Rescue Me!

Jeff Levy, LCSW
(originally posted on Branching Out: The Live Oak Blog, September 2014)

I received a phone call earlier this week from Ray, a long time client.  He rarely calls between sessions so when I listened to his voicemail asking me to call him back, I knew there was something important happening in his life.  When we eventually spoke, it was through tears he told me his dog had been very ill and, for the first time the prior evening, she had been unable to walk.
 
I’ve written about Ray before, a long time survivor of HIV and someone whose health has steadily declined during the 20 plus years he has been HIV positive.  Now, he is mostly home-bound and his primary companion is his 7 year old terrier mix named Rosie.  He describes her as quiet and loving, following Ray from room to room, sleeping on his bed each night.

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