Help Big fight two cancers at 13 years old!

30 donors

$2,165 raised of $7.5K

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Help Big fight two cancers at 13 years old!

heather shin is organizing this fundraiser.

Hi, my name is Heather and I am raising funds for my golden retriever Big's cancer treatments.

Big is the sweetest companion anyone could wish for. After joining my family as a puppy in New Zealand, Big has grown up with me and my 3 siblings, quickly becoming an indispensable member of the family. This baby boy has bravely lived through a cross-Pacific move, his siblings' graduations, and many other milestones. And now, he is standing strong in facing his biggest challenge yet: fighting his two cancer diagnoses.

This March, months before his 13th birthday, Big developed an oral melanoma on his right lip. We were able to successfully remove the tumor by surgery. However, within the next two months the oral melanoma came back to grow on the same spot. We put him through another surgery for removal of the mass. The surgery was successful but having gone through two anesthesias as a senior dog, Big's health declined significantly.

Then, we found out from the lab results that Big also has B cell lymphoma.

Big started chemotherapy for Lymphoma and 4 melanoma vaccinations simultaneously. Luckily, he has been responding well to these treatments. After four months of treatment, both of his melanoma and lymphoma are under control and Big continues to enjoy his life.

Nevertheless, the financial burden over the months has become more and more challenging, as the treatments were added as his conditions progressed. I have consulted his insurance, but have gotten the unfortunate news that cancers will not be covered by his current insurance. With each treatment costing around $3,000 per month, paying out of pocket has quickly become very difficult.

Cancer sucks. But with your support, my family and I hope that Big can squeeze in more adventures and we can squeeze in more giant smooches. Help him knock out cancer!