Our Blue Boy

With sincere humility, and with the encouragement of my 4 beautiful and determined daughters, I’m reaching out to my Gig Harbor community for help.

Blue is our 9-year-old Golden Retriever. He was recently diagnosed with what is very likely, a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor on his right upper leg. We have a CT scheduled for this Tuesday to confirm the diagnosis, if it has spread at all, and to what extent. Blue is otherwise a happy and healthy boy, with the sweetest demeanor and most loving heart. Anyone who’s ever had the pleasure of having a golden as a family pet understands exactly what I mean; they are simply the best!

As a family and based on the results of the CT, we’ve decided to choose one of two paths:

1- If the tumor is localized – Blue’s best chance at a healthy recovery is a full amputation of his right leg. I’ve been assured by the vet specialist based on the information as of now that he would very likely do well after the fact. She was optimistic and clear that she would absolutely choose to amputate if it were up to her.

2- If the cancer has spread beyond the local site, we would choose to forego amputation all together and instead focus on pain management and palliative care.

In either scenario, we are committed to the CT scan and plan on covering that cost in full. The amputation however is estimated to run around $7000- a sum that we don’t have at the ready. We are prepared to potentially incur the entirety of the debt if we feel that’s what we need to do, but at the suggestion and insistency of my daughters, I’m reaching out to my Gig Harbor community to ask for help.

I want to be super clear, our decision on whether to amputate will be solely based on the results of the CT scan and his prognosis. I don’t want this to come across as dependent on my community nor do I want any help given to feel like pressure. We understand that Blue is our responsibility and any decisions we make are ours and ours alone. I hate that finances play a role in that decision, but the hard reality is that they do. Blue was rehomed to us and at the time we were naïve to the cost of this kind of care and simply living in that moment. If we could go back in time, we would absolutely get pet insurance. I simply wasn’t fully aware of that option at the time. Hindsight is 20/20 and I’m choosing to move forward with humility and action instead of looking to the past with shame.

It’s truly so difficult to ask for help, and frankly, if it weren’t at the urgent behest of my daughters, I wouldn’t ask at all. I know everyone is stretched in their own ways and we truly don’t take any act of generosity lightly. Whether you can give something small, share this post or just keep Blue and our family in your thoughts as we navigate a super difficult but widely shared life experience, we are truly grateful.

I also want to be super transparent, if we choose not to proceed with the amputation, we will immediately refund every dime donated. I have no interest or intention of taking advantage of the community I love. I value your trust and my own personal integrity above all else.

Blue is the sweetest boy around! We desperately want to give him the best chance at enjoying the rest of his life with our family and were hoping for more quality time with him! Thank you for taking the time to read through all of this and for being a part of our story.

With Love & Gratitude,

The McDowell Family