This website is in honor of my lab mix Cooper and our journey with non-regenerative Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA). I adopted Cooper when he was around a year old from a Seattle area dog rescue in 2012 less than two months out of college. There was nothing I wanted more than to have my own dog. The rescue had pulled him from the Yakima Humane Society where he sat for weeks being overlooked. My eyes welled with tears when I saw him for the first time and I think I knew immediately that he was meant to be mine to love.
My life was flipped upside-down on March 27, 2018 when Cooper was hospitalized for anemia. It didn’t take long for us to receive his devastating diagnosis of non-regenerative IMHA. There is no way to know for sure what caused Cooper to get IMHA. It is also possible that nothing really caused it and that one day his immune system just went haywire all on its own. We will never really know, but this is where our journey with IMHA began.
When your pet is first diagnosed with IMHA it can all be a bit overwhelming. Chances are you have never heard of it before and it is a lot to try and wrap your head around. New words, new medications, side effects, things you are supposed to look out for, countless veterinary appointments, so many unknowns, and mounting bills. The disease can turn on a dime and sometimes it feels like sleepless nights and worry are the only constant.
I think it is very important for me to emphasize the fact that I am not a medical or veterinary professional. I am just a pet parent, sharing my experience, and some of the knowledge I have gained. There are things I have learned along the way that I wish I had known earlier in the process. That being said, there is still a lot I do not know and I am constantly learning. Please read through the pages of my website to learn more about everything we went through.
To the pet parents fighting this horrific disease – you are not alone on this journey or in the struggles you are facing. For those who may be on this page out of curiosity or for other reasons – I hope you never experience any of this. My life is forever changed by this disease.
♥ Hanna
myimhawarrior.com 