Join Sherry's Fight for Donal's Recovery

Many of you know Sherry Woodard, a well-respected animal advocate, behavior expert, and all-around kind individual who has been a passionate advocate for people and animals for decades. Fiercely independent, she's never one to ask for a handout. But she needs our support now, and that's why I'm reaching out on her behalf (with her permission).

You may not know that Sherry has a 37-year-old son named Donal, who was recently diagnosed with a low-grade glioma. While he has already experienced some loss of vision and weakness on one side of his body, these slow-growing brain tumors ARE curable. But that requires speedy intervention at this point, comprising surgery and potentially chemotherapy if both masses in the right hemisphere cannot be fully removed. Ever the devoted caregiver, Sherry has stopped working to devote all of her time to getting Donal better. The financial burden of lost wages, medical care, and regular travel from Aztec, NM, to the hospital in Albuquerque is a heavy weight.

I’m reaching out to anyone and everyone for help: friends, colleagues, supporters, past funders, or even fans of Sherry from her time supporting the Best Friends Animal Society efforts in Tylertown, MS, after Hurricane Katrina (for an entire year); her participation in the Dogtown series on the National Geographic channel; her tireless work in Pahrump, NV, during the Great Kitty Rescue (700+ cats living in a compound in the desert); or her creation of the Canines with Careers program to place shelter dogs into supportive roles for veterans and individuals with PTSD as well as autistic children.

Here's how you can help:

• Financial Assistance: Any amount you can contribute will contribute to covering surgery costs, travel expenses, and living expenses while she cares for Donal. Hopefully the medical costs will end up being totally covered by Medicare, but she may have to cover some of those, too.

• Gas Cards: The distance between Aztec and Albuquerque is significant (6 hours roundtrip). Gift cards for gas will ease the burden of travel between Donal's treatment and their home.

• Hotel Discounts: If you have any hotel points or discounts for hotel rooms and can transfer those to Sherry (depends on the program), your contribution can help Sherry and Donal secure a comfortable place to stay during his treatment. Such accommodations will also make it easier to bring their dog Maisie with them, who provides endless emotional support for them both. If you live in or near Albuquerque and would consider opening your home to her crashing in a spare bedroom for a night, or even allowing her to park outside your home to camp safely in the back of her truck, she’d welcome that, too.

• Meals: A DoorDash gift card or similar service would allow Sherry to focus on Donal's care without worrying about meals. If you know Sherry, you know she doesn’t eat much, either; maybe this will motivate her to concentrate some on her own health, too.

No act of kindness is too small, and financial support is not the only thing you can do. Merely sharing this campaign on your social platforms will make a huge difference.

I realize it’s a lot to ask of people, but together we can help Sherry and her beloved son Donal face this challenge with less stress and more hope. Thank you in advance.

(*If you know Sherry personally but don’t have contact info for her, I’m happy to share it. Texts or emails go a long way toward showing her she’s not alone.)*