Help Support Jack
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The ever so resilient Jack, he became part of our family on June 7, 2017, we adopted him from Second Chance an animal rescue shelter. He was 10 months old. Jack was born in Columbus, Mississippi and was found astray and brought to Massachusetts. The only information about Jack's genetics was that he was a Lab Terrier Mix. It was unbelievable how quickly he connected with the family. It is just myself and my two children, I have a daughter and a son. We are a unit and he was the best addition to our family. On Sept 7, 2017, Jack was hit by a car, the driver took off. This was a tragic day, Jack was rushed to the Emergency Room where my daughter was in tears and afraid that he was not going to make it. After hours of waiting, Jack was diagnosed with Brachial Plexus, the vet explained that the recovery time would have been extensive and that I had to make a decision to amputate his front right arm if he was going to live a happier life. Jack was very lethargic and unhappy for a couple of weeks, it was so hard to see him like that. On October 7, 2017, Jack had his operation, after we picked him up that night, he rested. The very next day he was back to his loving, playful self and you wouldn't even know he was missing an arm, it did not seem to bother him at all, but it did slow him down a bit. He enjoys swimming and hikes a lot more than running around. Jack comes almost everywhere with me and the kids. I work long hours in a hospital as a surgical tech and he always greets me at the door every night with tons of kisses, it is the best feeling, unconditional love and excitement, whether you’re gone 12 mins or 12 hours. My love for Jack grows every day. Our bond is so strong, and his bond with the kids is even stronger, he is like having another child. He watches TV with them, always giving kisses and wagging his tail and protecting them. If you are a pet owner you know how much our animals mean to us.
On August 4, 2020, Jack woke up paralyzed, we had no idea what had happened, a week ago he was camping and hiking and then out of nowhere he couldn’t get up to use the bathroom. I called the vet and explained the situation, she prescribed him some anti-inflammatory medicine, and we did not see any improvement. We then brought him to the vet, and they diagnosed him with a slipped disc and told me I needed to bring him to the ER right away. It was September 7th all over again. The doctor told me that it wasn’t a good sign that he had no feeling in his legs, she said he has a 50/50 chance of walking again and the surgery would cost $6,000-$7,000. This decision was a lot harder than the amputation, this is now his back legs leaving him with one working arm. Jack is a fighter, young and basically my child. I had to make a decision about a surgery that was not even a guarantee, but because of my love for him and how much he means to my family, I asked the doctor to proceed with a hemilaminectomy, a spine surgery that involves removing part of one of the two laminae on a vertebra to relieve excess pressure on the spinal nerve(s) in the lumbar spine. Jack’s surgery was on August 7, 2020, his birthday. Around 7:30 pm that night the doctor called me to tell me the surgery went well, but the spinal cord was severely bruised and they were concerned about myelomalacia, the softening of the spinal cord. The next morning, the doctor called me again and said Jack had movement in his feet and did better than expected. Jack came home 4 days later with no signs of myelomalacia. Jack still has a long journey ahead of him as he recovers, his bladder needs to be manually decompressed and he can only use his one front arm to go for very short distances in the yard. We still don't know if he will ever regain mobility in his back legs, but we are hopeful. We are asking for any help with the cost of Jack’s surgery, as we continue on this road to recovery we anticipate more costs, but any contribution to payoff already accumulated bills and reach our goal is very much appreciated. This will help my family tremendously, my daughter is heading off to college next year and the money raised will be used to pay off this debt and allow me to save for my children's futures.
On August 4, 2020, Jack woke up paralyzed, we had no idea what had happened, a week ago he was camping and hiking and then out of nowhere he couldn’t get up to use the bathroom. I called the vet and explained the situation, she prescribed him some anti-inflammatory medicine, and we did not see any improvement. We then brought him to the vet, and they diagnosed him with a slipped disc and told me I needed to bring him to the ER right away. It was September 7th all over again. The doctor told me that it wasn’t a good sign that he had no feeling in his legs, she said he has a 50/50 chance of walking again and the surgery would cost $6,000-$7,000. This decision was a lot harder than the amputation, this is now his back legs leaving him with one working arm. Jack is a fighter, young and basically my child. I had to make a decision about a surgery that was not even a guarantee, but because of my love for him and how much he means to my family, I asked the doctor to proceed with a hemilaminectomy, a spine surgery that involves removing part of one of the two laminae on a vertebra to relieve excess pressure on the spinal nerve(s) in the lumbar spine. Jack’s surgery was on August 7, 2020, his birthday. Around 7:30 pm that night the doctor called me to tell me the surgery went well, but the spinal cord was severely bruised and they were concerned about myelomalacia, the softening of the spinal cord. The next morning, the doctor called me again and said Jack had movement in his feet and did better than expected. Jack came home 4 days later with no signs of myelomalacia. Jack still has a long journey ahead of him as he recovers, his bladder needs to be manually decompressed and he can only use his one front arm to go for very short distances in the yard. We still don't know if he will ever regain mobility in his back legs, but we are hopeful. We are asking for any help with the cost of Jack’s surgery, as we continue on this road to recovery we anticipate more costs, but any contribution to payoff already accumulated bills and reach our goal is very much appreciated. This will help my family tremendously, my daughter is heading off to college next year and the money raised will be used to pay off this debt and allow me to save for my children's futures.
Organizer
Diana Gordon
Organizer
Worcester, MA
