Some stories break your heart before they inspire you. Allissandra’s is one of them. 

The typical kid plays hide and seek with their siblings or friends, patiently waiting to hear "Olly olly oxen free!" before gleefully emerging from their hiding spots, safe from being found. Once you heard those words, you knew you had gotten through the hard part. You were safe. You were free.

But Allissandra didn’t have the gift of a typical childhood. If only she had heard those words earlier. If only she had been marked safe. She has experienced things that no child—no human—should ever endure.

For her, safety was never a given. She was taken from her biological mother as an infant, placed in foster care due to neglect so severe that social workers reported she wasn’t meeting developmental milestones. What should have been her rescue turned into another nightmare.

She was adopted at age three by a woman named Katie, whose home was one of unimaginable abuse. She remembers being duct-taped to a high chair and forced to watch horror movies, punished with beatings, starvation, and worse. There are scars on her body from those years—some physical, many emotional. 

“One time, my sister Caroline and I walked home from the bus stop after waiting for a long time for Katie to come to get us. I was in kindergarten at the time and Caroline was in first grade,” Allissandra recalled.

“We walked alone to the house in the wintertime. The door was locked when we got there. Katie pulled up as it was getting dark, and when she saw us outside, she was outraged. She started screaming at us because we weren’t supposed to walk home by ourselves. She made us go pick out switches from the alleyway and we really got it for that one. 

“One of her hits had caused the switch to go deep in my leg and rip open the skin when she yanked it back. I probably needed stitches. She did take care of me, holding pressure to stop the bleeding and rinsing out the wound. But it didn’t fully heal and kept opening back up. 

“One day a social worker made a surprise visit and my leg happened to be bleeding again. When she asked me what happened I told her I didn’t listen and was bad. Everything happened super quickly after that,” she finished.

Allissandra and her siblings were sent to a hospital for evaluation, and shortly after, she was placed with a new foster family.

Her next home was with a couple named Kim and Tony. At first, they seemed kind, but it wasn’t long before their true nature surfaced. Tony was abusive toward Kim, and Kim turned her anger on the children. One day, Kim bit Allissandra so hard on the cheek that it left a mark. When a teacher at school noticed, another intervention took place. Once again, Allissandra was removed, shuffled to another home, another temporary stop on a journey she had no control over.

Amidst the instability, there was a flicker of hope: at age 12, she met Tascha, the woman who would later adopt her. Tascha never raised a hand against her, never withheld food, and never abandoned her—even when their relationship faced challenges. For the first time, Allissandra was loved unconditionally.

Years later, she met John, a Green Beret in the U.S. Army who had previously served as a Marine machine gunner. They built a life together, welcoming three children: Elijah (5), Cora-Lynn (4), and Arabella (3). Their household is a lively one, filled with the laughter of little ones, the playful chaos of three dogs, a hedgehog named Fluffy, and a bearded dragon named Ted. But being a military family comes with sacrifices.

John’s career requires frequent training and deployments, leaving Allissandra to juggle parenting, work, and personal challenges largely on her own. The distance is difficult, but she understands his passion for serving—and she wouldn’t trade it for anything. Still, the weight of her past lingers. 

Large crowds, sudden changes, raised voices—these things trigger deep-seated anxieties and painful memories. Some days, stepping into a grocery store feels like an insurmountable task.

Allissandra was also diagnosed with a rare medical condition called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. It mostly impacts her joints, which are too loose and able to move too far. She also has extra stretchy skin and isn’t able to heal well after injury. 

With all those things combined, she knew she needed more support.

When Allissandra learned about psychiatric service dogs, something clicked. She needed a partner who could help her navigate public spaces, ground her in moments of panic, and provide a sense of security that had been missing for so much of her life. That’s when she met Olly. 

Olly wasn’t bred for service work. He was just a shelter dog, a big, lovable companion who stole her heart. But with the right training, he had the potential to be exactly what she needed. With guidance from trainers, Olly has already begun transforming her daily life.

He alerts her twice a day to take her medication. He’s learning to create physical space around her in crowds. He can perform “comfort” commands when she’s overwhelmed, laying across her legs to help ease panic attacks. As he continues his training, Olly will also assist with mobility and balance work, offering both emotional and physical support. Most importantly, Olly makes her feel safe.

“Just having him around, I feel less tense,” she says. “Dangerous people are a lot less likely to approach me when I have a large dog. And when I have a flashback, focusing on him helps calm me down quickly.” With Olly by her side, she is finally beginning to feel what she wished for as a child: it’s safe now.

Service dog training is expensive, and the cost was a hurdle standing between Allissandra and the peace of mind she desperately needed. That’s where Chive Charities stepped in. Thanks to our incredible donors, we’re covering the cost of Olly’s training—ensuring that this rescue pup can fulfill his new mission: rescuing her, one day at a time. We fully funded the cost of his service dog training for a total of $9,033.

Allissandra’s dreams for the future aren’t extravagant. She wants to travel with her family, explore all 50 states, and raise her children in an environment where they never have to question their worth. More than anything, she wants to break the cycle.

“I just don’t want to pass my damage onto them,” she told us. “I want to love my family the way I wished I was loved.” 

Her advice to others who have endured trauma? “Don’t judge yourself for your past, or how you react to it. When your body is forced into survival mode, it’s hard to accept that you don’t always need to be in that mode anymore. But we can let go.”

Olly olly oxen free. The words she longed to hear as a child are finally true. Thanks to Chive Charities and a very special dog, Allissandra is stepping into the light. The hiding is over. She is safe. She is free.

Thanks to all of you for making this possible. Chive Charities is built on a community of kind-hearted people looking out for those who need it most. If you’d like to help more inspiring recipients like Allissandra, DONATE HERE.