My friend has suffered from panic attacks all of her adult life. I remember how scared I was when I witnessed her having one many years ago. We were out to dinner and she started panting for air. She said she couldn't breath and that her heart was racing. I had no idea what to do. It just so happened that we were sitting next to a paramedic and his wife having dinner. The paramedic jumped into action (and this was his night off!) and I watched him do a series of exercises with my friend to regulate her breathing and calm her down. I will never forget that experience and I'm so very grateful for the kindness of strangers.
Fast forward to many years later, my friend works for an amazing organization that trains dogs to become psychiatric service dogs. She went through a training program with the company to train her own dog Coco. Coco helps to warn my friend of an oncoming panic attack so that she can exit a situation safely. Or take medication if needed. Wow, that's incredible. Do you have a service animal or know anyone who needs one? Please reach out to me, I would love to help you.
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