1/14/2026

Michael and Sonora update:

On 1/2/26 Michael notified me that he could not breathe right and had to call 911. He was later admitted to the hospital and immediately hooked up to an oxygen tank. 1/5/26 he was transferred to ICU, the outlook is not good, Michael discharged himself from the hospital a few days ago. Given his critical prognosis, it is unlikely that he will survive without proper medical care. With only 10% lung function and a constant need for oxygen, he experiences persistent shortness of breath, which is the reason for his frequent movement to alleviate his discomfort by finding more breathable environments. Although the specifics of Michael's conversation with the medical staff are unclear, he claims that a doctor suggested that he should just leave and that he would most likely not survive long, prompting his decision to discharge himself. I know Michael can be difficult, I myself have experienced it, so it makes me wonder if the hospital staff was just over him.

Michael was also concerned about Sonora and being away from her for almost 2 weeks, he checked on her daily and staff told him that she was stressed at the shelter which i think is what also led him to leave the ICU. Given his fragile state and prognosis, there are concerns about his survival. I am trying to help raise funds to keep him and Sonora in a motel for a bit. He needs to purchase a generator so he can hook up the oxygen tanks he will need in order to breathe better. 10% of your lungs functioning is not good at all. I truly feel bad for Sonora and I need to talk to him seriously about what will happen to her in the event that something happens to him. He loves her and cares for her and she loves him. This is just heartbreaking all around.

please help me help them. Message for Michael earlier today. He never apps me for $ but he’s in desperate need.

UPDATE: 7/3/25

Michael & Sonora update. Well it’s been a hell of a few weeks for Michael. He crashed and totaled his vehicle (his home) so he has been sleeping on the streets because the vehicle no longer exists. Then a little over a week ago there was some kind of altercation with a passerby on a bicycle and Sonora reacted but DID NOT bite the guy, not sure what transpired between Michael and that guy but Michael was taken in by Berkeley PD and released 5 hours later. Meanwhile Sonora had been sitting at the Berkeley shelter all this time. He was not able to get her out right away because they needed to hold a hearing for her and they also wanted to make sure that she got spayed. She was spayed yesterday, but they are asking for $385 to release her to Michael. Michael was robbed on the street and his debit card has been locked, I logged into his account to verify that indeed it is locked. We are working with BofA to try to unlock it so that he can go pay and get Sonora out of the shelter. He was not expecting this expense and if you find it in your heart to help him out, I’m sure both he and Sonora would appreciate it. They have been separated for over a week now. He was hoping to get a room at a motel for the 4th of July weekend so that Sonora can rest and heal. I will keep everyone updated and thanks for being their angels.

UPDATE: 11/7/24

Michael & Sonora are in need of a small trailer where they can sleep in. Winter is coming and sleeping in the car is becoming hard for Micheal since he crawls in and out of the back of the car. Not to mention how cold it gets. He just left BLM Az which had overnight temperatures of 33 degrees and drove and parked in Yuma Az. where overnight temperature was 55 last night. Just a few days ago he was t-boned at a traffic light, they are not injured but on drivers side both doors got damaged. He was able to buy this car with the money his sister sent him last year after my letter. It’s hard to open and close both doors now. He reported it to his insurance. Yes… he saved his social security money to insure the car. This car took Michael back to the East Coast a few months ago. He just got back from his trip. He went back home to reminisce, visit his parents grave and hoped to meet up with his sister but due to some personal reasons she did not want to see him. Only communication he has had with her has been through letters. He was sad about that, felt let down- especially since he travelled all the way out there. He had to start heading back to the west coast because of the hurricanes. He is not feeling well and it’s getting harder for him to breathe. He wanted to make one last trip out there and it brought back some sad memories as well as good memories.

Still no word from housing, it’s been over a year and nothing yet. He is currently in Az as CA is too expensive and can’t survive on his $500 social security. We will start fundraising to try to raise funds for a small used trailer ($2500-$5k) where he can sleep more comfortably this winter. Please share share share. With his breathing issues and osteoporosis it’s hard on his bones to just sleep in a car. A car he has to crawl in and out of. Please help me help Michael & Sonora, i know the holidays are around the corner but any amount will put us one step closer to our goal to get him a much comfortable place to sleep in.

thank you.

Eretha.

fyi: the $3500 already raised was used for keeping both of them housed in motels, and for food for many months. Since then he’s been living out of his car. Our account is at $0

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Hi, my name is Eretha and I am fundraising for Michael & Sonora. I’ve known Michael for about 11 years now when it used to be Michael & Mademoiselle (RIP). Met them on a very cold night and felt horrible that they were out on the street. Befriended him and that’s when my journey to help them out whenever I could began. Whether it was food, dog treats for Mademoiselle or money, every time I saw them I made it a point to say hello and give them something. So I began sharing all of my encounters with them on Facebook, as well as pictures of Mademoiselle and my dog rescue friends grew to know them both through my posts. Sadly, Mademoiselle passed about 7 years ago, and Michael has come and gone throughout the years traveling on the train and pitching a tent between AZ, New Mexico & CA. And then one day, he rescued Sonora from some guys who were selling her in from of a Walmart. She’s been his faithful companion for the past few years and has even become his well trained service dog.

Now Michael & Sonora need our help! They have been living on and off the streets for quite some time now. His social security is not enough to house them both. Were are trying to find him affordable permanent housing but that will take anywhere from 8 months to 2 years. He has done all he could to get off the streets, signed up for permanent housing, on a waitlist for the little tiny home/shed program, now it’s just a matter of waiting for his turn to come up. He’s doing all the right things, calling all the right numbers and asking for housing assistance but he gets the same answer from everyone.

Michael is an educated man with a degree in English but his life has not been an easy one. He lost his wife at the young age of 34, and his mother shortly after. 20 years ago he was hit by a semi truck that left him for dead and with several broken bones. Fast forward to 3 months ago - he was off the streets living in Needles when a neighbor beat him with a bat that left him with 3 broken vertebrae and he had 3 pins put in his hip. He was hospitalized for 2 weeks but checked himself out because he needed to get his dog Sonora back from the kennel they put her in while he was hospitalized. These injuries have left him in pretty bad shape and homeless again. Not being able to walk on his own anymore, he uses the guidance of a walker, quickly runs out of breath which he’s treating with an inhaler and also needs to be on oxygen but he can’t haul a tank around while living in the streets. He has more medical conditions to treat but can only do so much in a day. He does not want to go back to pitching a tent on the cold hard surface of the streets any longer. We are asking you to please help us raise the funds to house him while he waits for the assistance that he so desperately needs. As a senior with disabilities, we cannot let him down. He’s been staying in a motel for the past couple of weeks with money he got from his social security and with the financial help of some friends of mine who have followed his journey for the past few years. With the funds we raise here, we can secure more nights for him to have a roof over both of their heads and hopefully find him a room to rent while his turn comes up within the LA County housing the homeless program. Your help can change their life for the better, it can give them that hope that they so deserve and long for. The streets are cold and lonely and at his age of 72 and with his injuries that still need some healing, he needs a roof over his head. What an ideal world this would be if we could care for our seniors that so desperately need the help.