I never thought I’d be here asking for help like this, but here I am.

Luke is my nine-year-old soulmate in a dog. He’s been with me since the day he seemingly fell out of the sky and landed on my back porch as a puppy. He found me at a time I really needed someone, and he has been my shadow, my sidekick, and my constant companion ever since. If you know me, you know Luke—we’ve made more friends together than I ever have alone.

I’ve joked for years that he’s my “great value brand silver lab” because everyone thinks he looks like one, even though he was a stray who showed up for free. But at this point, with bills we have had the last four months, he’s officially the Neiman Marcus, limited-edition, one-of-a-kind brand dog—because he’s priceless, irreplaceable, and worth every ounce of a chance I can give him.

Luke has always been healthy, active, and full of life. Even at nine, the only signs of ageing were the graying hair and his preference for air-conditioning. Then one day in August, everything changed. He was perfectly fine, then suddenly dropped and had what looked like a quick seizure—so fast I wasn’t even sure that’s what I’d seen. I took him to the vet a few hours later anyway, and his blood work came back normal except for slightly elevated inflammation markers, which we assumed was arthritis. We went home, and he was fine.

Then that night, he had three more seizures, and by the next night, we were rushing to Florida after being referred to Blue Pearl Animal Emergency Hospital in Jacksonville. After many tests, we left with a diagnosis of Evan’s Syndrome, or Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia and Immune Thrombocytopenia (IMHA +ITP). It's an autoimmune disease where his body destroys its own red blood cells and platelets. Normally it’s triggered by something like a rabies vaccine or an infection, but he tested negative for every known cause. No cancer, no infections, and no other abnormalities on any scan or lab. Every vet we’ve seen has been stumped by his case, because his case is idiopathic, seemingly for no reason.

He went into remission after a transfusion, and for almost two months he was thriving. This is a treatable condition, but due to my own mistake of forgetting his medication while I was in the hospital myself, he has relapsed. It’s been two weeks now since we had another transfusion, but his blood levels are crashing again, and he needs another. With another transfusion, we have every reason to believe he will go on to live a longer life. The hardest part is that if you look at him today, you’d never guess how sick he is. He’s still wagging his tail, following me around the house, doing tricks for treats, and acting like himself. But inside, he is very sick.

This will be his third transfusion, and that makes donor matching much more complicated. I’ve been quoted anywhere from $1,200 to over $3,000, depending on how many crossmatches and units he needs and how quickly a match can be found.

I’ve used every resource available to me, and this is my last resort. Without help, Luke will not survive, and I will never forgive myself for letting this happen.

I’m still planning to sell or pawn whatever I can—because I can’t sit here and watch him decline without doing everything possible. Truly, any amount helps. Even $15 helps. Sharing this page helps. ANYTHING at all helps.

I’m not asking for anything unnecessary. I’m asking for the chance to save the one soul who has shown up for me every single day for nine years. He’s still fighting, and vets have all said he can come back from this. He’s not ready to give up, and neither am I.

Funds will go toward:

• Blood Transfusions

• Donor crossmatching

• Emergency hospitalizations (two so far, overnight)

• Medications

•Continued treatments and veterinary care

Thank you for reading, donating, sharing, or simply reading this if you took the time to do so. I’m just trying to give Luke the fight he deserves and keep my best friend with me a little longer.

—Taylor & Luke