Balu

It’s a challenging journey filled with incomprehensible medical terminology, chemotherapy treatments, surgeries. It’s easy for the professionals to lose sight of the fact that within the myriad of test results, at its center, there lies a very frightened, bewildered human being. Someone who has been suddenly catapulted into a macabre nightmare of horrific proportions, rendering both patient and family members paralyzed by fear and unable to function. They need the embrace of a gentle presence enabling a powerful healing of the spirit to take place. Enter Balu.

Who is Balu?

Balu joined the Ezer Mizion Pet Therapy Center as a tiny Bernese Mountain Dog puppy, who has spent the past year training as a therapy dog.

Diagnosed with a brain tumor at just five years old, Sagiv was given a devastating prognosis. He was not expected to reach his sixth birthday. Now ten years old, he continues to receive treatment and continues to visit Ezer Mizion.

At Ezer Mizion’s Oranit Cancer Patient Guest Home, Ezer Mizion surrounds patients and their families with a wide range of emotional support and therapeutic experiences designed to ease their journey. Among the most beloved of these is animal-facilitated therapy, a uniquely powerful source of comfort, connection, and healing.

For Sagiv, the wildlife pavilion is one of the most cherished places at Ezer Mizion. It is here that his bond with Balu has blossomed. The two are inseparable – best friends who share quiet moments of comfort and playfulness that transcend words.

Balu is more than a therapy dog. He is a source of warmth, a companion in difficult moments,. Sometimes healing comes with four paws and a gentle heart.