Isaac the therapy dog turning 10 after hundreds of visits to kids at CHEO and Ronald McDonald House
Isaac the yellow lab is about to turn 10 years old and has dedicated most of his life to bringing joy to children at Ronald McDonald House (RMH) and CHEO, making an immeasurable difference when it's needed most.
For Brayden Sauvé, treatment days at the children's hospital are both physically and emotionally taxing. He lives in Hawkesbury, Ont., but for the last seven months, he and his family have called Ronald McDonald House home.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
"The house means quite a lot to us," says Brayden's father, Jay. "It's like a big family and Isaac is a big part for me and Brayden."
RMH is dedicated to providing a warm, safe, affordable and compassionate environment for families of seriously ill children. Isaac has been a beacon of hope for many, including Tayla Coleman, a teenager who also finds comfort with Isaac.
"Issac loves cuddles," she says. "I have a puppy but she's all the way home."
Julie Jolicoeur, Isaac's owner, brings him to these children to offer them moments of pure joy.
"I just have to bring him here and he does all the magic. He has the ability to just kind of meet people exactly where they are," says Jolicoeur. "I'm a retired paramedic, retired with PTSD, and was looking for a way to give back to my community."
Jolicoeur initially raised Isaac to be a guide dog, but his gentle nature proved better suited for therapy work.
Since then, and for the past seven years, Julie and Isaac have been working with Ottawa Therapy Dogs, coming to Ronald McDonald House and CHEO. The two have made nearly 700 visits, touching the lives of thousands along the way.
"You want to see your kids experience joy and magic and when you're on the CHEO campus that's not always the case," says Stephanie Poff, with RMH. "But for a moment in time, when you come here and Isaac is here, you can pause all that."
Jolicoeur says this journey with Isaac to provide others with a sense of healing has done the same for her.
"It's the most sacred of honours to be invited into somebody's journey back to health," she says. "Next to having my own two kids, this has been my life's best work, hands down."
In a fitting tribute to his years of service, Isaac will celebrate his 10th birthday, this Sunday, at CHEO's Teddy Bears' Picnic.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Hezbollah confirms its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike
Lebanon's Hezbollah group confirmed on Saturday that its leader and one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut the previous day
Hurricane tracker: follow Helene's path on this interactive map
Here is an interactive hurricane map using live tracking data from the NOAA National Hurricane Center (NHC), following Hurricane Helene's observed and forecasted paths.
'I love you but I hate you.' What to do when you can't stand your long-term partner
It's often said there is a thin line between love and hate, but is it OK to sometimes hate your long-term partner? If you ask actress Jamie Lee Curtis, it's practically necessary.
'Closure is something we all deserve': How an Alberta woman is using family heirlooms to help reconnect families
A northern Alberta woman is hoping her family's history can help reunite other families with loved ones laid to rest far from home.
'Imagine a world without their song': Toronto photographer wins international award for picture of 4,000 dead birds
Thousands of dead birds, from kingfishers to blue jays, encircle a wild turkey to illustrate in one snapshot a mere fragment of how many die from colliding into glass windows – a death that can be easily prevented, the Torontonian photographer says.
Police swarm home after man allegedly confronts snowmobile owner with crossbow
Several heavily armed officers descended on a home in the southeast area of Barrie Thursday afternoon after reports of a man armed with a crossbow.
'This was her life': Owner of Sask. restaurant destroyed in fire plans to restart
In the aftermath of a fire that destroyed Snow White Family Restaurant in Biggar Saskatchewan, a GoFundMe has been created to help the owner start over.
What is open and closed this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
This Monday, Sept. 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR), a federal statutory holiday and day of remembrance for the Indigenous children who never came home from Canadian residential schools, as well as those who survived them.
'I want to leave but I'm scared': Calgarian and her kids stuck in Lebanon as conflict rages on
Safaa went to Lebanon looking to meet with a specialist for her Crohn's disease. Now, she and her four children are caught in the conflict between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah.