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As we enter the final four days of our Big Roundup fundraiser, I want to share the story behind one of the most meaningful programs Pet Prescription Team has ever created, the Faith Dog Project.
The project began in 2008 with one very special little girl, Brielle Murray, and her therapy dog, Faith. Brielle and Faith were members of Pet Prescription Team and truly represented everything behind our mission, “Healing Hearts Through Pets.” That same year, Brielle was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive childhood cancer. Over the next three years, she endured surgeries, radiation, chemotherapy, and a stem cell transplant. Yet in the middle of everything she was facing, Brielle was thinking about other children going through cancer treatment.
Brielle understood firsthand what it was like to be sick, to spend time in hospitals, and to experience the comfort a therapy dog could bring. She also understood that the visit would eventually end and the therapy dog would have to go home. Her wish was simple and beautiful: she wanted children with cancer who Pet Prescription Team visited to receive their own stuffed dog, something they could hold onto after our volunteers left. That dream became the Faith Dog Project.
Our little “Faith Dogs,” each wearing its own Pet Prescription Team shirt, began by being given to pediatric oncology patients at Kaiser Hospital in Los Angeles. Brielle passed away on February 18, 2011, but she lived long enough to see her dream become a reality. All these years later, that dream continues.
With every Faith Dog, we share Brielle’s story and her words, “With Faith, All Things Are Possible.” These dogs may look like simple stuffed animals, but to a frightened child they can become something much more. They can be hugged during a painful treatment, held during a difficult night, or used to catch a tear when the therapy team can no longer be there. They become a reminder that someone cares, someone is praying, and that the child has not been forgotten.
This week, the Faith Dog Project is our final fundraising focus. These dogs are specially made for the Pet Prescription Team, including their personalized shirts, and the cost of providing them has increased significantly. We want to make sure that when the next child needs one, we have one ready to place in their arms.
Before this fundraiser closes Thursday, would you help us make sure Brielle’s dream continues?
Somewhere, there is a child we have not met yet who will one day need the comfort of a Faith Dog in their arms. Your gift can help make sure that when that moment comes, we are ready.
Help us keep Brielle’s legacy alive, one Faith Dog, one child, one moment of comfort at a time.
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