LYNCHBURG, Va. (WDBJ) - October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to highlight not just treatment and research, but the emotional strength it takes to get through it.

In the hallways of Centra’s Alan B Pearson Cancer Center, healing sometimes has four legs and a wagging tail.

Meet April Sweetie, an 8-year-old golden retriever, who spends her Thursdays there with her owner, Larry Brookshier, bringing a smile to patients and staff during treatment days.

“Her getting certified, quite honestly, changed my life because this is all we do. We visit cancer centers and we’re usually on the road probably four days a week, sometimes five,” said Brookshier.

Brookshier knows the pain that cancer can bring. He’s lost both of his wives, his brother, his mother, and his father to the disease. N

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