Help Journey Heal: Support for a Therapy Dog

Help Save Journey – A Lifeline for So Many, Now Fighting for His Own

Journey isn’t just a dog. He’s my lifeline, my partner, and a certified service dog who supports me through PTSD, anxiety, and depression. He’s also a certified therapy dog who has touched countless lives with his gentle heart and calm presence. He has provided emotional support to students in multiple schools across West Aurora School District 129, helping kids manage anxiety and stress. He’s also brought joy and comfort to seniors — always offering his quiet strength to those who need it most.

One unforgettable moment happened during Journey’s first visit to West Aurora High School. A student came in silently, and Journey repeatedly alerted to him. We didn’t know why—until a counselor later told us that the boy had just lost his own dog. That same student returned later, and Journey went straight to him again, laying across him and performing deep pressure therapy. From that moment on, Journey remembered him—and with every visit, he helped that boy heal. Today, that student is a graduating senior. Journey was part of that journey.

Now, Journey needs our help.

On May 5th, he suddenly began vomiting blood. He was diagnosed with Giardia, but things kept getting worse. Despite being on a calorie deficit, he had rapidly gained weight from November to April. Then he began refusing food, limping, withdrawing—his light started to fade.

His bloodwork showed alarming results:

- Persistently elevated white blood cells (a sign of serious infection or inflammation)

- Low sodium, potassium, and thyroid hormone

- High GGT (a liver enzyme indicating stress or damage)

- Low red blood cell concentration

He’s now barely moving. We're facing the frightening possibility of something deeper: a hormonal, autoimmune, infectious, or pancreatic disease.

X-rays were inconclusive. He urgently needs:

- An abdominal ultrasound

- Specialized lab testing

- Potential referral to an internal medicine specialist

We’re doing everything we can—chiropractic care, mobility therapy, specialized bloodwork, and a carefully balanced home-cooked diet. But the costs are rising fast, and we can’t do this alone.

Journey is only 2 years old. He has so much more love to give—to grieving children, to veterans struggling with trauma, to me… every single day.

Watching him slip away without answers is heartbreaking.

We’re not giving up.

If Journey has touched your heart, please consider donating or sharing this campaign. Every single dollar gets us closer to the answers—and the healing—he desperately needs.

With all my heart,

Misty