Dear Friends. I am sure many of you have heard by now that Sir Elton had a very unexpected trip to the veterinary hospital last night. He was out playing ball as hard as he always does, he yelped and was immediately unable to use his back legs. Last night things looked grim. He was seen by a neurologist today and had an MRI. We are relieved. It could have been much worse. His diagnosis is ANNPE, essentially a disk injury that presses upon the spinal cord. The good news is that his prognosis is not as bad as we thought it would be. We won’t know for several weeks or months if he will have a full recovery. We are optimistic he will have full access to his legs, won’t have a limp and will be able to do his daily “routines” by himself. We just want him home, but it would break our heart if he could not play ball again. He lives for ball and his mom.

To say we are devasted is an understatement. Elton is Elizabeth’s lifeline. To know Elizabeth is to know Elton. Her biggest fear has always been losing him before his time. We have had our scares with him with a diagnosis of cancer a couple years back. It has had us on edge for a bit. Now this. We are doing everything in our power to ensure he has a full recovery.

It’s always hard to turn to all of you for help. But here we are. Elton’s treatment, no matter which way it goes, will be at least $6,000. Normally we would have scraped our way through it alone, but you may be aware Elizabeth just lost her job last week as well. It was so unjust, but the school’s “at will” employment means they can get rid of you for absolutely no reason at all. No reason. She’s been holding herself up, but her heart was already broken.

So, it is with a humble heart we are asking you to help us get through this challenging financial time so that we can give Elton all the care he needs to fully recover. I can’t imagine Elizabeth without her crazy, loving boy bouncing around chasing balls.

Whatever you can give would be so welcome. Every bit helps and any response at all makes us feel so supported and held.

Thank you in advance for all your prayers and love that you are sending to Elizabeth and Elton. Elton reminds me daily that even though he loves me, I am not his mom. Such is the life of a soon-to-be stepmother.

So grateful to have such a community of love and support every day. It truly is incredible.