Bowser, the inspiration for Bowsers Friends Foundation, was not named after the Mario Kart character as most assume but rather the now retired Indiana Pacers dog mascot named Bowser.  Bowser was born in Indiana and spent his first nine-years as a Hoosier before transplanting with his parents to Arizona in 2016.

In 2014, at just 7-years old, Bowser was diagnosed with a sarcoma in his right cheek wall.  His vet recommended taking him to Purdue University where they would be able to better treat him.  After a couple visits, they gave Bowser a very grim diagnosis as this specific cancer was wildly aggressive.  Their plan of attack was to cut the cheek wall entirely out, focus 19-treatments of radiation on the cheek and then chemo after.  Even with the aggressive treatment plan there was no guarantee that Bowser would make it 6-months longer in fact the vets at Purdue told his parents that they should accept the fact that he wouldn’t.

No matter the prognosis, on a hot Monday in August, Bowser started his first of nineteen radiation treatments.  Each treatment became more uncomfortable for Bowser but you’d never know looking at him.  By the nineteenth treatment he was pretty uncomfortable even with all the pain meds.  However, we could tell that he was still just happy to still be here.  After a couple weeks of healing, Bowser was back to running and playing again with the hopes that the good vets at Purdue fixed him all up.

Bowser was fortunate that his parents had funds to spend towards his surgery, radiation and medications that ultimately saved and prolonged his life nearly 9 more years.  However, financially that may not be the case for some dogs and their families but we intend to help with all of that.

The mission of Bowsers Friends Foundation (BFF) is to provide financial aid to families with dogs who have been diagnosed with cancer. We strive to ensure that no family has to make the difficult decision of not being able to afford the necessary treatments for their dog due to financial hardship. We believe that every dog should have access to quality care, and our goal is to provide the support necessary to make that possible.

Stephanie is Bowsers Mom and the leader of the BFF pack.  Stephanie was born and raised in the beautiful mountains of Wild and Wonderful West Virginia.  She made a 13-year pit stop in Indianapolis before finally transplanting with her family to Phoenix in 2016.  While her day job is in Ophthalmology her passion has always been ensuring the well being of our furry friends.  In 2022 Stephanie started Bowser Bites which provides a healthy alternative of homemade dog food. Ultimately though she knew she wanted to make a difference with canine cancer and help directly fund surgeries and the medical expenses related to this terrible disease.  Therein began Bowsers Friends Foundation in 2023.