Max’s Mission: Comfort, Community, and Giving Back

In September 2024, while living in Singapore, I got the phone call we all dread. My older brother Stephen, who had battled with mental health struggles for a long time, took his own life.

I moved home to the UK to be closer to family. Almost immediately, I signed Max up with Pets as Therapy. Watching the comfort he brought me — and even more, the comfort he brought my mother — made it clear he had something to give others too.

We live in Clapham, and with the help of a dear friend, we began volunteering at Royal Trinity Hospice. Over the past year, we’ve met dozens and dozens of patients and their loved ones, and the impact Max has had is profound. There’s something about a dog’s presence at the end of someone’s journey that words can’t quite reach — but you can see it happen.

Then, this April, a stranger on the train filmed a video of Max that ended up with over 10 million views and made the news. That moment made us realise Max’s reach could become something bigger: a community built around doing good. You can follow his journey on Instagram at @thisismaxthegolden.I’m a VP at a tech firm by day, and I haven’t used social media myself in over five years — this whole thing is genuinely outside my comfort zone. I still find parts of it embarrassing, if I’m honest. But the causes we’re supporting matter too much to let this opportunity pass by.

So here we are: one man and his incredibly gifted doggo, trying to raise awareness and funds for Royal Trinity Hospice and Pets as Therapy — the charity that made all of this possible in the first place.

To kick things off, I’m personally donating £2,500. Every penny raised beyond that goes directly to the hospice, Pets as Therapy, and other causes that need support — and we’ll share it all with full transparency, so you can see exactly where it goes.

If Max’s story has moved you even slightly, thank you for being here. Whether you can give £5 or just share this page, you’re part of what we’re building

Lots of love,

Max and Chris

📸 Follow Max: instagram.com/thisismaxthegolden