Chemotherapy to Save River & Kaylee

THE SHORT STORY:

On March 3rd Ivan and I received confirmation that River, one of our two youngest cats, had life threatening cancer. This came only 2 days after the sudden death of our cat Beast due to respiratory failure, which occurred only 10 days after we lost our beautiful Inara to a wasting thyroid condition.

less than a week after the shock of Rivers lymphoma diagnosis, and still reeling from the loss of Inara and Beast, we received our forth blow. Kaylee, Rivers sister and littermate, has cancer as well (squamous cell carcinoma). We've already lost too many of our beloved companions within less than a month. I am not loosing any more this season if there is *anything* I can do to help it, even if that means asking you all for some of that help.

I've been trying and failing to "craft" the perfect GoFundMe since Monday when my credit card was declined and I found out just how much feline chemotherapy treatments cost, but Ivan and I have been on this emotional thresher for weeks now so I'm letting go of "perfect" and of my fear of judgement for making the request, and settling for "heartfelt" and "good enough".

Below I've composed a small novella outlining the events of the past month, explaining River and Kaylee's current conditions along with a ballpark breakdown of some of the recent vet costs we've been managing up until now, and the costs we can expect should we be able to raise the funds to follow through with River and Kaylee's chemotherapy.

Please rest assured that River and Kaylee's comfort and quality of life is our highest priority. To that end, we where very pleased to discover that chemotherapy for cats, while expensive, is not remotely the hell that it is for humans. They generally have few (if any) side effects and one can often see the positive results as of the first treatment. In Rivers case, we have absolutely found that to be true. Her first dose of her first round of chemo was Wednesday (March 12th) and she's happily prancing about the house like the queen of the castle. She is no longer vomiting multiple times per day and her appetite and ability to eat is clearly on the upswing.

Kaylee is also doing well if unfortunately less than completely comfortable at the moment. She went in for surgery on Monday to remove the mass that was eventually confirmed as cancer. 16 stitches and some facial reconstruction later, she will be wearing a recovery collar and watched like a hawk until her stitches come out on the 24th (She's itchy. We can't let her scratch her stitches). Unfortunately, despite the surgeons best efforts the analysis of the removed mass indicated inadequate margins to be sure the cancer was limited to her chin/lower lip and it was recommended we see the oncologist and consider preventative chemo. She visits the oncologist Tuesday, the day before River is scheduled for her 2nd "instalment" of her first round of chemo.

*To clarify, our Vet (Vetspress) runs an independent clinic and is in no way affiliated with the oncologist, who we contacted on the recommendation of a friend, and derives no financial benefit from her recommendation to see the oncologist and furthermore has the fairest prices and least "upsell" of all the MANY veterinary clinics I've been to over the past 10 years.

Around 7 or 8 years ago I made a bargain with Karma. I began to donate to every GoFundMe I caught on my feed posted by a friend or re-posted on behalf of someone one they cared about. I'd give what I could; occasionally that was $100+, and sometimes it wasn't more than $5, but I wanted to pay it forward, because I knew any one of those friends, acquaintances, and strangers could have been Ivan or myself... and now here we are. Any amount will help, and we all thank you from the bottoms of our hearts.

Ivan, Liz, River, Kaylee, and the rest of our furry little family.

[email redacted]

THE LONG STORY:

Our emotional and financial rollercoaster ride began on Valentines day.

Friday Feb 14: Kaylee and Inara to Vet. Kaylee for a wound that would not heal. Inara, to see if there was any help for her, or short of that, a final farewell. A couple examinations, blood tests, cell samples, medications, and $600-some-odd dollars later, we went home with both cats. Unfortunately in Inaras case, the meds where too little, too late and she passed quietly a couple days later. Kaylee's wound persisted. No improvement despite antibiotics.

Monday Feb 17: Inara passed quietly that morning in Ivans arms. While heartbreaking, it was not entirely unexpected, unlike the blindsiding cascade of feline health crises that where to follow. We made the decision to have her cremated as both Ivan and i had done in the past for our beloved companions.

Friday Feb 28: River & Kaylee to vet. Concerned by Rivers vomiting and sudden rapid loss of both muscle and mass as well as Kaylee's persistent wound, we made yet another trip to the vet. Bloodwork for River and a 2nd round of antibiotics for Kaylee. Rivers iron levels and white blood cell levels where off. Combined with the weight loss, this was our first hint at the possibility of lymphoma, seemingly quite a common cancer in cats. Next step, ultrasound booked for Monday at a clinic with ultrasound equipment to look for an abdominal mass.

Saturday March 1, 8:50am: Beast goes into acute respiratory distress. No foreign object present. He struggles for air. I grab him, shove him in the carrier still on the floor from yesterdays vet visit and RAN to our previous vet clinic who where reasonably close, had Beast on file, and where on open Saturdays. To their credit, they jumped to action and the vet that day was brand new and did not het have the "upsell all services" mandate that precipitated our decision to switch vet clinics. It was however *very* expensive and still resulted in Beasts euthanasia. My head knows I made the right choice, given the results of his x-ray (likely a longstanding chronic condition inevitably narrowing his airway over time), but my heart still cant get over the irrational feeling that I simply gave up on him and abandoned him without a fight. We requested a necropsy to identify any potential environmental factors that could have contributed to his death or cause harm to the other cats. I WILL NOT GIVE UP ON RIVER OR KAYLEE without a fight while they are still enjoying their quality of life and have good chance of continuing to do so with the right treatment.

Monday March 3: Rivers Ultrasound. Lymphoma conclusively confirmed via biopsy. Ivans and my hearts break for a third time in as many weeks.

Monday March 10: Kaylee to Vetspress for surgical removal of mass and reconstruction. Kaylees wound continued to grow and worsen despite 2 rounds of antibiotics. We made the decision to have it removed ASAP, as the possibility of the growth being malignant understandably weighed heavily on us. 16 stitches later, the analysis of the mass showed positive for squamous cell carcinoma. Essentially, skin cancer (a totally different cancer from River's lymphoma). They removed as much as possible from her chin, including her bottom lip right to her teeth and gums, in an effort to ensure none was left behind in the event the growth was cancerous, (necessitating the reconstruction of her chin by bringing up the looser skin from her neck to rebuild the flesh of the chin). Unfortunately, once the mass was analyzed, they could not be sure they got it all and recommended we consult the oncologist once again to consider preventative chemotherapy. She's healing well, but the stitches and recovery collar (despite it being a cute soft pillow in a flower shape) are irritating her and she needs to be watched closely for any sign of infection and to prevent her from damaging the stitches until they come out on the 24th.

Wednesday March 10: River to oncologist, 1st chemo treatment. We where informed that the stage and severity of Rivers lymphoma is typical of that of lymphoma in cats. We learned that it progresses quickly, but also regresses quickly with the proper treatment. We where told she had approximately 2 to 4 weeks before she would no longer be able to eat if left untreated. We where given several options ranging from the most expensive and highest success rate "A" protocol to the least expensive palliative measures intended to help her remain comfortable in what time she would have left without cancer fighting treatment. Please see below for more information about the treatment protocol, its success rates, and its associated costs.

March 14: Zoe & Kaylee to Vetspress. One month to the day on this emotional rollercoaster ride. Zoe is experiencing diarea and some vomiting. As you can imagine we are in a state of hyper-vigilance regarding our cats health and we are not about to dismiss any symptoms we might have otherwise seen as minor and unremarkable. Physical exam and blood test (sent to the lab, results expected Monday, and for the love of all things good, please let them be completely normal), some mild medication to help with the runs and a case of easily digestible cat food. Hopefully the runs are simply a matter of the current cat related household stress and some food that was too rich for her digestive system. We brought Kaylee with us just to make sure she was healing normally and her stitches where still properly intact. She's doing great and healing well so far!

And that ends our timeline with today, a day spent with the cats and my laptop, telling you our story, and hoping you'll be moved to help us with our vet bills up to now and beyond so we can give our two youngest cats their very best chance at a long and healthy life with us.

For those of you who would like to know more about the particulars of feline cancer treatments and their associated costs and/or about our costs already incurred thus far before deciding to donate, please read on. We also welcome any questions you may have that were not addressed in this veritable novella I've just composed and will do my very best to answer the the best of my ability. [email redacted]

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT FELINE CANCER TREATMENTS

Protocol "A" has the greatest chance for success. It consists of a wide variety of drugs administered over 4 rounds of 3 treatments each over a 4 month period (1 round per month. Treatments on weeks 1, 2, and 3 with week 4 "off". This is repeated for three more months. The full 4 month protocol "A" has a 70% success rate of full remission up to the 1 year mark, with many cats maintaining their remission well past one year, and some even considered "cured", remaining cancer free past the three year mark. Protocol "A" costs just under $2000+tax per round. Protocols "B", "C", "D", etc... are scaled down versions of protocol "A" consisting of a smaller variety of drugs and/or fewer treatments over a shorter period of time at a reduced cost, but with commensurate reduction in rate of success.

Rivers quality of life during any treatment is of utmost importance to us. To this end we learned that for cats, chemo is nothing like the hell it can be for humans and generally have few (if any) side effects and she should, in fact, stop vomiting and regain appetite quickly as the cancer rapidly shrinks.

The first treatment of the first round of chemotherapy is both the most crucial and most indicative of future success. We took the decision to keep Rivers door for successful treatment wide open. We laid down a fresh credit card, trusting we would find a way to cover the bill when the time came, and opted to have River treated right away with the protocol "A" initial treatment. We are scheduled for her 2nd treatment of "round 1" on Wednesday. They will examine her prior to the treatment to see how much progress was made with just the initial treatment. Assuming she has responded well, and given how great she seems to be doing after only a few days, we have absolutely no reason to think otherwise, we will know that its worth continuing with the protocol "A" treatments and that she has a great chance at successful remission! I will note here, that in the unlikely event we discover her cancer did not respond well to the best treatment available, we would of course reevaluate the situation and act rationally and accordingly in her best interest.

COSTS ALREADY INCURRED

• 4 Doctors visits of 2 cats per visit to Vetspress, including examinations, tests, medications, and specialized food : ($500-$800 each visit), ~$2800

• 1 Emergency visit to Vet du Plateau (Stabilization, tests, euthanasia, necropsy) ~$1300

• 2 cremations + transport to necropsy facility 2 hrs from Montreal ~$900

• 1 Ultrasound and biopsy with analysis, including sedation ~$1200

• 1 Surgical removal of mass, including biopsy/analysis and chin reconstruction ~$1200

• 1st chemotherapy for River. Includes cost for initial consultation prior to treatment and medications ~$900

ANTICIPATED COSTS YET TO COME

• Remaining 1st round chemotherapy treatments for river ~$1400

• 2nd, 3rd, and 4th chemo rounds for river ~$6000

• Initial oncology consultation and up to 4 rounds of chemo for Kaylee ~$8300

(Worst case scenario! We really hope she will not require 4 full rounds!)

We are aware that the cost for these treatments is substantial, and some may question their worth as applied to the life of a companion animal, however we view this with more than a simple "cost benefit" analysis can provide. We took these creatures into our hearts and our homes and they in turn have entrusted us with their care. We brought these rescues into our hearts and our homes, and with their love, comes th responsibility and obligation to do everything we can in the best interest of their health and wellbeing. We must not ever treat these members of our family as disposable or unworthy of our best efforts Finding some way to make these treatments financially possible is my best effort. I will not simply give up on River and Kaylee due to lack of finances. They are young and strong; the odds are on their side; and I have every confidence that given the chance they will exceed those odds, living long happy lives, full of love, given the chance.