For a Phoenix, Arizona, teen in the hospital battling cancer, therapy dog visits ease the pain and anxiety of his stay. But the dogs don’t visit every day. At least, not in the way you’d expect.
Anthony is undergoing chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia at Phoenix Children's Hospital. He’ll be enduring the treatments for the next several months.
A family friend, Roberta Lucero-Koron, noticed how much Anthony enjoyed the therapy dog visits, but realized that the dogs weren’t in the hospital every day. So she came up with a way to bring more dogs into Anthony’s life, any time he wanted to see them. She posted to Facebook asking strangers for pictures of dogs, hoping to make Anthony smile.
People started posting photos of their dogs playing, smiling, cuddling, romping in the snow and wearing funny hats. Hundreds of people. Thousands of people.
In fact, the page has gone viral, with more than 900,000 people responding, and more than a half million dog (and a few cat, and at least one squirrel) photos posted. The photos are working to brighten Anthony’s days during this difficult time.
“God Bless you and God Bless the world wide web,” Roberta wrote on the Facebook event page. “Anthony is smiling joyfully because of you.” She added, “One thing I have to say is, make yourself smile too, by looking at these beautiful animals that God gave us.”
If you’d like to help, you can share your dog’s photo at Photo Doggies for Anthony. Your dog’s furry face and loving heart will help a teen smile and brighten his day.
Isn’t that what dogs do best?
