My horse Zeke was a birthday gift when I turned 20, a present from the horse rescue where I volunteered through my saddest and angstiest teen years. My twenties were not much less angsty, but they were considerably easier to cope with because I had this weird, spotty little dude to hang out with.

In all the years I volunteered at that rescue, I saw a lot of horses I liked. I've seen a lot of horses since then. I've never had that same feeling of connection at first glance, seeing this horse and going 'Yep, he is meant to be part of my life.' He was a terrible first horse: late-gelded, barely handled, ulcery and inclined to bite. I was naive, idealistic, and imbued with that special twenty-year-old confidence which thinks life really is like those movies, where a troubled youth and troubled horse save each other.

Most of the time, that story ends in disaster. In our case, it came true.

Zeke is a mostly white paint horse with a lot of pink skin. Horses with his coloration are at high risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma, a potentially fatal and aggressive cancer. It was always on my radar as a possibility, but you're never really prepared to return home from months away and find your horse with a big pink growth on his eyeball.

About a miserable month of phone and email tag with veterinary hospitals, equine shippers, and boarding facilities later, after two vet exams and one surgery, Zeke has finally had the eye removed and seems to be recovering fantastically so far. Chances are excellent that all the dangerous tissue was removed. We were very lucky that the growth was largely limited to the eye itself and did not invade the skull.

The financial impact is predictably significant. After examinations, eye and ulcer medications, shipping Zeke to a surgical center, having the surgery itself, getting protective UV gear, I'm in a bit of a four figure hole. There are likely going to be more expenses associated with aftercare and follow-up visits.

In the years I've had him, Zeke has more than earned the best care and the best chance at recovery. Everything I've accomplished since I was 20, I can chalk up to this emotional support goon. If you have ever enjoyed my work, or been entertained by me as a person, you can thank this guy for putting in the hours to keep me on the planet. Please consider lending a hand so I can do my part to keep him going, too.

Thank you!