Patients staying at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital in Arizona can get love, kisses, and furry hugs from all kinds of fuzzballs as part of their Animal-Assisted Therapy Program. For one particular hooman, frequent in-person visits with the canine companions wasn’t enough–so people from around the globe rushed to help.
Anthony Lyons, a 16-year-old dog ruver currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, found that having dog pals visit him boosted his spirits. Since the dogs don’t visit every day, Anthony’s friends figured out a way to get him his daily puppy fix: a Facebook event inviting people to share pictures of their dogs with Anthony.
“I thought if I create this event, you can post a picture of your dog to help make him smile,” wrote a friend on the FB page titled “Photo Doggies for Anthony.” What no one anticipated, though, was how big this would get.
Thousands of pictures have already poured in from all around the world from well-wishers and their furry friends, reaching over half a million in just a few days. And they haven’t stopped coming. How does it work? FB users just post photos of their dogs to the event page. Easy, right?
The overwhelming show of support from total strangers proves the Internet can be a beautiful place. We hope Anthony gets better soon! <3 FOX 10 News | fox10phoenix.com
