After sharing the news about Daisy’s lymphoma diagnosis, many of her friends and former/ current patients have asked if they can donate to Daisy’s cancer treatment costs. First of all, thank you very much for your generous offers of help. Her treatment will cost approximately $10,000.00 (if there are no complications) Any help will be greatly appreciated. As most of you know, Daisy is a very special therapy dog who has helped many people cope with difficult situations.
Daisy Mae is a licensed Therapy Dog who specializes in working with wounded veterans. Her “super-power” is knowing when someone is in physical or emotional pain. She will sit on a patient’s feet until she feels they are feeling better then she’ll get off their feet (unless they are very good at belly rubs- then I have to basically drag her away).
Daisy was diagnosed with Lymphoma cancer Jan. 18, 2014 and is now undergoing chemo. She is already in partial remission, which is good news for her long-term prognosis. The sooner she goes into remission, the better her chances for long term survival.
We adopted Daisy on my birthday in 2007 from the Escondido Humane Society. She turns nine on April 1st this year and we are hoping to have her with us for 9 more… Daisy Mae has manners unlike any animal I’ve ever known. She can eat off a fork, take little bites of food so someone can take their time feeding her treats (peanut butter sandwiches are her favorite). We can leave food anywhere (including the floor) and tell her to leave it and she will- even if we leave the house for the whole day! She lets me dress her up in costumes for Halloween, Easter and Christmas… She never tries to take it off, but if she thinks someone is sympathetic she will give them a look that says, “Please make her take this off me- don’t I do enough good that I should be spared bunny ears???”
A few years ago we took Daisy on her first trip on a pontoon boat. She quickly became an expert at waiting for the kids and everyone jumping at once. If you look at her FB page, you can actually see her smiling in every single photo from that trip.
Daisy and I became a Therapy Dog team about a one and half years after we brought her into our family. We knew she had a calling when a good friend (a disabled veteran) would come over and sometimes his pain was so severe he would lay on our living room floor and Daisy would always lie with her back against his until his pain eased. Sometimes she’d lay there for hours, ignoring all distractions until she knew her buddy was feeling better.
I can’t actually count the number of times that she has caused me to have awkward conversations- from the police officer who came to our house to take a police report for stolen mail, to my daughter’s friend’s mom who I met for the very first time to the different repairmen who come to our house… Every single time, Daisy is right on the money that not only are these people in distress, they need someone to talk to about it.
When my Aunt was dying in late 2013, I took Daisy to Arizona with me. She ended up on duty for a straight 48 hours until my Aunt was moved to hospice. Anytime, we took a break or someone wanted to be alone with my Aunt, Daisy would go outside to stretch her legs or have a potty and every time, she was interrupted by people who needed some furry hugs. And she never let any of them down- not when she was tired or hungry or really needed to potty. She let patients and their families pull her ears as they tried to pet her –occasionally grab her tail or just hug her and not want to let go.
The only time in my life I have seen Daisy Mae in emotional distress was during my Aunt’s funeral. She cried the entire time- refused to stay down… I was so worried someone would ask us to leave the church. But I knew and it turned out so did everyone in the room- that Daisy was in distress because she could feel the sadness in everyone and was desperate to get to everyone all at once to make them feel better.
I could actually go on and on about all the people whose lives she has touched… She has always given so much and it’s very humbling for our family to know how much all of you want to help Daisy Mae get better soon. So thank you for helping.