Help Akira's Story Have Purpose

Akira Update....Crossed Rainbow Bridge
Today would have been Akira's 14th birthday. On March 3, 2017 we assisted Akira to cross the rainbow bridge. It was her choice as has been the case the entire journey through her cancer, surgery, and after the amputation.

I am sorry it has taken this long to share this with you. So many of you have reached out wondering how Akira and I were doing and I needed time to myself to grieve and also establish a new kind of relationship with Akira.

Some of you even continued to send donations for Akira's medical expenses, which is so appreciative......Read more on her blog

Watch video to hear about her final months, last requests, life's purpose, and our new relationship in life.

Those of you who are dog lovers and owners know, sometimes soulmates come together in the unexpected form of human and dog.  They are family and our love goes deeper than even some human relationships.  And the heart break of losing a pet is beyond words.  


My name is Debby and my beloved pet, soulmate, and best friend Akira was bitten by a poisonous brown recluse spider in May 2016, the poison caused extreme toxicity and a tumor with an aggressive cancer eating a way at her leg bones in some places paper-thin.  

Despite our best efforts we were unable to overcome the spider's poison which without removing her leg would have eventually spread the cancer through out her body.


We were successful, however, with isolating the toxins in her leg.  

I am told everything that was done those 4 months kept her alive (laser therapy, chinese herbs, antibiotics, pain medicine, water therapy, and more) and is why the toxins were isolated in her leg after initially traveling through her body.  Her body was just too tired and unable to erradicate the poison and stop cancerous tumors from growing in the leg which would have continued to travel up her leg if we did not remove it.

After 4 months of extensive alternative and traditional care I made the heart-wrenching decision to have her entire leg and scapula amputated on September 6, 2016. 

She had a very difficult time with the recovery process having phantom leg, struggle through pain management, getting addicted to pain medication, going through withdrawals, extreme anxiety and grief from losing her leg, and painful muscle spasms and cramps from the muscular imbalance on her body and spine due to becoming a tripawd.  Additionally, losing 25% of her body weight from lack of appetite due to the drugs she was taken.

There were definitely times where I questioned if we could continue, if she would heal, and if we would ever experience joy again.  4 months of sleep averaging if we were lucky to have 3-4 hours a sleep as she climbed the walls literally trying to "get out of her body", but somehow through very close interaction with a wide variety of care providers one by one we addressed each health challenge (physical and emotional).  

And while to date she still needs to gain some much needed weight we are down to one last pharmaceutical drug (a muscle relaxant) soon to be completely drug-free.  Being someone who is deeply passionate about holistic treatments, having to embrace the pharmaceuticals to save her life was often challenging but necessary.  I am grateful for the integrative approach and support team whom came together to help Akira heal.

While seeing her walking on 3 legs  was truly hard at first, removing her leg entirely freed Akira from the cancer so she could be the happy and healthy dog she now is as I update this on January 2017. 


We have been so grateful to the many friends, family, and even people we didn't who didn't know us offering support and donations!

From March - September 2016 (since the bite all the way through treatments, labs, testing, cancer, amputation, and rehabilitation) her medical expenses have exceeded $15K (not an up to date ttally as it doesn't include ongoing rehabilitation to date).  My estimation is likely her expenses now are in the $17K range.

I know this amount seems unbelievable, it does to me, too, however, here is the actual expenses incurred to date:

Akira's medical expenses as of September 15, 2016

Treatment & Pre-Surgery: - $6,119.64

Biopsy - $1,616.21
Xrays - $1,106.10
Vet/Laser Therapy/Chinese Medicine - $2,556.50
Pharmaceuticals - $489.43
Water Therapy - $441.50

Surgery & Post Op Care: - $5,301.28

Surgery - $3,392.13
Post Op Care - $1,709.15
Pharmaceuticals - $200

Rehabilitation - estimated - $3,920
Vet/Follow Up, Xrays, Labs, Pharmaceuticals - $1,500
Vet/Laser Therapy - $1,320
Water Therapy - $900
Chinese Medicine - $200 

****TOTAL Expenses: $15,340.92****

I will forever be grateful to everyone who has already contributed to supporting Akira and also following her journey for the past 11 months!  Your kindness, compassion, and prayers has truly made a difference and means the world to me. 

If you would like to contribute to Akira loving her new life on 3 legs and helping with the remaining medical expenses that truly saved her life or the ongoing tripawd care expenses, we would be very grateful for any and all donations.

Akira's New Life On Three Legs

Her "new lease" on life has opened up an expanded world for Akira.  For anyone who knows the Shiba Inu temperament, they are typically aloof with dogs and not all that interest in other people - unless of course you are their owner for which they are forever loyal and connected.

Since Akira's amputation where she literally had to put her life in many peoples' hands she's had this amazing shift in life perspective!  She is extremely eager to be out in the world engaging with people, animals, and LIFE!  It's really stunning and inspiring - and truth be said after going through what we did together I, too, feel very much the same way now.

To keep her comfortable and continuing the healing process, her new life includes:

* Weekly water rehab and therapy to help with maintaining muscular balance

* Twice monthly laser therapy and acupuncture to continue to strengthen her system after all the drugs, surgery, and amputation site healing

* Weekly dog daycare to keep her mind and body healthy (helps keep her muscles loose, retrain her mind from anxiety to joy of "being a dog", and healthy engagement with life)

Any contribution large or small will help, and no amount is too small.  Every Contribution Makes A Difference.

It is so easy to think that even a $20 donation could really make a difference, especially when the total expenses is over $15,000.  

These donations can and do ADD up:

$20  x 50 donations = $1,000

$50 x 50 donations = $2,500

$100 x 50 donations  = $5,000

$250 x 50 donations = $12,500

$300 x 50 donations = $15,000

If you are an animal lover and maybe even have your own soul mate at home and know how precious they are in our lives, I would be forever grateful for any size donation that you can give.


A Note From Debby's Heart
 Akira is beyond a pet, she's my soul mate, my life love and I am eternally grateful for all prayers, healing energies, and donations. 


If you'd like to learn more about our deeper soul's purpose between Akira And Me you can visit our website  to read about our 13 years together towards healing and empowerment.  

If you are a pet owner reading this, please be sure to hug and love your beloved pet just little bit extra tonight.

It was so  painful to watch her suffer and I see now just how important it is to embrace every single moment of joy and love we can with them.  My new mantra for life is truly "seize the moment."  It can sometimes take something tragic to open one's eyes and appreciate each and every moment.  

Every single smile of my girl Akira brings immense joy, more than any material thing ever could.