In a time when negative news bombards us, it's always heartwarming to see a person lending a helping hand, especially when there's a pooch involved.
That was the case when journalist Lucy Noland stepped in so that Aiden, 6, could share more happy days with his dog Alfie. The 9-year-old Shetland sheepdog had hernia and wouldn't survive much longer without an expensive surgery.
Noland, an anchor with Philadelphia's Fox 29, went out to report on this story on her own after Aiden's mom reached out to her. It all came together with the help of a great team who also cared to give Aiden more time with his best friend. Don't Bully Us Rescue helped the family raise funds for the pricey surgery. Sam's Hope also donated $500 for the cost. (You can also help with the costs by donating to the family's YouCaring fund-raising page.)
It was Dr. Magazu of the Saint Francis Veterinary Center of South Jersey who performed the expensive surgery for a much cheaper price. That's not so surprising since the hospital's Angels for Animals Foundation helps "pets in dire need" when owners can't afford to.
As Noland explains in her story, the pooch means the world to Aiden and has been there for the boy through it all, including his recent medical issues. In turn, his mother Kelley Karle said she couldn't even imagine what would happen if the dog didn't make it.
Thankfully the dog made it through the "challenging" surgery and had enough energy to give Aiden tons of kisses right after.
“I have no words to honestly thank you enough,” Kelley told Mark Peters, the founder of Don't Bully Us Rescue. (The single mom was laid off from work because of all the days off she needed to take care of her son's medical needs.)
Peters responded, "When we saw the bond between Aiden and Alfie, I just knew we had to do something."
Watch below and please SHARE if you're blown away by this story of people coming together to help a boy and his dog!
"Please God fix Alfie, so he can play longer." Six year old Aiden had been saying that prayer night after night for his life-long best friend who needed emergency surgery to survive.Aiden got an answer to his prayers. And that answer was affirmative.“Want to give him kisses?” Aiden gave Alfie, his beloved dog, big kisses right there in the lobby of Saint Francis Veterinary Center in Woolwich Township, New Jersey. Alfie couldn’t stop wiggling with joy. It was their first time seeing each other since Alfie’s very complex surgery for a severe perineal hernia. The nine year old Sheltie made it through, but his recovery was anything but certain. “As long as the tissues can hold, I think we’re going to be fine,” Dr. Mark Magazu told Aiden’s very nervous mom Kelley Karle.Alfie is Aiden’s best bud. He’s Aiden’s rock– Aiden’s comfort as he struggles with newly diagnosed medical issues including profound hearing loss. All the doctor appointments ended up costing Kelley her job. But because of so many of you here on this page, because of Don't Bully Us Rescue which stepped up for a boy and his dog, because of the generosity of Dr. Magazu and Saint Francis Veterinary Center of South Jersey, Alfie and Aiden will have many, many years together. When I told Don’t Bully Us founder, Mark Peters all that Alfie’s family had been enduring, he didn’t hesitate to help. “When we saw the bond between Aiden and Alfie, I just knew we had to do something,” Mark told Kelley at the hospital. Tears welled up in her eyes, “I have no words to honestly thank you enough.”And I want to thank all of you who have reached out with words of encouragement and donations through Alfie’s YouCaring page after my original post last month. We didn’t have time to round up enough money to cover the deeply discounted surgery, but Dr. Magazu said Alfie couldn’t wait any longer so he and his staff performed the emergency surgery anyhow. If you can make even a small donation to help pay Alfie’s medical bills, here’s his YouCaring page (all tax deductible): https://www.youcaring.com/aiden-s-dog-518526Sam's Hope (click the name for the link) also donated $500 toward Alfie’s bills. The Pennsylvania non-profit is dedicated to saving pets by keeping them out of shelters and with their families who have hit a rough patch. AMAZING!And Saint Francis Veterinary Center is also all about keeping families together. Its Angels for Animals Foundation provides assistance to the families of pets in dire need when those families simply cannot afford the bill. Here’s a link to help the cause: http://www.saintfrancis.org/community/angels-for-animals-foundation/The night Alfie went home from the hospital, I received this message from Kelley that brought me to tears, “Lucy, I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you have done ❤️️ Aiden fell asleep on the floor tonight with his arm around Alfie.”Perfect.Thank you to FOX 29 editor extraordinaire Michele Greene for helping me with this story ❤️️
Posted by Lucy Noland FOX 29 on Wednesday, March 2, 2016
