About Me
Hi, I’m Clara. I do normal things like listening to music, going to school, hiking, and watching Criminal Minds. But life has been a little rocky for me. I’ve worked really hard to fit in by ignoring debilitating symptoms such as headaches, brain fog, syncope/presyncope, swelling, and more, analyzing and coping with facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice. I disregarded any tools that would potentially help me to function such as headphones, fidgets, stims, medicine and other accommodations. I ignored my eating, hygiene, and communication struggles until I couldn’t anymore.
I finally realized my body and brain don’t work the way others do. I’m disabled. More specifically, I’m autistic and have POTS. And it took a second to accept this. To share this. To find pride in this.
Living in a world that isn’t meant for people like me, I learned how important it is to find an inclusive community where you can ask for help, find tools that work, and share experiences. I hope to be that for you.
About Cassie
Cassie was born in Colombia, South America, December 18, 2019. She was trained to be a service dog by Ultimate Canine in Indiana and then matched with me.
She loves fetch, playing with her chicken plushie, snuggles on her back, and working.
Our Story
My life began on December 4, 2021, when Cassie came sprinting into my arms. Cassie lives up to her name, a true angel.
She alerts me to high heart rates and meltdowns. She interrupts harmful behaviors such as biting the skin around my nails. She does retrievals, turns off the lights, props up my legs, performs deep pressure therapy and crowd control and continues to learn more tasks to mitigate my disabilities.
We move through life as one. We are a team. Where I go, Cassie is right along side me. I’m so happy you get to be apart of this journey too!
My goal is to create a world that has greater empathy for the inner world of others, to advocate for the disabled community, and to educate those in my community by bringing them in.