The lives of Michael and Kaye Gaither are a series of trials followed by blessings. The overarching trial is that Michael; the most kind, sweetest, loving man in the eyes of his family, is in heart failure, and Multiple Sclerosis. The blessing is that he is under the care of Haven Hospice, an organization for which Kaye, Michael and his service dog, Honey, are volunteers.
A trial is that Honey, who will be eight years old Jan. 22, is in the terminal stages of a fungus-born disease. The blessing is that on Monday, she made her 89th appointment with veterinarians at the UF Small Animal Hospital in Gainesville. Honey is a certified full mobility, PTSD medical service dog. She and Michael are members of team No. 001 in a critical VA research project and the two are inseparable. Honey picked up the fungus as a puppy, before she came to the Gaithers.
Michael suffered a heart attack in January and has struggled to breathe for a long time. During his career, he was an electrician in textile mills and he repaired vehicles as a civilian employee for the National Guard.