Help Save Ewok's Heart #loveforewok

Ewok is my 9-year-old Chihuahua / Shih Tzu / Pekingese mix who was recently diagnosed with a terminal heart condition called Mitral Valve Disease. She was put on medication in early 2022 to slow down its progression, but still went into congestive heart failure on 11/20/22 & was hospitalized. Due to the unpredictable nature of this illness, it is hard to say how quickly it can progress & lead to end-of-life complications. She was given a prognosis of 1 to 2 yrs by her cardiologist.

I was beyond heartbroken & devastated to find out about her diagnosis & the inevitable degenerative progression of this disease, with no certain timeline as to when she could go back into heart failure again or die.

While MVD is a serious & fatal condition, I was so grateful to learn that there is a life-saving heart repair surgery available. However, there is currently NO such treatment available in the U.S. The top cardiology specialist offering this surgery is in Japan. Dr. Masami Uechi of the JASMINE Animal Referral Hospital pioneered this innovative mitral valve repair surgery & has performed it on thousands of dogs over the past 16 years, achieving a massive success rate of 97%. Ewok's cardiologist has already recommended this as the best option for her & cited other patient success stories.

Her heart would reduce back to normal size & she could come off all medications. Any difficulty breathing or coughing would stop & she would be able to resume a normal, happy life.

Ewok was my first pup ever. I met her as a rescue from PAWS shelter on 3/20/14 (pictured above) & fostered her for 3 weeks. I fell in love & decided to adopt her as my own. She quickly became my fur baby, constant companion & emotional support animal, & helped me through some difficult times.

As a social worker & psychotherapist specializing in trauma & EMDR for over 16 years, my mission is to heal those suffering from trauma, grief & loss. Since coming into my life, Ewok has joined my journey as a healer & assisted me in helping hundreds of clients thru some of their darkest times. Before COVID, she was also my therapy dog & used to accompany me to sessions, where she'd offer unconditional love, warmth, comfort & humor. Since shifting to virtual sessions, Ewok is no longer able to comfort clients in person, but is still by my side every day, even known to make surprise online appearances. She continues to provide me with the much-needed love & support that allows me to continue my daily work.

I have been working hard to secure a surgery date over the past 6 months. By sheer coincidence, her surgery date was finally scheduled for 3/20/23, which will also be her 10th birthday & the anniversary of when I first met her. I hope that this is a positive sign from the universe.

The cost of surgery alone is $18K & along with travel & lodging costs for 3+ weeks, this comes to an estimated total of $23-25K. Unfortunately, Ewok's insurance will not cover this & it is a difficult amount for one person to raise alone, especially in such a short timeframe.

I am asking for your support to help save Ewok's heart. I have already spent thousands on her hospitalization, medical visits, additional testing & medications. I've been working hard to earn extra income & save up money to cover the costs of this trip, but could truly use your help.

Ewok has helped me heal many broken hearts & now she needs help mending her own.

100% of donations will go towards the surgery & any related medical or travel expenses. I am fully transparent about all costs & happy to share more info about the illness, surgery, JASMINE clinic & any other details with whoever inquires.

Every donation & share of our story helps to spread the word #loveforewok.

With much love & gratitude,

Olivia & Ewok