Fighting Rocky's Cancer

  This page is dedicated to my almost 7 year old Golden Retriever named Rocky. Three weeks ago he was diagnosed with Lymphoma and without this chemotherapy treatment, his prognosis is incredibly poor, so I have decided despite my lack of funds, I will do everything I can to fight for him as he always has for me.

 

 As anyone who knows me is aware, I am an animal lover. I have always had animals, and I love them all like my own kids, and really, for the past several years, these guys been my only source of tangible family while I've lived in Chicago on my own. Needless to say, they are the most important thing to me in my day to day life. But Rocky has been more than just family for me. Rocky has been my most loyal, most dependent friend through the hardest times in my life. He has been my protector in some tough situations. He is the reason I know I am safe walking through the Chicago streets at midnight. Whereas my other dog would get excited and ready to lick away at an approaching stranger, Rocky is always on guard and alert and literally keeps himself in between me and approaching unknown people. He has intimidated many an innocent bystander, to say the least. :)

 

  While he is cautious and intensely observant of new people I may bring in to his life, once he trusts you, he is the biggest love, ready to fill your face with the most controlled, least sloppy dog kisses ever. He will also become the goof that he was for the first 4-5 years of his life, grab the nearest item in his mouth, and run around, tail-wagging, making this Velociraptor-type noise, as my friend and I have always called it, daring you to try to take it from him.

 

  For part of the year in 2011-2012, Rocky stayed with my mom and 9 year old (at that point) little brother. He served the same purpose with mom, helping her through some tough times and making her feel loved and safe at all times. He also became a wonderful little buddy to my brother and the other neighbor kids. Though it was so hard to have him away from me, it was obviously meant to be timing-wise, and when I got my boy back, it was like we'd missed no time at all.

 

  If he knew how to, I believe Rocky would take a bullet for me, and this is why I couldn't possibly live with myself if I didn't take this bullet for him. This is going to be a long, difficult, and expensive process as we go through 18 weeks of chemotherapy, but it's worth it, and I will have no regrets no matter what the outcome may be. I just ask from the bottom of my heart that you consider possibly donating a couple bucks to the financial burden of this process, and I swear when the day comes that you need help, I will not hesistate to return the favor.

 

  Thank you so much.