Help Us Save Koda

This GoFundMe is for my daughter, who just graduated from SFSU. While living in San Francisco, far from home, she felt homesick and decided to find a little companion to keep her company. That’s when she found Koda, a golden doodle named after her favorite childhood movie, Brother Bear. From that day on, Koda became so much more than a pet, he became family.

Koda traveled everywhere with her, back and forth between San Diego and San Francisco, joining us for every family holiday, road trip, and picture. We always told him he was “the piece we didn’t know we needed” and that “he completes us.” Koda came into our lives to heal parts of us we didn’t even know were still broken. His love has been pure, unconditional, and grounding, especially for my daughter.

On Monday, October 6, everything changed. Koda suddenly became weak, tired, and stopped eating, far different that his usual happy self. That evening, we noticed he was urinating blood, and our hearts sank. We rushed him to the emergency vet, where he declined rapidly. The doctors discovered he was severely anemic and needed an emergency blood transfusion to save his life.

The vet bills quickly began to pile up, and as a recent college graduate just starting out, my daughter was overwhelmed. Out of desperation to afford his care, we transferred Koda to Tijuana, but unfortunately, he didn’t receive the attention he needed. Within 24 hours, he was worse.

We immediately rushed him back to San Diego, where the doctors acted fast, giving him another blood transfusion that once again saved his life.

Late that night, on October 8, we received the devastating diagnosis: IMHA (Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia), an autoimmune disease where his body attacks and destroys his own red blood cells. The doctors gave us little hope.

We left him fighting for his life at 11:45 p.m., just minutes before Giuliana's 22nd birthday, October 9th.

Last year, on her birthday, she said she didn’t need to make a wish because “he already came true.” This year, all she wished for was for her baby to live.

That night, while we sat at dinner, she barely touched her food. I insisted on bringing out a small cake, and as she made her wish, the hospital called. The doctor said Koda was in critical condition and they couldn’t find a donor match for his transfusion. Moments later, the phone rang again, they’d found a match. Her wish had come true.

Since then, Koda has received five blood transfusions, two IVIG treatments, and countless medications and tests. He’s been on immunosuppressants, IV fluids, and supportive care.

He’s finally showing small signs of improvement, his vitals are stable, his appetite is returning, and for the first time, we’re seeing baby steps in the right direction and the doctors are impressed with his progress.

We’ve made it this far, through the scariest, hardest part.

Koda has fought through the worst of it and is now at a turning point where he finally has a real chance to live.

But he isn’t out of the woods yet. His blood count is still unstable, and he may need more transfusions and continued care. The vet bills have grown beyond what we ever imagined, and we’ve already stretched every resource we have to keep him fighting.

Koda wants to live. He’s fighting so hard, and we believe he can pull through, he just needs a little more help.

Please, if you can, help us save Koda. Every prayer, every share, every dollar counts. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for helping our baby bear keep living the happy life he deserves, and for letting us hold on to the joy he’s brought into our lives this past year.