Last month during a vet visit to discuss a growth on Fiona related to her skin cancer the vet noted an irregular heartbeat and recommended we see a cardiologist immediately. I was still pretty focused on what we were going to do about the skin cancer growths and I certainly wasn’t expecting nor was I prepared when the cardiologist shared that the irregularly high heartbeat and murmur were due to an incurable progressive heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy.

For the heart disease we have started her on medication she will take daily for the rest of life that will hopefully slow the effects of the heart disease down and keep her from going into congestive heart failure for as long as possible. As of now we’ve been told anywhere from 1-3 years but will know more as we continue to check in with the Cardiologist to see if the medicine has stabilized her enlarged heart or if it continues to get worse in the coming months. We also have appointments scheduled with oncology and internal medicine to help us navigate her cancer growths, GI issues and skin allergies.

I’ve had a few weeks to process the news and what it means for our lives, and while I feel emotionally prepared to navigate all of her medical needs and ensure she has the best quality of life for her time left with us I’ve also had to be honest about my capacity to afford it all. The life long medicines, tests, and specialists visits on top of general costs and upkeep to care for her normal needs is well beyond my budget.

Fiona is quite literally my best friend and I sincerely don’t know what I would have done without her over the past year. And as hard as this is for me to ask for help in this way we are in need of support covering the costs now and in the coming months/year. If you can donate we would greatly appreciate it! I know this past year has been hard so please only help if you can in whatever capacity feels comfortable for you. Even if you can’t donate, we will happily take shares to help get the word out. 

Other ways to donate: Venmo - @Amanda-Hart-32 or CashApp$ahart1020