,
A girl with a long list of chronic illnesses panicking 🩵😬🥰😂🦓

Pictures of Sammy shopping for drinks!!!

Remnants of Hurricane Helene shut down a North Carolina factory that supplies critical IV fluids to hospitals across the country. There's no timeline for when production will resume at the facility.

10/14/2024

This is something that absolutely terrifies me... when i initially saw the post I messaged my nurse about it and she said she would check emails to see how we would be affected.. the next morning I woke up to a message from her saying this is NOT a drill... with a comedy skit. She always knows when to make me laugh because I will immediately panic right after 😂😬
Unfortunately, hurricane Helene has affected everyone nationwide. Hospitals have made major cut backs on which patients will and will not receive fluids during their care. I am currently on five infusions a week to help manage my symptoms. However, pharmacy's will recieve a lower percentage of their norm than hospitals recieve. With that being said... I have no idea what my next delivery will look like for November, praying i recieve a delivery!
We immediately went to the store Thursday to buy supplemental things i can do if I cannot receive an infusion. Today, there are a lot of posts on different dysautonomia pages about how they are struggling to find the drinks they use to manage their symptoms since the shortage started (some of these posts are coming from people who do not receive infusions).
PLEASE, please!!! If you are just stocking up on gatorlyte, biolyte, pedialyte, Gatorade fit.. or any other high sodium drink.. just to stock up. Please save some for us who need them to are seriously trying to manage our symptoms... and stay standing up not horizontal on the ground..
I promise I am not being ugly by saying any of this!! Because a lot of these items are probably just items on their grocery list and you honestly had no idea.. but If you are stocking up on these items to be stingy like the covid 2020 milk and toilet paper aisle.. with all the kindness in my heart (and I am sure I speak for other dysautonomia warriors) please for some us!!! I know you love the drink.. we do too... I know you are working out, running, hiking etc. And need the extra hydration. We aren't physically doing those things but our body thinks it is and we need them too! And drinking just regular water won't cut it for some of us... supplementing these drinks for infusions won't even cut it for some, but we are trying our best and would love the help and support of others!!!
Thank you so much
Sincerely,
A girl with a long list of chronic illnesses panicking 🩵😬🥰😂🦓
Pictures of Sammy shopping for drinks in comments!

Remnants of Hurricane Helene shut down a North Carolina factory that supplies critical IV fluids to hospitals across the country. There's no timeline for when production will resume at the facility.