Ricky the GuideDog Needs Your Help!
Donation protected
Ricky Needs Surgery to Have Her Spleen Removed, and She Needs Your Help to Make it Happen!
My name is Meredith Ballard and this is Ricky, my wonderful guide dog of four and-a-half years. I have been legally blind since birth and I was fortunate enough to receive Ricky completely for free from the Mira Foundation when I was a teenager.
Today I found out that Ricky urgently needs surgery to remove her spleen. Her spleen has an abornal mass that may or may not be cancerous--the vet will not be able to tell until the mass is removed and a biopsy is performed. Until today, she never showed signs of health problems and has always been happy, energetic, and spunky.
I took her to the vet thinking that her recent lethargy, lack of appetite, and upset stomach were merely signs of a gastrointestinal parasite, but the vet told me that Ricky actually has anemia. He performed a phsyical exam and an X-ray to determine the source of her anemia, and I was shocked when he found a large mass on her spleen. I was then referred to a veterinary specialty hospital, where they performed an ultrasound on Ricky's abdomen. The ultrasound also showed the mass on her spleen, but did not show any evidence of lumps or nodules in any other area of her body, which is a very encouraging sign. I learned that it is the spleen's job to filter out old blood cells and replace them with new ones, and that the mass on Ricky's spleen has been preventing her body from doing that.
Ricky Needs the Money as Soon as Possible
Ricky needs to have this surgery performed quickly to make sure that her condition does not worsen. If her surgery is postponned there is a risk that her spleen could burst, which can be life-threatening, or that the mass may spread to other parts of her body.
How the Funds Will be Used
Ricky will have the surgery at Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas at their North Raleigh location.
All of the initial tests cost slightly over $1,000, and the surgery will cost $5,000-$6,000. The surgery will cost this much because Ricky will have to be sedated, she will have to stay at the animal hospital over night, and it is likely that she will require blood transfusions after the procedure.
How Ricky Has Changed My Life
I would not be half the person I am today without my guide dog.
Attending guide dog school and receiving Ricky has been the biggest blessing I have ever received. Working with Ricky gave me real independence for the first time in my life, and it showed me how intelligent, kind, and hard-working other creatures can be. Once I was paired with Ricky I began to see the world and everything in it in a more positive light. Every morning, no matter how tired or groggy I feel, Ricky is always happy to see me, she always gets excited when I pick up her harness or put on my backpack for school because she knows that the day is about to start and she gets to come with me. When we are traveling a route downtown together she always stops at the corners of the sidewalk to make sure that I don't walk into oncoming traffic, and when I praise her for finding the right spot on the sidewalk she always wags her tail and proudly guides me down the crosswalk.
Ricky has been a blessing not just because of what she does for me, but also because of her exhuberant, friendly personality and sweet nature. To Ricky, everyone is a potential friend.
Ricky was with me when I walked across the stage at graduation from Appalachian, she was with me every day of 1L year in law school, and it is my deepest wish that she will be with me next year when I graduate from Campbell. But to do that, I will need the help of all of you.
A donation of any size is an immense help. Any extra donations will be given to the Mira Foundation, the organization that raised, trained, and paired me with Ricky almost five years ago. They continue to offer guide dogs to blind children in the U.S. free of charge. They have been immensely supportive in helping me and Ricky reach the place we are at today.
Donations of $1, $5, $20, or $100 are welcome! Even $0.50 helps!
My name is Meredith Ballard and this is Ricky, my wonderful guide dog of four and-a-half years. I have been legally blind since birth and I was fortunate enough to receive Ricky completely for free from the Mira Foundation when I was a teenager.
Today I found out that Ricky urgently needs surgery to remove her spleen. Her spleen has an abornal mass that may or may not be cancerous--the vet will not be able to tell until the mass is removed and a biopsy is performed. Until today, she never showed signs of health problems and has always been happy, energetic, and spunky.
I took her to the vet thinking that her recent lethargy, lack of appetite, and upset stomach were merely signs of a gastrointestinal parasite, but the vet told me that Ricky actually has anemia. He performed a phsyical exam and an X-ray to determine the source of her anemia, and I was shocked when he found a large mass on her spleen. I was then referred to a veterinary specialty hospital, where they performed an ultrasound on Ricky's abdomen. The ultrasound also showed the mass on her spleen, but did not show any evidence of lumps or nodules in any other area of her body, which is a very encouraging sign. I learned that it is the spleen's job to filter out old blood cells and replace them with new ones, and that the mass on Ricky's spleen has been preventing her body from doing that.
Ricky Needs the Money as Soon as Possible
Ricky needs to have this surgery performed quickly to make sure that her condition does not worsen. If her surgery is postponned there is a risk that her spleen could burst, which can be life-threatening, or that the mass may spread to other parts of her body.
How the Funds Will be Used
Ricky will have the surgery at Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas at their North Raleigh location.
All of the initial tests cost slightly over $1,000, and the surgery will cost $5,000-$6,000. The surgery will cost this much because Ricky will have to be sedated, she will have to stay at the animal hospital over night, and it is likely that she will require blood transfusions after the procedure.
How Ricky Has Changed My Life
I would not be half the person I am today without my guide dog.
Attending guide dog school and receiving Ricky has been the biggest blessing I have ever received. Working with Ricky gave me real independence for the first time in my life, and it showed me how intelligent, kind, and hard-working other creatures can be. Once I was paired with Ricky I began to see the world and everything in it in a more positive light. Every morning, no matter how tired or groggy I feel, Ricky is always happy to see me, she always gets excited when I pick up her harness or put on my backpack for school because she knows that the day is about to start and she gets to come with me. When we are traveling a route downtown together she always stops at the corners of the sidewalk to make sure that I don't walk into oncoming traffic, and when I praise her for finding the right spot on the sidewalk she always wags her tail and proudly guides me down the crosswalk.
Ricky has been a blessing not just because of what she does for me, but also because of her exhuberant, friendly personality and sweet nature. To Ricky, everyone is a potential friend.
Ricky was with me when I walked across the stage at graduation from Appalachian, she was with me every day of 1L year in law school, and it is my deepest wish that she will be with me next year when I graduate from Campbell. But to do that, I will need the help of all of you.
A donation of any size is an immense help. Any extra donations will be given to the Mira Foundation, the organization that raised, trained, and paired me with Ricky almost five years ago. They continue to offer guide dogs to blind children in the U.S. free of charge. They have been immensely supportive in helping me and Ricky reach the place we are at today.
Donations of $1, $5, $20, or $100 are welcome! Even $0.50 helps!
Organizer
Meredith-Grey Ballard
Organizer
Raleigh, NC
