Java's Cancer Fund
Donation protected
My friends, family and viewers.. if you know me, you know how much I love my furbaby. Tonight, she's fighting for her life.
I never knew what a soft-tissue sarcoma was until a few weeks ago, but I now know it's a viscous, fast growing, tentacle-like tumor that's trying it's best to end my kitty's life.
My Yooper Trooper
Java is a 5 year old dollface Persian, 5.2 sweet pounds of pure fluff. When I accepted my job at TV6 News, Java took the 30 hour road trip with me from Southern Florida to Marquette, Michigan. Whenever we'd stop at a rest station, I'd let her out of her crate to sit on the dash, perched like a bobble head doll :)
On December 16th, I was getting ready for bed. My mom noticed miss Java pacing around on the nightstand (instead of her usual spot on my mom's bed). She got a comb out to groom her a little, and when Java rolled over, her tail lifted and my mom yelled for me to come quickly from my room -- "Oh my god, what is this?!" I ran into the room, Java was making a strange, pained sound as my mom tried to part her velvety fluff back there.. and then we both screamed. An angry, red tumor was staring us in the face. My heart sunk I panicked. I touched it, Java cried. It felt hard and solid.
We just had her fall haircut at the groomer in September. She was nearly shaved down and nothing was there, she was perfect and normal.
How could this THING, bigger than a golf ball, have grown so quickly? (We later learned, these tumors can grow from nothing to bigger than a baseball in just weeks.) This is her tumor growing back tonight, roughly three weeks after her first surgery.
We rushed her to the vet the next morning in a snowstorm, hoping it was just a cyst that could be drained. The vet feared it was cancer, and booked her for an emergency surgery that Tuesday, the 20th.
The tumor was growing symmetrically around her urethra and if it grew larger, she wouldn't be able to pee.. poisoning and killing her quickly.
The surgeon at the Negaunee Veterinary Clinic did everything he could, cutting out as much of the tumor as possible without damaging her ability to relieve herself. He sent the tumor to Michigan State University for testing, but told us there was a very good chance it was malignant.
We waited for more than a week over the Christmas holiday until learning that it was in fact, a malignant soft tissue sarcoma.
The good news, this cancer does not normally metastisize (or spread) easily. The bad news, it's nearly impossible to completely remove surgically. Our surgeon did his best but said "it was messy in there" and the tentacles of the tumor need radiation and chemo.
The doctor referred us to Appleton, Wisconsin where he said a specialist might be able to help her, as radiation isn't available anywhere in Upper Michigan!
So we made the trip down to Appleton, where the doctors said she'd need an even MORE specialized specialist, since her tumor was in such a sensitive and unique location. They said, Java's best chance of beating this cancer was at University of Wisconsin - Madison, where their veterinary oncologists work with the school's research department. They have the surgeons, oncologists, radiation and chemotherapies all in one place.
"Be prepared to come up with thousands of dollars," the doctor told us. "$5,000 is the minimum but at least $10,000. You need to know that before going down there."
We were devastated and overwhelmed by this news.
Leaving the clinic, we frantically searched online for more doctors who might be able to treat Java's cancer closer to home.
The next day, we took her for a second opinion to Packerland Veterinary Center in Green Bay. The doctors there were very sweet and honest. Their surgeon also recommended UW Madison, for all the same reasons.
(Java in the hotel room, wondering where the heck she is after a visit to the doctor in Green Bay!)
I would never want to put her through the side effects that come with treatment and the future surgeries if she wasn't so full of life and PERFECTLY normal, besides this vengeful tumor.. already growing back (as the surgeon warned it might) since the surgery just weeks ago.
We were given a pretty clear choice. Accept the fact that the proper treatment will cost thousands of dollars, or "put her down".
How do you euthanize a kitty who doesn't even know she's sick?.. who loves to eat, play, jump and chase catnip toys? Really? Who stretches her arms out to us every morning and night for goofy armpit scratches? Sneaks strings of my yarn away while I knit and she thinks I'm not looking, who loves dancing around the living room to our favorite songs on the radio?
Maybe if she was older, maybe if she showed signs of suffering in pain, or not able to eat or drink.. miserable and not enjoying life.
But when I come home from work and she runs to me, rolls over for a belly rub and follows me under my feet to her bowl for kitty treats, I see no signs of this disease. She's not resigned or her giving up on her life.
So I won't give up either. I could NEVER hold her paw, look her in the eye and tell her, "I'm sorry but I'm giving up on you."
Please help me fight this fight and hopefully, win this battle.
With her young age, lack of other symptoms and the fact that her cancer has not spread means she has a great chance!
100% of the funds raised will go to Java's trips to Madison, her chemotherapy and radiation to kill and shrink the tumor, and the future surgeries to remove what's left (of the hopefully DEAD cancerous mass!)
Anything will help, please keep Java in your prayers!
Her alpaca doll cuddle buddy from Rainbow's End in Norway :)
"Look ma! I found a way to drink with this thing on my head!"
I never knew what a soft-tissue sarcoma was until a few weeks ago, but I now know it's a viscous, fast growing, tentacle-like tumor that's trying it's best to end my kitty's life.
My Yooper Trooper
Java is a 5 year old dollface Persian, 5.2 sweet pounds of pure fluff. When I accepted my job at TV6 News, Java took the 30 hour road trip with me from Southern Florida to Marquette, Michigan. Whenever we'd stop at a rest station, I'd let her out of her crate to sit on the dash, perched like a bobble head doll :)
On December 16th, I was getting ready for bed. My mom noticed miss Java pacing around on the nightstand (instead of her usual spot on my mom's bed). She got a comb out to groom her a little, and when Java rolled over, her tail lifted and my mom yelled for me to come quickly from my room -- "Oh my god, what is this?!" I ran into the room, Java was making a strange, pained sound as my mom tried to part her velvety fluff back there.. and then we both screamed. An angry, red tumor was staring us in the face. My heart sunk I panicked. I touched it, Java cried. It felt hard and solid.
We just had her fall haircut at the groomer in September. She was nearly shaved down and nothing was there, she was perfect and normal.
How could this THING, bigger than a golf ball, have grown so quickly? (We later learned, these tumors can grow from nothing to bigger than a baseball in just weeks.) This is her tumor growing back tonight, roughly three weeks after her first surgery.
We rushed her to the vet the next morning in a snowstorm, hoping it was just a cyst that could be drained. The vet feared it was cancer, and booked her for an emergency surgery that Tuesday, the 20th.
The tumor was growing symmetrically around her urethra and if it grew larger, she wouldn't be able to pee.. poisoning and killing her quickly.
The surgeon at the Negaunee Veterinary Clinic did everything he could, cutting out as much of the tumor as possible without damaging her ability to relieve herself. He sent the tumor to Michigan State University for testing, but told us there was a very good chance it was malignant.
We waited for more than a week over the Christmas holiday until learning that it was in fact, a malignant soft tissue sarcoma.
The good news, this cancer does not normally metastisize (or spread) easily. The bad news, it's nearly impossible to completely remove surgically. Our surgeon did his best but said "it was messy in there" and the tentacles of the tumor need radiation and chemo.
The doctor referred us to Appleton, Wisconsin where he said a specialist might be able to help her, as radiation isn't available anywhere in Upper Michigan!
So we made the trip down to Appleton, where the doctors said she'd need an even MORE specialized specialist, since her tumor was in such a sensitive and unique location. They said, Java's best chance of beating this cancer was at University of Wisconsin - Madison, where their veterinary oncologists work with the school's research department. They have the surgeons, oncologists, radiation and chemotherapies all in one place.
"Be prepared to come up with thousands of dollars," the doctor told us. "$5,000 is the minimum but at least $10,000. You need to know that before going down there."
We were devastated and overwhelmed by this news.
Leaving the clinic, we frantically searched online for more doctors who might be able to treat Java's cancer closer to home.
The next day, we took her for a second opinion to Packerland Veterinary Center in Green Bay. The doctors there were very sweet and honest. Their surgeon also recommended UW Madison, for all the same reasons.
(Java in the hotel room, wondering where the heck she is after a visit to the doctor in Green Bay!)
I would never want to put her through the side effects that come with treatment and the future surgeries if she wasn't so full of life and PERFECTLY normal, besides this vengeful tumor.. already growing back (as the surgeon warned it might) since the surgery just weeks ago.
We were given a pretty clear choice. Accept the fact that the proper treatment will cost thousands of dollars, or "put her down".
How do you euthanize a kitty who doesn't even know she's sick?.. who loves to eat, play, jump and chase catnip toys? Really? Who stretches her arms out to us every morning and night for goofy armpit scratches? Sneaks strings of my yarn away while I knit and she thinks I'm not looking, who loves dancing around the living room to our favorite songs on the radio?
Maybe if she was older, maybe if she showed signs of suffering in pain, or not able to eat or drink.. miserable and not enjoying life.
But when I come home from work and she runs to me, rolls over for a belly rub and follows me under my feet to her bowl for kitty treats, I see no signs of this disease. She's not resigned or her giving up on her life.
So I won't give up either. I could NEVER hold her paw, look her in the eye and tell her, "I'm sorry but I'm giving up on you."
Please help me fight this fight and hopefully, win this battle.
With her young age, lack of other symptoms and the fact that her cancer has not spread means she has a great chance!
100% of the funds raised will go to Java's trips to Madison, her chemotherapy and radiation to kill and shrink the tumor, and the future surgeries to remove what's left (of the hopefully DEAD cancerous mass!)
Anything will help, please keep Java in your prayers!
Her alpaca doll cuddle buddy from Rainbow's End in Norway :)
"Look ma! I found a way to drink with this thing on my head!"
Organizer
Sophie Miriam
Organizer
Marquette, MI