Help David sleep through the night and get back to studying

Hello, my name is David. Until recently, I have been doing research into how certain technologies could give teachers better insights into how their students are learning, and teach more effectively as a result. My major calling in life is to find ways to use technology to help people; either as individuals or across society in general.

After the Christchurch earthquakes brought our lives into total disarray, I had my PTSD symptoms flare up again in a big way. Restless nights, waking up fighting or worse: staying asleep, still fighting and waking up injured. As part of my recovery, I had a diagnostic sleep test and discovered that I had sleep apnoea - I was stopping breathing something like 70 times a night.

I can't use a CPAP machine, but luckily there is a thing called a SomnoGuard: like a sports mouthguard, only it pushes the lower jaw forward to keep my airway open while I'm unconscious. With that, I could sleep through the night: I had more energy to work and exercise, less gout, fewer nosebleeds, fewer nightmares, better health overall and was generally better able to function with my life, work, relationship and studies...

...Until it broke. Snapped through on the housing that keeps the two halves together, and it can't be repaired. Since all my money has been eaten by the increasing expenses of rent and family health problems, I can't afford to buy a new one. I'm making enough money now to keep us afloat and not going further into debt, but only by suspending my PhD and working more.

After some hunting and costing, a replacement SomnoGuard will cost around $360 - sadly not something that's supported or covered by government healthcare here. This will help me to sleep better, get healthy, earn money and get back to finishing my studies faster.

If folks are generous and I receive any money over the amount needed to fix my sleep apnoea, it will help me to build up my "war chest" to get back to finishing off my suspended PhD thesis work. (I have about two months to go, as soon as I can afford to resume it.)