If you know me, you most certainly know, or at least know of, Zeus. At the age of 19, Zeus & I found each other when he was only a couple of months old. He has since been by my side through every walk of life, living everywhere from Florida, Boston, Ohio, Philly, and NYC. He's survived a 3-day runaway stint, multiple apartments/roommates, and fellow cat + dog companions. We just celebrated his 12th birthday this past August. Zeus & I have been together through every single moment of my twenties, and he has been the one constant in my life for as long as I can recall.

Having always been a chubby guy, Zeus has most recently shown some considerable weight loss. Upon an initial vet visit, all bloodwork looked fine. After further testing, scans revealed a mass on one of his kidneys, along with severely enlarged lymph nodes and a thickening in his stomach and intestinal lining. While cytology has been unable to confirm an official diagnosis, doctors are strongly suggesting that we treat this as lymphoma and begin chemotherapy immediately.

Since Zeus has existing kidney issues, we need to pursue a specialized route for chemo that won't impact his kidneys. His red blood cell count is also rapidly dropping, so he needs special supplements, hormones, and weekly bloodwork in conjunction with the chemotherapy. The overall treatment plan is difficult to estimate until we start to see how he responds to it, but the Oncology specialist has predicted over $20,000 for all services. While he does have insurance, we have under $2,000 left in his current policy. Once this renews in November, we'll have an additional $7,500 to put towards treatment, but until that policy kicks in, I will be paying out of pocket. Additional expenses are also anticipated, including transportation to and from treatment, along with a potentially specialized diet going forward.

I am prepared to incur as many of these costs as necessary to try and fight for the betterment of Zeus's health, but I'm humbly asking my friends, or anyone that this may reach, to please donate if you are able, or at the very least, to please share this fund to your networks. It's difficult to imagine a phase of my life without Zeus, and I'm hoping that by getting him the care he needs, I won't need to any time soon. In lieu of sounding like a crazy cat lady, I truly feel that Zeus is my soulmate in this life and every other and has been my companion through everything I've experienced in my adult life.

Thank you in advance to anyone who has taken the time to read this message and donates or shares this fund.