In the spring of 2019, Nolan met a high-energy girl named Lyssa as we campaigned for Paws4Noli. Little did we know this high-energy working gal would do as much as she did over the next four years of high school. From being by his side during hospital and surgical visits to looking on at swim meets, she supported him to find stability.

Yesterday, we experienced an emergency that traumatized all of us. Because of her training, Lyssa works almost nonstop. When she stopped eating, we separated her from her boy so she would take a break. When she stopped drinking water, we knew we had an ER vet emergency on our hands.

The first vet discovered abdominal bleeding and got her stabilized for transfer from Grayslake to Bannockburn, where she would undergo emergency surgery. Upon arrival, we were faced with questions and thoughts we didn’t want to face, including what do we do if her heart stops during surgery, what do we do if it is cancer, and what will her quality of life be.

As of 11:30 pm, Lyssa had emergency surgery where the spleen was found to be the source of the bleeding. As of this morning, she has perked up, and we are hoping she will come home tomorrow to continue to recover.

We don’t know if the future will include chemo or how long that future will be. We are working right now to ensure the most comfortable retirement for the goodest girl and to help offset the estimated $14,000 for the surgery. As of last night, we have already paid over $12,000 between the two vets.

Please, any amount will be helpful in helping Lyssa the Service Dog have her official retirement and potential dog hospice/palliative care.