My earliest memory of everything was about 3 years ago. Max started to complain of being in pain. As a pre-teen, I was quick to dismiss this as normal "growing pains". I'd give Max some Children's Advil and we would all continue on with life. Little did I know that the Advil never really helped and Max never told me since he had no point of reference to know if it was working or not. It tears me up inside now to know just how much my kid was suffering and couldn't find the words to tell me.

Max has always been a healthy kid. From the time Max was born until these last few years, we went to the doctor only for annual checkups and regular exams. There was nothing extraordinary about the health of my child. Max is articulate and so it was even harder to understand what was going on with the pain when no one could really explain it.

Fast forward ta a couple years ago when the pain started to become unbearable. When you live with chronic pain it affects all areas of your life. Max had started to withdraw from social engagements and had become more "moody" than usual. Again, I thought this was just normal since we were nearing the teen years.

Then Covid-19 hit and everyone was stuck at home while the world turned upside down. Luckily, we had already started to seek help before all that happened, but things weren't getting better. Finally we were able to see some specialists, get the testing needed and find a diagnosis. Max was diagnosed with Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome (AMPS)* which causes severe and constant, sometimes intermittent, pain. It is described as "touch hurts". I had never even heard about this before, but it is more common that I thought.

Now that we understand what is happening and have a plan of action, we've been making small amounts of progress. Max used arm crutches at school last year and this year Max uses a wheelchair while at school. The wheelchair stays at school since there's currently a school bus driver shortage and almost daily we get a long list of buses that aren't running in afternoon. Max has multiple specialist working together to help with living a more fulfilling life.

Some people doubt the validity of Max's condition because it is one of those invisible disabilities.** Most of the time you wouldn't know that it is painful for Max to walk, breathe, or even get a hug. I asked Max what they wanted most when discussing a service dog, and the response I got was "to be able to just go outside safely". I have been fighting back the tears a lot lately, but I know that there is hope and that with a service dog Max CAN have a better quality of life!!

*Information about AMPS (Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome

Characteristics of amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome (AMPS) include increasing pain over time, allodynia (a painful sensation in response to non-painful touch), disproportional physical disability, and the absence of other causes. Debilitating fatigue, disrupted or non-restorative sleep and a variety of neuropsychiatric problems, including ‘brain fog’, anxiety and depressive symptoms are also commonly mentioned concerns.

**What is an invisible disability?

People often ask us to define invisible disability. In simple terms, an invisible disability is a physical, mental or neurological condition that is not visible from the outside, yet can limit or challenge a person’s movements, senses, or activities. Unfortunately, the very fact that these symptoms are invisible can lead to misunderstandings, false perceptions, and judgments. (source: https://invisibledisabilities.org/what-is-an-invisible-disability/)