Grace needs a Cure

Gracie came to me in my first year of college. My grandmother called, and told me a new mother cat on her farm had been attacked by a coyote and killed. Her kittens were only two weeks old, and needed more care than my Grandmother could provide. She invited her grandchildren out to the farm to pick a kitten. I chose Gracie, the most precocious and social of the litter. I raised her by hand, bottle feeding her until she was ready for solid food. She was energetic, playful and hilarious in the way young cats can be, and I loved her completely.
She has been with me through all of my major life events; college, graduation, two moves across states, my first real job and my second, a failed marriage and a new chance at happiness. The orphaned kitten from Kansas has been my constant companion and most consistant friend.
She loves food (especially people food), catnip and chasing light. Her biggest fears are dogs, abandonment, and the veterinarian, the last after a traumatic experience when she was 9 months old and at the vet to be spayed.
She has been with me 14 years this past May, and had begun losing weight. Her normal 9 pound body had shrunk to less than 7, as I watched with growing concern. With her fear of the vet, I had been putting off a visit hoping her weightloss would resolve, but after months with no sign of improvement I made the appointment. The diagnosis was hyperthyroidism. She has a large lump on her thyroid gland, which will continue to grow and worsen her hyperthyroidism if left unchecked. Months of the medication have helped her T4 levels, but she has not regained any weight. She is a small cat, and her veins are tiny and hard to find. This, coupled with her fear of the vet, have made it impossible to get her necessary bloodwork while she is awake without risk of rupturing or collapsing an artery. Her CBC and T4 levels will need to be rechecked regularly for the rest of her life if she remains on the medication, which has side effects and does nothing to slow the growth of the tumor. Apart from surgically removing her thyroid gland, which would cause the opposite problem and still require constant bloodwork, the only other option, and the safest and most effective, is Radioactive iodine therapy. No anesthesia or surgery is required, and only one treatment is usually needed to achieve a cure.
This is why I have come to Gofundme. Her last round of simple bloodwork cost $300. She will need more extensive bloodwork prior to receiving the radioiodine therapy which will cost upwards of $1400. I have had to use my fledgling savings to pay Gracie's medical bills, but I do not have enough saved to get her the treatment she needs. If you can find it in your heart to help Gracie, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Hyperthyroidism in Cats