Help Pepi's Fight Against Cancer

Hello Family, Friends, and Visitors willing to read our story. This is Pepi, our pug who just turned 8.

On May 7, he underwent surgery to remove cancer from his intestines. It has cost us about $25,000 so far, and we expect it to continue to increase as he gets treatment. We have already used all our savings, and if you hear about his story and feel like you could donate to his treatment, no matter how small, we would be so grateful because he means so much to us and all the lives he's touched.

I'll go into the details about his illness later, but I thought I would take some time to celebrate his life so far. We are always hoping for the best!

Family of Three

In 2017, we came to America (James was born in the US, but Sora was from South Korea) with Pepi to start our lives together. He is 2 months old in the picture, and he was about a year old when we moved to the US.

Pepi is a Character (or The Character of Pepi)

From the beginning, he was always attached to us. Attached at the shoulder, not the hip, in our case.

Not only did he love his human parents, but he made a lot of friends along the way.

They could be big dogs.

Small dogs.

Little humans.

And little birds as well. He was gentle with everyone.

Did I mention he is very fashionable?

Whether he is imitating Yoda.

Showing off his jeans and suspenders.

Attending fancy bow-tie events.

Everyone was invited along for the ride.

Pepi also loved spending time with us when we visited new places.

He loved riding a pontoon at Big Bear Lake.

Or staying at a yurt in Joshua Tree.

He liked to ride on the back of a bike as we rode through Venice Beach to Santa Monica Pier...

...where he decided to pose with a painting of his brother-from-another-mother.

He liked to make splashes at Rosie's Dog Beach.

And was always patient for his turn to order lunch.

And whenever he got tired, he had options.

Last but not least, Pepi is the most caring guy you could ever meet.

Here he is staring vigilantly as mom was sick.

And he was later able to spend time watching TV together when she got better.

He gives moral support to his dad when he was presenting at the office.

Or simply cuddles with his cousins.

Pepi's Recent Vet Experience & Illness

A couple months ago, Pepi wasn't his usual self. He wasn't playing with his favorite ball and was panting when it wasn't hot. We took him to urgent care.

As you can see, treatments really stack up.

I don't blame any of the vets because I can imagine how hard it is to diagnose what he had. Pepi got his third blood transfusion yesterday in the ICU because of the continued problems he is facing after surgery. In the next couple days, we will get news of the results from his biopsy for next steps...

We came together as a family of three and built our lives together over the past 7 years. Though we all might have painful stories of saying goodbye, I never imagined ours would potentially come so soon. If you have made it this far, I hope you get a sense of how much we love Pepi. And if you know me, you may understand how this GoFundMe was a last resort for us.

Thank you for your time, and my only wish right now is to be able to see Pepi wagging his tail and following his adopted parents around in the sun.

Please give your loved ones a hug when you can, and we will do the same. Thanks again!

Pepi, Sora, and James.