12/28/23 Update: 

Hey friends and family. We just got back to the hotel room. Surgery is off the choice board and at this point so is chemo. The cancer was centralized 30 days ago and has since spread very rapidly. We have 3-6 months at this point. Thank you everybody for all of your donations and prayers. Todays visit was $2,546, so any donations from here on out will be used toward his medication, which is quite a pharmacy. This will make it so he can stay comfortable. Again, thank you everybody for all you do♥️

I am always transparent when it comes to other people’s money, so this was the bill from today.

My name is Lauren Hall and I am a public school teacher in Virginia. Recently, my dog, Banjo Sunshine, was diagnosed with gastric carcinoma at 5 years old. I have had Banjo since he was 9 weeks old and he is my best friend.

I had the pumpkin health insurance for him, but they will not cover anything due to “preexisting conditions”, which was vomiting. Now, we all know vomiting can be due to ANYTHING. I have reached out to them because vomiting is a symptom and NOT a condition, but that got me nowhere.

The specialist said that the cancer was centrally located only in the stomach and has not spread.

The first surgeon I spoke with did not give me a very good outcome, but was also not an overnight hospital. She quoted the surgery to be $4000 and that is without complications or hospitalization afterward. I was also told that Banjo would need to start chemo a few weeks following the surgery. With all this said Banjo is still doing well. He’s going to the bathroom okay, he still enjoys walks and playtime, but his appetite has slowed.

I will be taking Banjo to NC State for a 2nd opinion on the surgery or any other way that I can give him a long and healthy life. I have already spent about $3000 on my credit cards for my boy and I am hoping that this fund will help with whatever is ahead of us. Our appointment is on Dec 28th, and we are going hell or high water because I will not give up on my best friend.

Now, if for some reason there is nothing to be done, then I will be donating the funds to a lab rescue, as well as any NC state grants for those that might be in my position in the future. When it is a life or death situation with a family member, then nobody hesitates getting the best medical care. Money is the biggest barricade and I will not let that stop my Banjo from getting the care that he needs. I cannot and will not sit back and watch him fade away.

I know that Christmas time is the absolute worst time to ask for donations, but I have been left with no other choice. Please put yourself in my shoes and think about those in your family that you love. Can you live without them?