Princess Leia's Resistance: Cancer Fund
Donation protected
Introduction
Princess Leia* was the addition to our family we didn't know we needed. My husband and I already had a rescue fur baby (Paige) who was daily teaching us lessons about unconditional love. I worked at a domestic violence shelter and we had just begun housing pets who were fleeing violence with their families. Leia came into the shelter with her human mommy seeking a happy, healthy, violence-free new beginning. While our shelter did not have the formal accommodations for housing pets, administration recognized that for many people, fur-babies are members of the family and that to leave one behind can mean torture and/or death for the furry loved one. Thus with temporary kennels and the collaboration of staff-members, Leia became one of the first of a handful of puppers to be housed at the shelter and to pave the way for what would eventually be a fully functional pet shelter.
Leia and I began our bond back in these early days. I had always loved my job, but it was with a renewed excitement that I went to work each day, as the first thing I would do was take each doggo out of the kennel for a brief walk to stretch their legs and potty. Leia greeted me then with the same warmth she has greeted me with every day since--a bubbly excitement and a few licks for good measure. After months at the shelter, her former owner had found safe, stable housing. Unfortunately, due to breed-specific legislation in the area and Leia's distinctive pitbull characteristics, her owner made the difficult choice to relinquish ownership. Normally she would have been placed at a local animal shelter, but with no available spaces, I agreed to foster her. She became our foster-failure and a permanent member of our happy little family.
The Diagnosis
After many fun-filled years together, on 6/8/2019, Leia suddenly was not acting like herself. A trip to our regular vet and a brief ultrasound revealed that she had a mass on her spleen that was rupturing. We were referred to the local emergency vet for surgery to remove her spleen and tumor that same day. After being denied care credit (I had recently co-signed on my younger brother's student loan for college and thus was not eligible to take out a new line of credit so soon) we begged, borrowed, and maxed out all available credit to pay for her surgery. Unfortunately, once we got the pathology results back we entered into every owner's worst nightmare. Leia had hemangiosarcoma--a rare but aggressive cancer of the blood vessel walls.
We knew our goal at that point was simply quality of life for Leia. After consultation with our regular vet and an oncologist, we determined that the best course for her would be a holistic treatment regimen of I'm Yunity supplements, Yunnan Baiyao,** medication for comfort, and a cancer appropriate diet. Chemo, although considered part of a quality of life treatment plan, would mean many vet visits (which she hated) and side effects that didn't feel in line with our goals for her. Despite knowing our decision would mean less time with her, after lots of careful consideration we knew that quality over quantity was what was best for our beloved Leia. Unfortunately, while chemo is extremely expensive, so are the supplements that would give her the best chance at enjoying her time remaining with us, hence this GoFundMe.
Why ask for help now
When I initially created this GoFundMe, we were about two weeks into her treatment and I realized we could not financially manage everything she needed. I thought we might have a few months left with her; the I'm Yunity studies gave me a lot of hope. But before posting it publicly I knew I needed to contact the domestic violence shelter where I previously worked to ensure that in doing so I wouldn't be breaching the confidentiality of her former owner. I delayed posting until I got the all clear from the organization. Then, on July 8th, I got the phone call no one wants to receive. A dear friend I had last spoken to 8 days prior had committed suicide. I spent the next week sinking into a deep depression; getting out of bed was my greatest accomplishment each day. Leia and I spent most of that week laying in bed together, she wasn't doing well either, and I really don't know who comforted who more. Six days later, on July 14th, Leia was no longer living life, she was fighting death, and I knew it was time to say goodbye and let her rest.
A Life-Line through Crisis
In her last week with us, she provided me the same love and comfort she had throughout her time with us. I can't imagine making it through the last two years especially without her companionship: She was by my side through the death of my aunt and my grandmother, the death of our dog Paige (pictured above), through my mother's stroke, through two of my own health crises (a trigeminal neuralgia diagnosis last October, and a painful, massive infection around the same time as her diagnosis), she was there through my father going on hospice, and most recently the suicide of my friend. I am so fortunate to have an incredible support system in my family and friends, but truly it was Leia who got me through it all. She made me smile when all I wanted to do was cry. When it felt like things couldn't get any worse and yet they did, she somehow still made me laugh. I am a social worker who works supporting families through grief as I try to process my own grief after so many losses, and at the end of each difficult day she was there waiting to greet me, wagging her tail. She was in so many ways my life line and I still feel so lost without her.
Transparency
This GoFundMe was supposed to be a plea for help so that I could best help her. Time, unanticipated crisis, and my own insecurities and reluctance to ask for help have made this an untimely post. Leia is gone now, but my debts remain and I am trying to find a way to pick up the pieces. I understand that many may feel a reluctance to contribute to a fund for a dog that has already passed. I probably would have as well prior to this experience. So my request to you is this: if you would have helped Leia, might you still consider helping her human? The following link will take you to a google doc (no-sign in required) with an excel spreadsheet detailing the expenses we incurred and photos of receipts to assure any donors of my honesty and transparency.***
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BqEcXVdmWFNHDotbUxVPjOzlL_rgRiP9BdW3_0-DfdU/edit?usp=sharing
Thank you for your consideration of this cause. If after reading this, you still feel a reluctance to contribute, please browse around GoFundMe and find another pupper or person to help. Even if my efforts are not fruitful in getting my own life back on track, if Leia's story can lead to help for another dog I would be so grateful.
*Leia's name was changed in this posting to protect the confidentiality of her previous owner at the request of the domestic violence shelter. That is also why her name is blacked out on all receipts.
**I have an excess of medication leftover from Leia's treatment. (For example, the bottle of I'm Yunity that contained 500 capsules at a cost of $640, Leia was only able to take about 12 of the pills) If you or someone you know has a dog with hemangiosarcoma, please message me directly as I would like to donate her unused medications to benefit someone else who is struggling.
***Any funding received beyond the requested amount will be payed forward through contributions to other GoFundMe's or to the domestic violence pet shelter that initially brought Leia into my life. I will post receipts of those contributions in the updates as appropriate.
Princess Leia* was the addition to our family we didn't know we needed. My husband and I already had a rescue fur baby (Paige) who was daily teaching us lessons about unconditional love. I worked at a domestic violence shelter and we had just begun housing pets who were fleeing violence with their families. Leia came into the shelter with her human mommy seeking a happy, healthy, violence-free new beginning. While our shelter did not have the formal accommodations for housing pets, administration recognized that for many people, fur-babies are members of the family and that to leave one behind can mean torture and/or death for the furry loved one. Thus with temporary kennels and the collaboration of staff-members, Leia became one of the first of a handful of puppers to be housed at the shelter and to pave the way for what would eventually be a fully functional pet shelter.
Leia and I began our bond back in these early days. I had always loved my job, but it was with a renewed excitement that I went to work each day, as the first thing I would do was take each doggo out of the kennel for a brief walk to stretch their legs and potty. Leia greeted me then with the same warmth she has greeted me with every day since--a bubbly excitement and a few licks for good measure. After months at the shelter, her former owner had found safe, stable housing. Unfortunately, due to breed-specific legislation in the area and Leia's distinctive pitbull characteristics, her owner made the difficult choice to relinquish ownership. Normally she would have been placed at a local animal shelter, but with no available spaces, I agreed to foster her. She became our foster-failure and a permanent member of our happy little family.
The Diagnosis
After many fun-filled years together, on 6/8/2019, Leia suddenly was not acting like herself. A trip to our regular vet and a brief ultrasound revealed that she had a mass on her spleen that was rupturing. We were referred to the local emergency vet for surgery to remove her spleen and tumor that same day. After being denied care credit (I had recently co-signed on my younger brother's student loan for college and thus was not eligible to take out a new line of credit so soon) we begged, borrowed, and maxed out all available credit to pay for her surgery. Unfortunately, once we got the pathology results back we entered into every owner's worst nightmare. Leia had hemangiosarcoma--a rare but aggressive cancer of the blood vessel walls.
We knew our goal at that point was simply quality of life for Leia. After consultation with our regular vet and an oncologist, we determined that the best course for her would be a holistic treatment regimen of I'm Yunity supplements, Yunnan Baiyao,** medication for comfort, and a cancer appropriate diet. Chemo, although considered part of a quality of life treatment plan, would mean many vet visits (which she hated) and side effects that didn't feel in line with our goals for her. Despite knowing our decision would mean less time with her, after lots of careful consideration we knew that quality over quantity was what was best for our beloved Leia. Unfortunately, while chemo is extremely expensive, so are the supplements that would give her the best chance at enjoying her time remaining with us, hence this GoFundMe.
Why ask for help now
When I initially created this GoFundMe, we were about two weeks into her treatment and I realized we could not financially manage everything she needed. I thought we might have a few months left with her; the I'm Yunity studies gave me a lot of hope. But before posting it publicly I knew I needed to contact the domestic violence shelter where I previously worked to ensure that in doing so I wouldn't be breaching the confidentiality of her former owner. I delayed posting until I got the all clear from the organization. Then, on July 8th, I got the phone call no one wants to receive. A dear friend I had last spoken to 8 days prior had committed suicide. I spent the next week sinking into a deep depression; getting out of bed was my greatest accomplishment each day. Leia and I spent most of that week laying in bed together, she wasn't doing well either, and I really don't know who comforted who more. Six days later, on July 14th, Leia was no longer living life, she was fighting death, and I knew it was time to say goodbye and let her rest.
A Life-Line through Crisis
In her last week with us, she provided me the same love and comfort she had throughout her time with us. I can't imagine making it through the last two years especially without her companionship: She was by my side through the death of my aunt and my grandmother, the death of our dog Paige (pictured above), through my mother's stroke, through two of my own health crises (a trigeminal neuralgia diagnosis last October, and a painful, massive infection around the same time as her diagnosis), she was there through my father going on hospice, and most recently the suicide of my friend. I am so fortunate to have an incredible support system in my family and friends, but truly it was Leia who got me through it all. She made me smile when all I wanted to do was cry. When it felt like things couldn't get any worse and yet they did, she somehow still made me laugh. I am a social worker who works supporting families through grief as I try to process my own grief after so many losses, and at the end of each difficult day she was there waiting to greet me, wagging her tail. She was in so many ways my life line and I still feel so lost without her.
Transparency
This GoFundMe was supposed to be a plea for help so that I could best help her. Time, unanticipated crisis, and my own insecurities and reluctance to ask for help have made this an untimely post. Leia is gone now, but my debts remain and I am trying to find a way to pick up the pieces. I understand that many may feel a reluctance to contribute to a fund for a dog that has already passed. I probably would have as well prior to this experience. So my request to you is this: if you would have helped Leia, might you still consider helping her human? The following link will take you to a google doc (no-sign in required) with an excel spreadsheet detailing the expenses we incurred and photos of receipts to assure any donors of my honesty and transparency.***
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BqEcXVdmWFNHDotbUxVPjOzlL_rgRiP9BdW3_0-DfdU/edit?usp=sharing
Thank you for your consideration of this cause. If after reading this, you still feel a reluctance to contribute, please browse around GoFundMe and find another pupper or person to help. Even if my efforts are not fruitful in getting my own life back on track, if Leia's story can lead to help for another dog I would be so grateful.
*Leia's name was changed in this posting to protect the confidentiality of her previous owner at the request of the domestic violence shelter. That is also why her name is blacked out on all receipts.
**I have an excess of medication leftover from Leia's treatment. (For example, the bottle of I'm Yunity that contained 500 capsules at a cost of $640, Leia was only able to take about 12 of the pills) If you or someone you know has a dog with hemangiosarcoma, please message me directly as I would like to donate her unused medications to benefit someone else who is struggling.
***Any funding received beyond the requested amount will be payed forward through contributions to other GoFundMe's or to the domestic violence pet shelter that initially brought Leia into my life. I will post receipts of those contributions in the updates as appropriate.
Organizer
Mary Emerson
Organizer
Oklahoma City, OK