LIFESAVING RADIOTHERAPY & MEDICATION FOR JACK

Hi, my name is Jack but you can call me Boo as that’s what my family call me. I am just a baby at 5 years old, and my favourite things in the world are walks with my Dad, balls, cheese, and quack quacks (ducks).

My parents, Steve and Leanne have always kept me insured so that I could have treatment if I ever became ill. Turns out that wasn’t going to be enough.

Yesterday we were given the news that I have a very large tumour wrapped around my heart. It’s likely that it has been there for a very long time, but it managed to sneak up on us because I’ve not been poorly or shown any symptoms until recently. We don’t know if it’s cancerous or not because it is too dangerous to take biopsies.

They can’t cut it out as it’s too close to my aorta and I would bleed to death if they tried.

My vet Cameron says that this isn’t a death sentence and I do have a really good chance but in order to be given that chance I need lifesaving radiotherapy and anti tumour drugs. I would have to travel 100’s of miles to Edinburgh to have the radiotherapy as it’s the only animal hospital that offers this treatment. Without treatment I most likely only have months left with my family.

We don’t know the exact cost of the anti tumour drugs yet but we know that they will cost a lot of money. The cost of the drugs I need can mostly be covered between my remaining insurance and my family but the much needed radiotherapy alone is between £8,000 and £10,000. It is this that they are struggling with.

Regular scans are £2,500 - £3,000 a time and I will need a few of those to check my progress.

I will also need lots of blood tests to make sure my liver and heart are coping with the treatment.

Then I have special tablets to help make my throat feel a little better as the tumour is pressing on my oesophagus and making it painful and inflamed.

Even though I am insured because I’ve already had lots of blood tests, and CT scans there is not enough money left on my policy for me to have the treatment I desperately need but I’m going to die without it.

Shrinking the tumour might mean that it’s safe for me to eventually have it removed all together, Cameron even said the radiotherapy and anti tumour drugs could make it go away completely.

My mom and dad say that I helped to heal their hearts and the hearts of my young sisters Charlotte and Ella after they lost their previous Alaskan Malamute Kayla, aged just 7 very suddenly from cancer before me, now they’re losing me too because they do not have the money to pay for all the treatment that will give me the best chance.

Mom has chronic illnesses and we spend many nights together having cuddles, she says cuddling me makes the pain easier to deal with. Being poorly means she can’t do extra work but she said she’ll sell everything she owns (except my balls and quack quacks of course), in order to make me better, but she knows that it still won’t be enough.

Please help my family to raise the money I need in order to save my life? I’m such a happy, smiley boy, I’ve not even complained about the vet not letting me go for a walks right now or that I’ve not had one for nearly 2 weeks.

Even the smallest of donations can and will make a positive contribution to my care, recovery and total wellbeing. Just £2.50 would buy the paracetamol I need for a whole month as Cameron said I cannot take doggy painkillers because they make the soreness and inflammation in my throat worse.

£18 would pay for a whole weeks worth of Omeprazole tablets to stop my throat from hurting.

Their hearts are breaking, and they are desperately trying to come up with ways to pay for my treatment before it’s too late.

This is their only hope.

They said that they will create a social media page for me so that you get to know more about me, you can say hi to me, we can say hi to you too, and you can follow my progress throughout treatment.

I’ll even post plenty of photos of my best smile to brighten your day.

Please help me to live

Love Boo (Jack)