Earlier this winter, Retired Master Sergeant John Moore found a lump on Lilly, his golden retriever.

At the time, Lilly was 13 months old.

She's also his service dog.

"She means the world to me," John said. "She's like a part of me.

"She's by my ... side the whole time."

The lump was disconcerting. John took Lilly to the vet that morning. Then, the world flipped upside down.

Lilly - John's world, John's partner - was diagnosed with lymphoma. Without treatment, she was given one month, maybe two.

"They started chemo that afternoon," John said.

Save Lilly, he begged the vet. That's all I want.

The vets called a University of Florida team for advanced treatment.

With days to live, Lilly was met with an immediate response by the university team: can you be here at 8 am?

"I'll be there at 5 am," John said.

In 1967, John was deployed to Vietnam where he spent 11 months as a service machine gunman with the decorated 2nd Battalion's Foxtrot Company before being shot and airlifted out.

Over time, some wounds healed. Others remained. Post-Vietnam, John's life became post-traumatic. He built a career through service - the Army and the US Post Office - yet still carried chasms of pain within.

Particularly one kind.

"Nightmares," he said.

John - a golden retriever kinda-guy - got Lilly last year, where she received training from the Georgia-based Healing 4 Heroes.

Lilly is trained to respond to John's stress + traumatic symptoms, especially his nightmares.

"She wakes me up before they begin," he said.

So, as vets raced to save his four-legged partner, John made a Marine's promise to Lilly: I'll do whatever it takes.

One vet in Florida made a suggestion: call Dr. Alexandra Gareau.

"They said she's one of the best in the world," John said.

Dr. Gareau is the medical director of a veterinary hospital that uses stem cell transplants to treat and cure lymphoma in dogs.

Only two hospitals in the world offer such treatments.

One's in Seattle.

The other?

Right here in Chattanooga.

The Canine Transplant & Apheresis Center (CTAC) is located inside the Pullen Cancer Care Center on Broad Street - adjacent to VCSG Hospital - and is led by a team of globally-recognized oncology veterinarians and specialists offering stem cell treatment for dogs with blood cancers and bone marrow treatment for non-cancerous diseases.

"We treat lymphomas and leukemias in dogs," said CTAC's nursing manager Stephanie Fowler.

Stem cell transplants offer an 85% chance of survival, CTAC experts say.

Dr. Gareau? She's the medical director at CTAC.

John her called immediately. Yes, CTAC said: we can treat Lilly.

But first?

"We need to find her genetic match," doctors said.

John called the breeder, who then called the family of Lilly's sister.

Lucy.

Lucy - Lilly's sister - belongs to a family near Destin. An Army family. A mom, kids, a dad.

"He's a career Army soldier," John said.

The family was driving when he called; over speaker phone, John explained the situation.

In order to donate stem cells, Lucy would need to travel to Chattanooga. It would take days. It's a pretty serious procedure. Think it over.

The response was immediate.

We don't need to think it over, the career Army soldier said to the retired Marine.

We're all in.

Earlier this month, Lilly's sister Lucy arrived at CTAC for a procedure that would remove her healthy stem cells, which would then be transplanted in Lilly.

“We take the healthy stem cells from Lucy and give them to Lilly," said Stephanie.

Once Lilly arrived, CTAC used radiation to deplete her cells in order to make way for Lucy's new, healthy ones.

"It is like we gave her a blueprint of healthy cells so she can make them herself. This process is what causes a cure, for Lilly to have a blueprint on how to make healthy cells," said Stephanie.

Currently, Lilly's recovering at CTAC. (Lucy, too, is doing great.)

"She's doing well," John said of Lilly, adding: she's got a 90% chance of a cure.

"Not remission," he said, "but a cure."

There's a cost.

Initially, John paid $45,000 as a down payment; he estimates the entire process will cost upwards of "$95,000."

"I dug the first $45,000 out of saving," he said.

He'd planned on paying for his grandson's tuition for vet school. Instead, the money's going to save Lilly's life.

John created a GoFundMe for financial help.

"I'll do anything for her," he said.

Folks ask, somewhat critically: how can you spend so much money on a dog? Even family members are skeptical.

One asked directly: is she worth it?

At the time, the relative was standing next to a new F150 he'd bought.

"Is that truck more valuable than Lilly?" John asked in return.

John and Lilly's story aren't your typical Food as a Verb story. No food, no chefs, no agriculture.

While we're proud to announce CTAC as our newest partner, we're also honored to share an example of their standard-bearing, life-saving care.

Plus, look closer.

Behind all our work?

Love. A selfless love that acts with bravery and sensitivity and, at times, boundless strength.

Like John.

Like Lilly.

No, this is not your typical Food as a Verb story.

Lilly's not your typical dog, either.

"She's not a dog," John said.

"She's my partner."

How to Help John and Lilly

Story ideas, questions, feedback? Interested in partnering with us? Email: david@foodasaverb.com

This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.

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