Orion is my 13-year-old English Pointer, but more than anything, he is my best friend.

Our bond is something truly special. I adopted him at 10 years old from a shelter in Colorado, and it was love at first sight. After losing my heart dog, Dingo, I was honestly just trying to find my footing again. Then Orion came into my life, and it felt bigger than coincidence. It felt spirit-driven. God-inspired. Like he was placed in my path exactly when I needed him.

Since then, we’ve lived a lot of life together in a short amount of time. I nursed him through pneumonia right after bringing him home. We’ve explored the Colorado wilderness, chased adventure, and held onto each other through the quiet moments too. There was even a time he went missing while we were camping, and I climbed a 12,500-foot mountain to find him. That’s the kind of bond we have. Since that day, we’ve been inseparable.

If you know Orion, you know how special he is. He has met people from all walks of life, including hundreds of veterinary professionals at conferences with me, and he has a way of connecting with everyone. People remember him.

Just one month ago, I felt a lump in his neck. As someone who has spent over 20 years in veterinary emergency and critical care, I knew what that could mean. After diagnostics and pathology review, Orion was diagnosed with aggressive large cell lymphoma just two days ago.

Everything changed in an instant.

We already have an appointment scheduled with a specialist, and I am ready to fight for him. I know what treatment can offer. I know it can give us more time and more good days. More moments that matter. And I am not ready to walk away from that without trying.

But the reality is, the cost of care is significant. The diagnostics, treatment planning, and weekly chemotherapy will be thousands of dollars, and I am in a season of my life where I am rebuilding. I am single, starting over financially, and I simply do not have the resources to carry this on my own.

I have spent my entire career helping others fight for their pets in moments just like this. I’ve stood beside families in their hardest days, guiding them through fear, uncertainty, and love. I never imagined how different it would feel to be on this side of it.

Asking for help does not come easily to me. It’s uncomfortable. It’s vulnerable. I’ve always been the one showing up for others. But Orion is worth it.

He has given me unconditional love, loyalty, and companionship without ever asking for anything in return. He has been my constant through loss, change, and rebuilding. Now he needs me, and I am asking for help so I can show up for him the way he has always shown up for me.

If you are able to donate, share, or simply keep us in your thoughts, it truly means more than I can express. I know so many people are facing their own battles, whether with their pets, their families, or their own health. I don’t take that lightly.

But I also know we are not meant to do this thing called life alone.

I don’t have children, and I never married. In a strange way, this feels like the moment in life where you lean on your community, like a milestone you never expected to ask for help in. Maybe it’s the wedding gift I never had. That’s the only way I can even begin to make sense of asking like this.

Thank you for reading Orion’s story. Thank you for loving him alongside me. And thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for anything you can do to help us fight for more time together.