How is it possible to love the thing that almost ends your life? Three days after the arrival of “Buddy,” an adorable Golden Retriever puppy, Tracey Berkowitz’s picture perfect life shatters. Almost overnight, she looks horrible, feels horrible and has no idea why.

Not My Buddy is a love story between one woman and the dog who restores her spirit while she finds her way toward health. Over the course of five years, Tracey Berkowitz and her family spend more than $80,000 on a team of 16 health care professionals and, at one point, 132 pills per day, while they seek a diagnosis and treatment for this mysterious illness.

Taken to the brink of bankruptcy and divorce and incapacitated as a mother, Tracey removes the masks that contributed to her dis-ease, leaving her vulnerable, terrified, and headed on a collision course with her soul’s true purpose: to help those suffering from chronic giardiasis—ironically “the gift” from the dog who teaches her self-love.