Hi, my name is Annie, and I am reaching out to ask for help saving the life of my girl - my 6-year-old German Shepherd, Hazel.

I got Hazel in 2020 when I was 20 years old and had just moved across the country entirely alone. She became my shadow from day one, standing by my side as I learned how to navigate a new life and as I grew into an adult.

If you know Hazel, you know she is the silliest, snuggliest, and most mischievous girl. She is filled to the brim with love, loves meeting new people, and builds deep bonds with everyone she comes across. In true German Shepherd fashion, she is glued to my heels—when I’m working, she rests her head on my lap and comes over throughout the day just for hugs. She is an amazing big sister to her brother Grimm, loves running on the beach, chasing tennis balls, hiking, awooing in tune with passing sirens, and giving the mailman the business. She is so smart, endlessly funny, and has the brightest spirit.

For so many of you in our YouTube community, you have watched Hazel grow up. You’ve seen her as a tiny, goofy puppy bouncing through my early videos, watched her sprout into a gangly teenager, and seen her alongside me over the last six years as she blossomed into the beautiful soul she is today. I know she has been a cherished friend to so many of you who have followed our journey from the very beginning.

Right now, Hazel is fighting for her life.

She was diagnosed with cancer Saturday the 3rd of October (either thymoma or lymphoma - should know sometime this week), which triggered an immune storm. Her body began attacking itself, causing a cascade of life-threatening complications. She spent a little over a week in the ICU as these complications developed.

There she fought cancer, pneumonia, a third-degree AV block in her heart, megaesophagus, and nerve degeneration secondary to the immune storm.

Seeing her go through this has been unbearable, but her medical team gave us the hope to keep fighting. With treatment, her condition and the complications it caused are completely curable. The cancer, pneumonia, heart block, nerve issues, and potentially even the megaesophagus can be fully resolved (though the megaesophagus is manageable with lifestyle changes and will not negatively impact her quality of life if it does not resolve).

Hazel is only six years old and could have another six years of happy, healthy life ahead of her—she just needs us to help her get through this crisis.

To survive, Hazel needed continued ICU care to stay stable, a pacemaker installation for her heart block, a feeding tube placement, and surgery to remove the underlying tumor.

The financial burden has become overwhelming.

ICU hospitalization for nine days: $20,000

Combined pacemaker surgery, tumor removal, and feeding tube placement (the feeding tube will be removed after she has healed): $35,000

My partner and I have taken out two loans to cover her initial hospital care, but it has barely scratched the surface and is not enough to get her through surgery and recovery.

While total expenses are expected to surpass $55,000 and possibly even more, we are letting our goal grow with the donations to help cover her pacemaker surgery, essential ICU stabilization, and cancer treatment.

We just got her home and she is out of the critical care window but we are now in severe debt. I am willing to give up everything I possibly can to keep Hazel living a happy, healthy life, but I cannot do this alone.

Your donation of any amount—no matter how small—goes directly toward paying off Hazel’s ICU bills, pacemaker and feeding tube placement and tumor removal surgery, and cancer treatment.

If you aren’t able to donate, sharing Hazel’s story on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or with friends and family makes a world of difference.

Hazel would do anything for those she loves (and even those she has just met!), and we are doing everything in our power to give her the full life she deserves. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for reading her story, keeping her in your thoughts, and helping us to save our sweet girl.