Dear friends of Fish,

My brilliant hunk of love blue nosed pittie, Fish, rescued a little over 7 years ago, a cinder block on legs in a field of daisies like Ferdinand, muse and adored by so many was misdiagnosed from a small pea sized lump check in March 2022. As a result of this “being missed” he now has metastasized Mast Cell cancer. I could go into the backstory of this and the backstory of, well, a crazy hard 3 years, but the truth is I just want to do right by my dog and focus on him, not the error, not my shock and rage, but to meet this moment, this problem with a different response.

To do that, I really need to lean in on the deep communities I gratefully live among in the Venn Diagram of life with and ask, once again, for group support. To diagnose alone so far has cost ver $4,000. He will need surgery and extensive follow up care and the prospect of that vet bill is daunting to say the least. He will have a combination of both western and eastern medical treatments. If he were older I would re-consider some of the interventions and I obviously don’t know what the outcome will be irregardless, but, it’s not time to let him go without trying. I know that’s what he wants me to do too!

Some of you have already generously reached out, sent $, purchased prints….thank you so much! I have had a lot of tragedies the last few years but…I also have pandemic angels all around (you know who you are, near and far) that have helped carry us through. It is so hard for me to ask for help and I am trying to tap into the place where I can spin this into a practice of receiving. Expect the unexpected. Most things that led me here are out of my control. And, sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and step into the uncomfortable zone, even if tailspinning in impossible vertigo, let go of the grip and step into universal stability amidst the chaos…for this I know we can all relate!

So, I am kindly asking for donations, to spread the word to other dog lover friends, to anyone who loves Fish and has palled around with us, or to purchase a giclee print or gouache painting (excluding commissions unless you have no timeline) in support of our efforts to get the cancer out, and get all the good stuff in. This is likely to cost up to 15k with follow up care, his care will be ongoing.

If you are able to help in any way, I am grateful in advance. And I truly understand if you can’t.

If you have other ideas of how to generate some $ to help us I am all ears. Stay tuned for a February archery fundraiser that supports the Fish Fund sure to be a blast and help pay the bills.

I am feeling hopeful.

In spirit,

Angela and her dog named Fish