- P
- M
**後面有中文版本**
See Bread’s Daily Updates on Bread's Instagram below
About Us
We are Elena and Gary. We are based in Vancouver, BC, and we're reaching out to you with a heartfelt plea for our beloved cat, Bread. Bread's journey has been a remarkable one, as he started as a street cat from a shelter in Taiwan. Since he was a mere two months old, my husband and I have lovingly cared for him, watching him grow and become an inseparable part of our lives.
About Bread
Bread is a five-year-old cat. We first encountered him in a Taiwanese shelter in 2018 when he was just a month and a half old. He moved to Canada when he was two year old. Over the years, he has grown into an incredibly energetic and skilled toy hunter. Additionally, he has a strong bond with his human mother and can be quite vocal to express his affection.
Bread’s Medical Condition
Our beloved Bread has faced a series of challenging health issues, and we are reaching out to you for support in his time of need. In 2021, when Bread was just 2.5 years old, he began experiencing chronic vomiting episodes, occurring 3 to 4 nights a week, usually between 1 am to 5 am.
At first, we suspected it might be related to his diet, so we switched his food, but this change did not alleviate his suffering. As the year drew to a close, he stopped eating altogether, and we knew we had to take action.
The First Vet Visit
This was January 2022. We rushed Bread to our local vet, where the gravity of his condition became evident. He was severely dehydrated and anemic. Extensive tests were conducted, including an endoscopy to examine his stomach and duodenum, but frustratingly, all results came back negative. Despite the lack of a conclusive diagnosis, Bread began eating again, even though the vomiting persisted.
Medical Complications
However, a new complication emerged after the endoscopy. Bread developed a swallowing problem, causing him to frequently regurgitate his food. We suspected that the scope used during the procedure had irritated his esophagus, leaving it unable to heal properly, ultimately leading to a narrowing of his esophagus.
Critical Condition and Specialist Visits
The chronic vomiting had already caused Bread to lose weight, and with the added complication of an esophageal issue, his weight plummeted even faster. From his prime weight of 2.9 kg (6.4 lb), he steadily dwindled to a worrying 1.9 kg (4.2 lb), signifying a devastating 35% weight loss. Our Bread’s life was hanging in the balance.
In May 2023, Bread's regurgitation took a dire turn. He could no longer keep down any meals and struggled to obtain the essential nutrients his body needed. This led us to seek help from a specialty animal hospital, where Bread received a heartbreaking diagnosis: megaesophagus, a debilitating esophageal abnormality.
Megaesophagus prevents food from traveling effectively from the mouth to the stomach, resulting in frequent regurgitation. The worst outcome of this condition is recurring episodes of aspiration pneumonia, a life-threatening complication requiring extensive hospitalization and treatment.
Bread in an oxygen tank while suffering from pneumonia
His Desire to Live
The doctor presented euthanization as an option for Bread, foreseeing potential emotional and financial strain on us as his parents. However, we witnessed Bread's undeniable will to live and his unmistakable desire to stay with us. He continued to express his love for life, eagerly asking for food and demonstrating his lively spirit. We couldn't bear to let him go and pledged to do everything in our power to keep him alive and restore him to his healthy self.
His Lifeline
In July 2023, the doctor inserted a PEG tube directly into Bread's stomach. This lifeline allows us to provide him with food and nutrition directly, but it does not address the core issue – he still cannot eat or drink by mouth, not even swallow his own saliva, which he regurgitates daily.
Risk of Complications
Since July, he experienced three instances of aspiration pneumonia, and each time it happened, he required hospitalization, causing us significant concern.
What is the Next Step?
Now, we face a crucial decision. The doctor recommends a Balloon-Esophagus tube (BE Tube) to expand Bread's constricted esophagus, with the hope of restoring normal function in the future. While the outcome is uncertain, the operation is costly, and we are turning to our community for help in giving Bread the chance to eat by mouth again.
The doctor has given us instructions, and the primary focus is to address Bread's esophageal function. The doctor has recommended customizing a special device for esophageal dilation surgery, where a balloon esophageal tube (BE Tube) will be inserted into Bread's esophagus in the hope of restoring his esophageal function. The doctor cannot guarantee the success rate of this esophageal dilation surgery, but it is the only hope to enable Bread to eat again. However, this specially customized medical device is expensive, and combined with the surgical costs, we need everyone's help to give Bread a chance to regain oral feeding.
For further information about the Balloon E-Tube, please watch the videos below.
If the esophageal dilation surgery is successful, the next step will be to address Bread's poor nutrient absorption problem. Bread has undergone all tests, but as an experienced specialist, the doctor has been unable to identify the root cause of Bread's poor absorption. The doctor suggests that treatment can only be administered once the esophageal function has fully and stably recovered. The only way to address his malabsorption symptoms is through steroid treatment, but it is currently not an option until his esophagus is cured due to immune suppression nature of steroids
Current Medications Requiring Long-Term Use
Currently, Bread is taking the following medications:
Cerenia
An anti-dizziness medication used to treat Bread's chronic vomiting issues.
Metoclopramide
A medication that promotes digestion and gastrointestinal motility, alleviating vomiting problems caused by poor absorption.
Help Bread to Be able to Eat by Mouth Again
Your support will directly impact Bread's life. The funds raised will be devoted solely to Bread's medical expenses, including his surgeries, ongoing treatments, and essential healthcare needs. Our commitment is to ensure that every dollar raised is meticulously utilized to give Bread the best possible chance at a healthy and joyful life.
We want to express our deepest gratitude for considering being a part of Bread's journey. Your support, whether through a donation or by sharing his story, will make an indelible difference. Together, we can make a real impact and ensure that Bread can once again experience the pleasure of a normal meal. Thank you for your compassion and support.
Cost Breakdown
We have expended approximately $25,000 from our savings and borrowing this year, and we've also received an estimate for Bread's upcoming procedures. Please see below for incurred medical expenses and quotations
-----------------------------------------
**關於我們**
我們是Elena和Gary，我們目前住在加拿大溫哥華。我們需要大家的幫助，為我們的貓兒子麵包重回正常的生活。麵包是一隻來自台灣收容所的流浪貓。從他兩個月大時，Gary和我一直以來都寵溺著他，把他拉拔長大，沒有任何困難能把我們分開。
**關於麵包**
麵包是我們在台灣救援的貓咪。我們第一次遇到他是在2018年，當時他只有一個半月大。五年來，他已經是一隻非常活潑、討喜的小皮蛋。此外，他和我們有著深厚的感情，並且每天都和我們撒嬌睡覺。
**麵包手術後的日常**
**麵包目前的健康狀況**
麵包正面臨嚴重的健康問題。在2021年，麵包只有兩歲半時，他開始出現慢性嘔吐的問題，每週發作3至4次，通常在凌晨1點至5點之間。起初，我們懷疑這可能和他的飲食有關，所以我們幫他換了各種食物，但這並沒有減少他的嘔吐狀況。時間來到年底，他開始完全停止進食，我們才知道我們必須帶他去看醫生。
**麵包第一次獸醫診療**
我們緊急將麵包帶到網上推薦蠻多的獸醫診所，他當時的狀況非常糟糕，嚴重脫水並且貧血。當時獸醫幫他做了很多的檢測，包括內視鏡檢查胃和十二指腸，不幸的是，所有結果都是正常的。獸醫師束手無策之下，我們帶回了麵包，所幸麵包開始自主進食，但是嘔吐狀況仍然沒有改善。
然而，在內視鏡檢查後，麵包出現了一個新的併發症。他開始出現吞嚥問題，導致他經常反芻食物。我們懷疑在手術過程中使用的內視鏡已經傷到他的食道，加上麵包嘔吐狀況並沒改善，讓他受傷的食道一直無法癒合，最終導致食道變窄。
**危急狀況和專科診療**
慢性嘔吐讓麵包體重下降，再加上食道問題的併發症，他的體重下降得更快。從他的最佳體重2.9公斤下降到1.9公斤，其他正常貓咪體重落在3至4公斤左右，麵包體重減少了35%，造成毀滅性的傷害，這時的麵包已是命懸一線。
在2023年5月，麵包的反芻情況惡化。他再也無法攝取任何食物，也難以獲得身體所需的基本營養。麵包再次緊急送至離我們家最近的動物醫院，這次醫生確診麵包罹患巨食道症，是一種嚴重的食道異常。
**巨食道症**
食物無法從口腔傳遞到胃，導致頻繁反芻。該病症最害怕的是出現會緊急危害生命的併發症，反復發作的吸入性肺炎，需要長時間的氧氣室住院治療，以及服用抗生素。
**他堅強而韌性的生命力**
我們緊急轉診至專科醫生，第一次緊急問診時，專科醫生提出了對麵包進行安樂死的選擇，因為她預見我們作為他的父母可能面臨情感和龐大的財務壓力。然而，我們見證了麵包堅強的生命意志和他對留在我們身邊的明確渴望。他繼續表達對生活的熱愛，渴望食物，展示著他充滿活力的精神。我們無法忍心就這樣輕易的讓他離開，承諾竭盡所能，讓他活下來，繼續延續他這輩子來到我們身邊當我們的孩子的緣分。
**麵包目前唯一賴以維生的胃管**
在2023年7月，醫生執行手術，幫麵包裝上PEG胃管。這條生命線讓我們能夠將食物和營養直接提供給他，但這並未解決根本問題 - 他仍然無法口服進食或飲水，甚至不能嚥下自己的唾液，他每天都會反芻他積累下來的唾液。
**併發症風險**
2023年7月至今兩個月，他已經經歷了三次嚴重的吸入性肺炎，每次都需要住進氧氣室以及服用抗生素治療，這讓醫生和我們都非常擔憂。
**下一步是什麼？**
醫生給我們的指示是，首要先解決麵包的食道功能，醫生建議訂製特殊儀器進行食道擴張手術，將一根氣囊食道管（BE Tube）裝入麵包的食道，希望能恢復他的食道功能。醫生無法保證其食道擴張手術的成功率，但這是唯一能讓麵包再次進食的希望，且這款特別訂製的醫療設備昂貴加上手術費用，我們需要大家的幫助，讓麵包重獲口服進食的機會。
如果食道擴張手術成功的話，再來是需要解決麵包營養吸收不良的問題，麵包目前做了所有的檢測，作為多年經驗的專科醫生，始終無法查出造成麵包吸收不良的根本原因，醫生建議需要等食道功能完全恢復且穩定才能施以治療，唯一方式是以類固醇治療其吸收不良的病症。
**目前需要長期服用的藥物**
目前麵包正在服用的藥物有:
1. Cerinia，抗暈眩，治療麵包慢性嘔吐的問題。
2. Metoclopramide，促進消化及腸胃蠕動，緩解麵包因為吸收不良，導致嘔吐的問題。
**幫助麵包能夠再次口服進食**
您的支持將直接影響麵包的生活。所有募集的資金將只會用於麵包的醫療費用，包括手術、持續治療和長期服用的藥物。我們承諾每一筆籌款都會被精心使用，以讓麵包有可能過上健康和快樂的正常生活。
對於您考慮幫助麵包的執行接下來的醫療手術，我們致上最深切的感激。無論是通過實際捐贈還是幫我們分享他的故事給您的親友們，您的支持都將深深影響麵包的募款。讓我們一起讓麵包能再次享受正常進食的愉悅，重獲正常的貓生，感謝您的慈悲和支持，這些恩惠我們將永遠銘記在心。
**醫療花費**
我們今年目前從我們的存款和貸款中，支付大約加幣兩萬五千元(大約新台幣五十六萬)，醫生已將麵包的食道擴張手術估價給我們， 您可以在英文的段落裡看到麵包所有的花費。