Hello, friends!

Our dearest and only boy, Haku the ferret, was recently diagnosed with lymphoma -- a deadly type of cancer that affects approximately 4 out of every 5 ferrets in America. Without treatment, he will not make it for much longer. Haku has other plans, however. He's not ready to lay down and give up -- and that is why we want to give him a fighting chance.

According to our vet -- and a second opinion from an entirely separate vet -- the only way to fight lymphoma is chemotherapy. I'd asked about delaying the cancer via surgery, but the kind vet at the Kersting animal hospital explained that surgery is very risky and doesn't remove the cancer. Long story short, chemo is the only way we'll be able to give our boy the extra years he deserves.

Unfortunately, money is tight. Between the current state of the world and my extensive dental bills, as well as the added stress of my family recently experiencing a loss, we have very little extra funds. To be frank, we have no extra. That's where you have the chance to help.

Haku has been all over, and met many wonderful friends. Some of you, he hasn't met at all but he's still been a major part in your online world. If Haku has touched your life at all, please consider donating to the cause. Even sharing this Go Fund Me is important, and could potentially reach enough eyes to get his treatment funded.

Originally, we'd set the goal for $8,000USD. As you can see, we've decided to lower that to just half -- $4,000. I want to be transparent with everyone reading: this wasn't in an effort to swindle the public out of thousands in order to pocket the extra, as I know that may seem at a glance. The truth is, when I called the Missouri Animal Cancer Care center the day we came home with the prognosis, that is what was quoted. The kind woman on the phone had estimated we would be looking at $8,000 "on the higher end." So, we aimed high. We wanted to be sure we could cover the cost if it came down to it. However, after speaking with some others with experience in dealing with ferrets needing chemo, we realized that it may not be nearly as much as what we were quoted. Thus, the lowered goal. To be completely honest, I still don't have a concrete answer from the cancer center or the vet on a final cost -- we may not know until we cross that bridge. But one thing is for certain, we want to help Haku no matter what. And if that means a dark uncertainty around vet bills, then so be it. Haku is my life, my light; he's loved deeply by all of us and by people who never thought they could love an animal so much.

Please, again, consider sharing or even donating.