Sima & Sundae
A Sundae Kind of Love
When someone joins the military, they sign a symbolic check that represents their life. Some service members cash it in early by giving their life, while others never cash it in, and some pay it little by little everyday when they suffer from service-related injuries. For U.S. Army medic and veteran Sima, her check has been cashed day by day through physical and emotional battles, including PTSD and mobility challenges, that have shaped her life ever since.
On the outside, Sima’s battle scars may not be visible. She lives a busy life as a mother of two toddlers, a dog mom to a Labradoodle named Teddy, and a loving wife to her husband who is currently serving in the U.S Army as well. But below the surface, her service as an Army medic and member of the civil affairs team left lasting wounds.
During one of her more difficult deployments assisting in a refugee crisis in Yemen, Sima witnessed human pain and suffering that few could bear. The psychological toll was profound, compounded by exposure to a high rate of suicides among fellow soldiers—a burden that continues to haunt her.
Transitioning to civilian life was a whole new battle in and of itself. After spending years in the service, Sima had to adapt and rewire her thinking and reactions. “For someone who has an incredibly anxious personality coupled with PTSD, I started to question everything, every person, and every situation. Over-analyzing everything caused me to suffer,” she shares. Her anxiety made her hyper-vigilant and distrusting, and it also caused nightmares, panic attacks, flashbacks, and insomnia.
Along with these challenges, Sima and her husband faced additional heartbreak as they tried to grow their family. Sadly, out of eleven pregnancies, only two went full term. Says Sima, “Traumas like that really affect how you do things going forward. Through every pregnancy, I was terrified because I didn’t want to lose my babies… and I did lose some of them.”
Sima finally reached out to Freedom Service Dogs, and in June, 2024, she was matched with FSD Service Dog Sundae. An outgoing and playful yellow Lab with a very important job, Sundae was custom-trained to help mitigate Sima’s PTSD symptoms by waking her from nightmares, interrupting anxious behaviors, creating space in public, and more. But most of all, Sundae was able to offer Sima the kind of love, companionship, and loyalty that only a dog can give.
The connection between Sima and Sundae was instantaneous. Right away, Sima knew she was “the one” and her stress melted away. Sima had always believed in the power of the human-animal bond, but she never expected how big of an impact Sundae would truly make in her life. “Sundae interrupts my nightmares, and now I don’t have to go through them anymore. I also struggle with insomnia, but Sundae is always there to hang out with. She helps regulate my system and helps me get back to sleep,” Sima explains. “If I am in a meeting at work and start doing my anxious ticks, like rubbing my hands or scratching at my legs until they’re bruised, she will interrupt those behaviors. She catches it way before I realize.”
One day, as Sima felt a panic attack coming on, she went upstairs to be alone, leaving Sundae downstairs behind a baby gate out of habit. Sundae could hear her crying and hyperventilating and cleared the baby gate, ran up the stairs, and immediately came to Sima’s aid for comfort. Says Sima, “She knew I needed her and literally jumped over an obstacle to get to me.” Since then, Sundae has proven her loyalty and companionship time and time again. “She is everything I needed and is far more than just a dog.”
Now, Sima and Sundae share their own routines and rituals, like weekly walks around the museum and breakfast together every Thursday and Friday at a nearby coffee shop. With Sundae by her side, Sima hopes to do more traveling and wants to pursue her passions fearlessly.
When asked about how Sundae has been an everyday game changer in Sima’s life, she responded, “I didn’t just get a service dog from FSD—I got a best friend. And with that best friend came so many new people who support me, are there for me, and let me be who I genuinely am. FSD is a family, and I finally feel like I found my people… I haven’t connected with people like this in a long time. FSD has given me the chance to be myself again and they’ve given me so much freedom, and I think an organization that has the power to do that is worth supporting.”
There are other veterans and people with disabilities like Sima waiting for their perfect match in an FSD assistance dog, hoping for their own furry friend who can make the impossible feel possible again. With your support, FSD can continue to provide life-changing service dogs and skilled companion dogs to those in need. When you give a gift of any amount today, you bring hope to the veterans who need it most.
Contact Erin Conley at econley@