Help save Hands

UPDATE ———> We have two surviving kittens, Hands and Simon. Yesterday Simon was diagnosed with Atresia Ani, a condition resulting in his colon and rectum not being attached. In order to live he will require surgery to create an anus for him, and this needs to happen ASAP. The recovery will be tough. I will be there for it. This is not a common condition for kittens, but an hour before his scheduled euthanasia I was able to find a surgeon who was willing to perform the surgery at more than half the cost VCA gave us. The vet’s name is Dr. Simon, which of course made me cry. Just an hour before the end of life specialist was due to arrive, I took Simon outside to be in the sun and feel the grass, something told me that he’s not ready, and that I needed to pick up the phone and make some calls. One finally came through. This isn’t guaranteed, but something is telling me that he wants to live. Dr. Simon performs this surgery relatively often and our hopes are high. We were assured this is not going to be easy and they will only perform this with a dedicated foster, but I have to try, it’s what feels right for me. This surgery is set to happen on Monday for Simon and potentially Tuesday for Hands once we find out his condition. Until then I will be monitoring them both. The promise I’ve made to myself is that if before Monday, if Simon tells me he is in pain and ready to go, I will listen to him. But I’m going to give him a fighting chance. It’s what feels right to me in this moment. The truth is that we have already spent around $7,000 for the kittens including the two we have already lost. I am so grateful for everyone who donated to Gio. Although Dr. Simon is able to perform this surgery for Simon, the costs are adding up to something that is hard for me to cover myself. Truly anything helps. The smallest donation gives me a sense of hope. Hands is also experiencing issues passing stool and we are in the meantime focused on what we need to do in order to help him. Based on x rays, Dr. Simon thinks Hands likely has the same issue but much less severe, so that will be an added cost if we find out he needs surgery on Monday. Each surgery is roughly $5,000. This situation has taken a tremendous toll on both Andrew and me. The emotional toll of losing these tiny creatures I was so happy to watch thrive is truly so devastating for me. It’s been really hard for me to take care of myself. I want to do what I can to save the babies lives. They want to live. They very clearly want to be with us and mama kitty. Please do what you can to help us. We are happy to cover as much as we can, but any help with the financial burden in order to finally see these babies thrive means a lot to me. Again, I will do everything I can to keep the babies with us, unless they tell me that they are done fighting. In the meantime I will remain to be their advocate. ———Gio and his brothers were found in an abandoned house in Boyle Heights June 18th at only two weeks old. They were reunited with mama and taken into our home the very next day. As of July 2nd Gio has stopped eating, is completely lethargic and has labored breathing. His only sister Sofi passed away on this date as well. Our Gio is currently at VCA West LA and the recommendation is that he is kept overnight at a minimum. The cost for this is upwards of $4000. It is likely due to his size, immunity and condition that the vet will recommend keeping him for longer than the 24 hours. Asking for help is not something I would ever feel comfortable with, but when it comes to my animals, I will do whatever it takes to save them. They are my heart. We have already lost one of the babies for reasons we are not sure. Please help us save Gio. Anything helps. Again, this is something I would never feel comfortable asking for, but we want so badly to give him a chance at life.