Holly seems to know exactly what cancer patients need. It’s little wonder. The pet therapy dog at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. also has cancer.
The Golden Retriever’s hard-luck story has created an even more special bond with human patients, according to a recent report by WTSP, a CBS affiliate in Tampa Bay. Holly was scooped up as a stray and placed in an animal shelter before being adopted by a big-hearted woman named Kelly Pavone in June, 2009. Soon Pavone noticed that Holly wasn’t acting like herself. A veterinarian found tumours in the dog’s lungs and breast.
Amazingly, the dog was enrolled in a clinical trial and her health has improved. Even better: the same immunotherapy Holly underwent will soon be conducted on human patients in a clinical trial.
Grab a tissue and check out WTSP’s video of Holly in action and see more of Moffitt’s pet therapy dogs on its Facebook page.
h/t WTSP Photo Possibility Dogs, Inc. Facebook page