Mostly clear. Low 67F. Winds light and variable..
Mostly clear. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
Razz and Joe James the day of their meetup at Whit's.
Razz and Joe James the day of their meetup at Whit's.
MANSFIELD – While fighting for his life during a 210-day hospitalization due to COVID-19, Joe James drew inspiration from an unlikely place – a dog he found while scrolling on Facebook.
A tale of two unlikely soulmates, James was able to finally meet his “spirit animal,” Razz, on July 16 after following his success story for months.
Joe James at his long-awaited meetup with Razz.
Joe James pulled inspiration from Razz amidst a brutal hospitalization.
Razz and his mom on the day he was adopted.
Razz's mom and her 6-year-old daughter with their newest family member.
Razz continues with acupuncture therapy to improve his condition.
Razz at Mohican Veterinary Wellness -- where he receives laser and acupuncture treatment.
Razz and Joe James the day of their meetup at Whit's.
Joe James at his long-awaited meetup with Razz.
Joe James pulled inspiration from Razz amidst a brutal hospitalization.
Razz and his mom on the day he was adopted.
Razz's mom and her 6-year-old daughter with their newest family member.
Razz continues with acupuncture therapy to improve his condition.
Razz at Mohican Veterinary Wellness -- where he receives laser and acupuncture treatment.
Razz and Joe James the day of their meetup at Whit's.
James felt an instant connection with the Facebook sensation since the two had similar medical challenges and timelines to recovery.
James was months deep into treatment when the 1-year-old Mastiff mix was dropped outside of the Richland County Dog Warden’s Office on May 3. A medical mystery, Razz was unable to walk and also deemed to be completely deaf.
“When I was in the ICU at Avita, pretty much all I could do was scroll on Facebook and just kind of play on my phone,” James said.
“I follow the Richland County Dog Warden page, and I saw where this dog got dropped off and he couldn't stand, and I was like, yeah, same buddy, I can't stand either.”
While James immobility is due to weakened muscles and nerve damage from laying in a hospital bed for so long, Razz’s condition has never been diagnosed.
Razz began getting laser and acupuncture treatments at Mohican Veterinary Wellness around the same time that James began physical therapy.
Just as Razz’s condition is a mystery, so is his recovery. Razz is now standing, walking and is learning to sit.
Along with grabbing the attention of thousands on the Richland County Dog Warden’s Facebook page, Razz’s unprecedented success has served as James’ ongoing inspiration
“In the hospital, I called him my spirit animal,” James said.
“As Razz got a little better with his walking and standing up, I was also getting better too … I just kind of used him as a little self motivator.”
Following months of treating him, one of Mohican Veterinary Wellness’ employees adopted Razz on July 2 – the same week James was discharged from the hospital.
“It's hard not to fall in love with (Razz),” Razz’s mom said. "All of us at Mohican did, but we kind of had just this instant connection.
"In the beginning, it was just kind of like, ‘Oh, I'm in love with him, but who isn't?’ but yeah, it just became a thing that I couldn't shake.”
Once James and Razz were both back at home, it seemed like the perfect time to meet.
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Learning more about James’ condition hit close to home for Razz’s mom, who asked not to be identified, and made the meetup all the more necessary.
“Everything Joe went through, because he's been in the hospital since December, it really close to home because I lost my dad from COVID this past year,” Razz’s mom said.
“Obviously their stories were similar and how things went, so yeah, I was just like, this has to happen. Immediately when I started talking to Joe, I mean, he's just amazing. He's such an inspiration.”
James said that while he was nervous leading up to the meetup, he was more excited than anything.
James and Razz’s mom decided to meet at Whit’s Frozen Custard where James bought Razz a pup cup so the two could “get off on the right paw.”
“It went amazing,” James said
“We kind of bonded and made some good eye contact and he was wagging his tail. I was just so happy to finally meet him and see him in person.”
Following the adoption, Razz’s mom started the Razzle Dazzle Facebook page, where loyal fans, like James, have continued following their favorite four-legged friend.
James is sure to need the inspiration as he continues his fight to regain mobility.
“I'm super excited to keep track of (Razz) and how he's doing,” James said.
“Everyday, you know, I check for updates and sometimes his mom and I talk and I'll just be like ‘Hey, how's Razz doing today?’ ”
Razz’s journey has been a feel-good story that many in the community and beyond have followed. Razz’s mom said that while living with a celebrity and keeping up his social media has been an adjustment, Razz is a perfect fit for her family.
Razz’s mom hopes that he continues to serve as an inspiration to people like James.
“We all need reasons to be genuinely happy and smile these days, and obviously Razz is bringing that to people,” Razz’s mom said.
“If I stopped that, that would not be fair, because that's all I want is just more happiness and joy. I’m big on that.”
Three weeks out of the hospital, James faces mounting medical bills. He is accepting donations through a GoFundMe page to help ease the strain.
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