Help Odysseus Battle Lymphoma

Odysseus came into my life in April 2021, one year and a day after the passing of my previous cat, Lois. He walked up from the creek behind my house early one morning, emaciated and flea-ridden, talking up a storm and was very social with me on my front porch. At our first vet appointment, he burst through the side of the cardboard carrier because nothing could contain the warrior king. Every day he has lived up to his name, a charming mini panther with a ferocious appetite and intelligence to match. His voice is mighty and full of inflection, and for the past 4 years, he has served as a trusty companion.

The reason I write this today is that at the still young age of 7.5 years, it appears he has developed lymphoma. Monday, April 21, was a terrifying day. I thought he had been suffering from an upper respiratory infection that possibly had progressed to a lower infection. I had an appointment with the vet for Tuesday, but he had several choking episodes that weekend. In the early morning, I awoke to the sound of him struggling to breathe and possibly choking again. The cat who has never puked came up with a baseball-sized amount of vomit or phlegm. I took him to BluePearl. Along the way, he looked like he was dying—mouth wide open, head face down, and eyes open. He also vomited another large amount. The ER doctor found a mass coming down from his nasopharyngeal area and blocking his throat. We decided to start him on a chemo drug called Elspar and a course of steroids. It took several days for those to take effect. Over the few days, he vomited again, stopped eating, and I had to feed him from a syringe for a couple of days. At the first oncology appointment, they found that he was responding to treatment well. I can’t bring myself to accept palliative care yet, especially if he did well after the first week, so I had two chemo options—one that was $7,000 and another $12,000. I chose the $7,000 option because it’s remotely doable, but I’ll be working 7 days a week to make it work, and that wouldn’t account for possible secondary infections. I have a hard time asking for help, but I could really use it this time. So if my family, friends, or even strangers could find it in their hearts to give Odysseus a fighting chance, I would greatly appreciate it.