Many of you know my older brother, Andrew...he is a lot of things...talented photographer, brilliant drummer and unflinching fan of public radio. But the Andrew I know is also a HUGE dog lover (especially Goldens) and immeasurably proud.

This GoFundMe slots right into those last two...his beloved Golden, Early, is sick...I'll let him tell his story below. But he is also too proud to ask for help. Which is why I am doing this for him.

So here's his story...at the end, PLEASE help him out with whatever amount you can...the coins in your pocket or the coupla bucks you'd spend on Starbucks...or even more, if you are so inclined...this is a big mountain we are climbing...

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It took me over a year to find Early, but like all of my other goldens, I knew he was mine the moment I met him. In August of 2022, during the busiest season of my career, we chose each other. He had been the beloved dog of an elderly couple, one of whom had just passed away, and his world was tossed on its side. He was cared for by the adoption agency, and was in good health.

Aside from a few small moments in the weeks that led up to Thursday, March 16 (that in retrospect were red flags), nothing could prepare me for what we experienced in the pre-dawn hours of that day. Early awoke completely blind. Zero vision; zero eye tracking; confusion, anxiety, and pain.

An ophthalmologist appointment revealed glaucoma. How aggressive and severe would be revealed at the follow-up appointment this past Monday, April 10. After bombarding his eyes with advanced medications for weeks following that initial visit, his eye pressures doubled. This is the exact opposite of what was hoped. The pressure readings of both eyes were alarmingly high.

Dogs and humans have almost identical eye pressure readings. A healthy reading is 12-20mmHg. Hospitalization for human pain occurs with readings over 35mmHg. Early’s pressure readings taken at the appointment were 55mmHg for his left eye and 70mmHg for his right eye. The doctor suggested that Early is in excoriating pain. And the primary suggestion for treatment is the removal of both his eyes.

And that’s where we are today. But Early’s story and my own story are locked together, as I suffer through a mercurial season of my profession. The 2022 wedding season was a record breaker: the busiest I’d ever been. The expected momentum arc to the 2023 season never happened, and I am suffering through the biggest drought of my career (with the exception of the pandemic years). All of this is to say that I am living hand to mouth, barely paying my bills and rent. I haven’t had health insurance in a decade, and any hint of an emergency fund disappeared years ago. So an emergency like this, while clearly my responsibility for rescuing a dog, is unaffordable.

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GoFundMe recommends I explain how the funds will be used:

The money we raise will pay for what is called an enucleation, a medical procedure that is the surgical removal of the entire eyeball leaving behind the lining of the eyelids and muscles of the eye. At this point, it is the only way to relieve the pain and pressure caused by what he suffers from, end stage glaucoma. While it will render him completely blind, it will also leave him completely alive, and that is the goal. A surgery that will save his life. We have received estimates that range from $5,000 to $7,500 and want to make sure that as much of this is covered as possible.

Early is a beautiful dog...Andrew is a doting and dedicated dogfather...it seems a tragedy that this is happening.

I hope you can help.

Thank you,

Lee