Stormys Mysterious Illness

This is my 4yo baby Stormy. She has suddenly fell ill last week and has been in and out of different hospitals all week long. I first noticed she wasn't feeling well this past Tuesday (12-23-2020) because she hadn't touched her food or water from the previous night and also appeared visibly weak and she wet the bed. I was able to take to her regular vet and they obtained some stool/blood samples to submit for testing. They gave her an IV and sent me home with nausea medicine in the meantime thinking she just had an upset tummy.

The next day Stormy continued on a downward spiral but she started to eat tiny bits of tuna so I thought to myself maybe she is getting better. Then at around 9pm I got the call from the vet who was extremely concerned about Storms blood work. Her red blood cell count was at 14 (I've since learned that normal range is btwn 28-52)and her Platelet level was so low they couldn't get a value. She advised me to rush Storm to the nearest ER for a blood transfusion. I contemplated on going for a bit because I wanted to give her the benefit of seeing if her body could maybe fight this off on its own like she would do in the wild. I  also knew it would be costly. I lost my job back in May with this whole pandemic and haven't been able to secure a new position within my field  as yet. I sat with her for a while and just rubbed her head while I did my research  on blood transfusions and the cost of hospitalization. All the while Storm  just sat there staring into my soul not making a sound but silently begging me to "do something mommy". I decided that I wasn't ready to let my baby go  without even an attempt to save her life. I didn't want her to die just because I'm broke. She deserved a shot at life regardless of cost.

3 hours later  at around 12am Thanksgiving morning I was rushing storm to The VEG center in White Plains NY. When we got there I gave them the lab results from her doctor and they began their own test. They advised me that Storms RBC count was now at 12 and needed the OK to begin the transfusion to save her life. They gave me an estimate of $2800 for the transfusion, more bloodwork, and 12-24 hour monitoring. She was admitted  and I went home a wreck...

The Dr. called me at around 12pm the same day to tell me that Storm's RBC count had only went up to 6 points (to 18) after the transfusion but that she seemed brighter and was grooming herself and talking non-stop. They still were unsure of what was wrong with her but I had asked them not to run any unnecessary test (due to cost)unless it was detrimental to saving her life. Also because it was Thanksgiving Day they were unable to get feedback on some of the labs they took. They said she is stable enough to go home and sent her home with me that same evening on 3 different medications (doxycycline, famotidine, sucralfate) and advised me to get an ultrasound from my vet the next day. My baby was so happy to see me she purred the entire way home, and even gobbled up a handful of tuna when we got home. She seemed to be in better spirits and I was hopeful that whatever this thing was, it was on its way out.

On Friday she started trending down again. She wouldn't leave the bedroom (except to go to the bathroom) was eating less and was refusing the medication. I called several vets to get an appointment for an ultrasound but the soonest availability was Thursday Dec 3rd and I knew I didn't have that long.  I called the VEG ER again informing them of her condition and to ask for advice. They told me if I wanted to aggressively treat whatever this thing is that I should take her to an advanced acute internal care center that had all the equipment on its premises. Once again I contemplated for a few hours because all I could hear was $$$ and at what cost? What if my baby still dies and I'm left with the  $10000 bill? then this would all be in vain.

That "what if" also turned into "but what if she lives.....?? what if this is curable? What if its something so simple, right under our nose? are you really gonna let $$$ stop you from saving your baby who could potentially live for 10+ years to come? I took a long shower and thought about  all of this and decided that if she made it though the night I would take her to the center in the am.

When I got out of the shower I could smell poop somewhere in the bedroom. I used the light of my phone careful not to disturb my sleeping 1yo and my husband I noticed that Storm had defecated on my side of the bed!! She had never done that before so I knew this was bad. I took that as another sign that I didn't have till the morning and had to act immediately or my baby girl would not make it through the night. When I looked for her she was hiding under the bed in shame and looked so defeated. I used the mop to carefully usher her out from under the bed and noticed she could barely walk and also that her rear was covered in diarrhea. I scooped her up, gently washed her off and rushed into the city to the Animal Medical Center that was recommended by the Vet at 2:30 am. 
Stormy was admitted immediately with a RBC count at an all new low of 10. The dr. advised me that a blood transfusion was critical in saving her life. They worked up an estimate of $5800 which would cover all the extensive treatment/ hospitalization that she would need and sent me home. I gave them the green light to begin treatment and begged them to get to the bottom of this. 
It has now been 2 nights and 3 days and Stormy is still in the hospital.

On Sunday evening the Dr. told me that they suspect it may be cancer since the ultrasound showed an enlarged spleen and her body was burning through the RBC count and also her platelets were still non existing. However they had to wait for a pathologist to confirm the next day. I mentally prepared myself to let her go after that call. I cried on and off for the remainder of the day.
In my mind there was no saving her but at least I gave it my best shot!! I got the call yesterday evening and my heart sank to my toes prior to answering and to my surprise the pathologist has ruled out cancer. After carefully analyzing her cells he thinks it looks more like some autoimmune disease/ infection of some sort. However after 3 blood transfusions her RBC was down to 15 again and was in need of a 4th transfusion to make it through the night. She advised me that they have started Stormy on prednisole and will monitor how she is though the night and update me this morning.
I wasn't prepared for the glimmer of hope that this sparked within me. Storm has been deemed a mystery. They still don't know what is causing this illness since she has tested negative for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) Feline Leukemia Virus (FelV).  She is essentially melting from the inside out and no one can figure out why. I'm praying for good news on the call today but the truth is I don't know. The estimate is now up to 6,500k and growing and I don't want to have to pull her from the hospital if there is a chance she can beat this thing!!
We just put our 11 yo family dog down last month and that broke my heart. I couldn't fathom that my 4yo Stormy would be on her death bed a month later!!!
I never thought that I would need a gofund me account because I hate asking ANYONE for help but the truth is I don't know how I am going to pay this money back in the short time they gave me without defaulting on my credit card.

Unfortunately any excess money I made while I was employed went to my student loan debt which is over 120k and currently in forbearance until January. 
Even if you cant donate if any of you have had a similar experience with your fur baby and have any helpful insight that I could pass on to the doctors I would forever grateful to you! I just want to give my baby a fighting chance because she is so young and the most perfect cat I could ever ask for! I am her mother it is my responsibility to save her at all cost.