At the end of August, we noticed a small bump on Mila’s snout. At first, we didn’t think much of it—but when it didn’t go away, we knew we had to find out what was going on. On October 27th, we got the news no pet parent is ever ready to hear: Mila has cancer. It’s a very rare type called Papillary Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

I got Mila less than two weeks after I turned 20 years old. It has been seven years now and she has stood by me throughout my entire twenties. She has been by my side on some of the worst and best days of my life. She has been by my side through heart break, loss, the birth of my daughter, and everything in between. Everyone who has a dog or a pet knows that they are truly your family. Mila is the definition of a “Marley and Me” dog. She was a typical high strung golden retriever puppy that wreaked havoc on our lives for many years- from chewing up my mom’s couch, to constantly stealing everyone socks, she was an absolute menace. But she is the most loyal and loving dog I have ever known. She is my best friend and I’m not ready to give up on her quite yet.

Mila is 7 now, and she still is full of so much life. The cancer has not affected her spirits yet and there is a surgery that she could get to remove the tumor. I don’t know if I could live with myself if I didn’t at least try to give Mila another chance at life. I got Mila at one of the lowest points of my life, she saved my life and now I am going to try to save hers. If you do read this and so kindly choose to donate, it would mean more to me and my family than I could even put into words. Sending love and healing to everyone going through something right now