Amanda's family's story: Hi! My name is Terry Rutkowski and we are trying to raise funds for my daughter, Amanda Rutkowski, to obtain a service dog through Noble Service Dogs to help her live a more independent life. Amanda suffers from Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder/Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (HSD/hEDS), Type 2 Narcolepsy, panic disorder, anxiety and sensory issues. It was a struggle for a few years to get Amanda properly diagnosed.

Amanda started high school in the top 5% of her class and performed in many honors bands on bassoon including New Jersey All State Band and Orchestra. Then an undiagnosed case of Lyme disease triggered severe pain, dizziness and excessive sleepiness. Her life was turned upside down and her dreams of becoming a professional bassoonist were shattered. As Amanda received each diagnosis she was prescribed medications, physical and occupational therapies to help improve her quality of life. After Amanda graduated high school she attempted to attend community college. However, due to what we would eventually learn was Type 2 Narcolepsy, she would either fall asleep in class or in her car in the parking lot after the exertion of the drive, missing class altogether. Amanda was prescribed meds to keep her awake during the day. However, family members must wake her up to give her the meds. No alarms wake her up. Amanda decided to attend the Artist Make-Up Academy in Hoboken to be a certified make-up artist. It was about 1.5 hours each way but only on the weekends. Amanda was so exhausted from school she would spend a lot of her time the following week in bed. Amanda finished the 8 week program but hasn’t done much since.

All of her diagnoses work against each other. Mornings are difficult since Amanda must fight sleep while trying to put her body back together (joints go out in her sleep) resulting in it taking 2-4 hours to get out bed from the time she is awakened to take her narcolepsy meds. Then if Amanda is on her feet too long her POTS makes her lightheaded and tired and she is constantly fighting against her body going out. The hope is that a service dog can assist Amanda in being independent and able to pursue her dream of being a special effects make-up artist. However, a lot of training will be required to wake Amanda up so she can take her meds, keep her awake and assist her in getting out of bed within a half hour. Other training will include cortisol detection, grounding, deep pressure therapy, and mobility assistance with balance. We have a fundraising goal of $27,000 to help cover the costs of training a service dog. Noble Service Dogs has a dog in mind named Buddha (pic attached) with hopefully the disposition and persistence to get Amanda up and out of bed. Noble Service Dogs is a dedicated organization that will match Amanda with a different dog if Buddha isn’t able to perform the difficult task of getting Amanda up and out of bed.

Any amount you can give to assist Amanda in obtaining a service dog to help her pursue her dreams and gain independence would be greatly appreciated. All donations go directly to Noble Service Dogs. Thank You!

Service Dog for Amanda

Help toward the goal of placing a service dog with Amanda