Mack the dog is a shepherd of sorts.

A giant, 100-pound, drooling shepherd who loves his owner, Brice Udelhoven.

When Udelhoven's mind wanders back to the chemotherapy treatments or his weariness, Mack is there to guide him to the present. (No, he's not a shepherd, but a Great Pyrenees.)

When he remembers he has little money and no health insurance, Mack is there.

This man and his best friend prefer to be inseparable. But recently, the two endured a three-week separation while Udelhoven was recuperating from cancer treatment. The tender moment of their reunion was captured by his wife, Margot.

"He’s a big baby, pretty much," Udelhoven said. "He’s my big baby."

The photo shows a glimpse into the world of cancer that Brice and his family were thrust into less than six months ago. Mack's drooling smile and Brice's soft grin captured the hearts of people on the internet, garnering over 80,000 interactions on Reddit.

But behind the heartwarming photo are more arduous battles Brice and his family have undertaken: no income, the struggles of raising three young kids and learning how to try to survive without health insurance.

A cancer diagnosis

The Udelhoven family welcomed their third child, Maelynn, on May 22.

In preparation for their growing family, Brice left his job of six years in April to join McAninch Corp. as a heavy equipment operator. They got a new home in Mingo so he could be closer to work.

But shortly after Maelynn was born, Brice started feeling sharp pains in his left hip.

When he went to the doctor, he was told he was too young for cancer. It must be an infection.

Without the proper diagnosis for the pain, the couple made emergency room visits with their newborn in tow. At the end of June, Margot pushed for a CT scan, which showed something abnormal.

A biopsy was scheduled. And then one morning, Margot saw a rare sight: Her husband was in tears because of the excruciating pain.

No more, she decided, and called his doctor. "I told him we had enough," Margot said.

Though the biopsy was scheduled for days later, she drove Brice to University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City that day.

An examination of a lymph node in his pelvic region showed cancer. Eight days later the diagnosis got worse. Despite being an adult, Udelhoven had a rare form of cancer known as rhabdomyosarcoma.

He had a softball-size tumor in his pelvis that had metastasized to his lymph nodes and both lungs.

“He’s an extremely hard worker. That’s who he is. That’s part of him,” Margot said. “He worked until the day I drove him to Iowa City. He was inpatient for 16 days.”

Every two weeks, Brice travels to Iowa City for chemotherapy. At the end of the year, his family hopes surgery will remove the tumors and make him cancer free.

Crowdfunding health care

After his cancer diagnosis, Udelhoven had to stop working. Treatment left him weary and exhausted. He suffered nausea and lost 40 pounds.

He traveled frequently to UI Hospitals to receive doxorubicin, a chemotherapy drug his family also called "the red devil."

To qualify for benefits from his job through Local 234 Union, he needed 500 hours. At the time of his cancer diagnosis, he had 418 hours. A rainy spring meant he started work later and wasn't able to get as many hours in.

Udelhoven changed jobs outside the open-enrollment period through healthcare.gov, but the family did qualify for a short-term policy and purchased a plan two weeks before his cancer diagnosis.

Later, they were informed that the insurance company wasn't paying any of their medical expenses because they were for pre-existing conditions.

"At that moment in time we were left with no income, no benefits, no nothing," Margot said.

The first month was turbulent. Brice still got a paycheck that month, so he didn't qualify for any state assistance. People diagnosed with sarcoma receive Social Security disability, but there is a five-month waiting period.

So the Udelhovens turned to the community. They made a Facebook page with updates on Brice's condition and planned a benefit to raise money. They made shirts and planned a barrel-racing competition.

Margot updates the Facebook page with Brice's health and fun anecdotes about the kids. Though the more than 700 people who follow the page don't all know Brice personally, they know the family's plight through her stories.

"I couldn't stop my mind from picturing myself as a widow with 3 kids at the age of 26," she wrote on the first Facebook post on Aug. 14.

"Some of the meds have some not-so-great side effects, including making him even more tired. He has also found sucking on mints to be comforting. Subway also seems to be something his stomach can handle during this time," she wrote on Aug. 15.

"We had a really great week. Other than mouth sores and extreme fatigue he handled the 6th round of Chemo really well," she wrote on Sept. 9.

Crowdfunding health care is a growing trend, particularly with websites like GoFundMe and YouCaring where people can donate to assist others from around the world, said Brian Ortner, spokesman for the American Cancer Society of Iowa and Nebraska.

Families will write about their struggles and give live updates to people following them. In 2014, the GoFundMe category "Medical, Illness and Healing" brought in 26 percent of all donations, according to Time magazine.

In Iowa, cancer patients can struggle with paying their medical expenses or indirect costs like lodging, travel, lost work hours or child care.

In 2014, cancer patients in the United States spent $3.9 billion in out-of-pocket costs, according to the American Cancer Society.

"It’s a story that’s unfortunately fairly common, that there’s financial impact," Ortner said. "If they can’t afford hotel rooms, do they forgo it? If you’re getting local treatment and you’re getting rides to and from appointments, you’re exhausting your families' and friends' time off."

As the Udelhoven family waits for disability to start in January, the financial support of the community has helped keep them afloat.

The Udelhoven family's benefit auction on Oct. 20 includes items donated from around the community.

"The community is supporting us like you would not believe," Margot said. "We are being very welcomed into the Mingo community. I think I gained 20 pounds with the amount of cookies people are bringing."

A photo that touched thousands

Brice always knew he wanted a Great Pyrenees.

A neighbor owned a mountain dog and Brice enjoyed their giant size.

So when his golden retriever passed away last Thanksgiving, it left a canine-shaped hole in his heart that couldn't be empty for long.

That day, Brice and Margot searched the internet for another dog. Brice found a white Great Pyrenees puppy that he wanted.

In less than 24 hours, he was driving to southwest Iowa to get him.

"I just picked him up that evening," Brice said. "I always liked animals."

The 10-month-old puppy is still growing — after all, his mom is 140 pounds and his dad is 160 pounds.

The photo of the two reuniting elicited heartwarming feelings from people as they wrote about the smiles and happiness they felt seeing the furry and human friends together.

While Brice is in Iowa City for treatment, Mack stays with family. The giant dog is playful and lazy, but when he sees him, he wants to jump on his bed and basically everything else.

For now, Brice doesn't have the energy to bring him out for a run or play, so the pair mostly just sleep together and watch television. The kids like to join and create a nest of fur and fun.

But Mack is a good dog, waiting and ready to help.

"He keeps my mind busy and off things," Brice said. "He's all around a good dog."

How to help the Udelhoven family

Follow Brice Udelhoven's journey on Facebook.

The #TeamUdelhoven Benefit is being held Oct. 20 at 5 p.m. at the Iowa Speedway in Newton. There will be a free-will donation dinner, silent auction and dance.

People can make monetary donations to the family through a fundraiser on Facebook.