Rosemary's story has always been a unique one. Back in 2015, I received a phone call at my office (I was a property manager at the time up in New York) that there had been a lost Shih Tzu with a broken leg roaming the property. I had told the concerned resident that I would come by with our Maintenance Manager, Joe and see if we could identify this sweet girl. Upon our entry into the concerned resident's apartment, we did not find a sad dog. Despite only having 3 legs in good shape, and one severely broken right paw, Rosemary greeted us with a huge happy face, and a wagging tail. From that moment on, I decided Rosemary needed a good home, and someone to nurse her back to health. The vet told me that she had likely been outside for a few days, was very malnourished, and a bone infection had developed (likely from the broken bone puncturing her skin). She was in a cast for 9 weeks, on an extensive antibiotic regimen, and I was told it would be likely that she would not walk, again. I knew this girl was special. But she truly showed me how special she was, when 9 weeks later, her cast came off, and she was the picture of perfect health...AND WALKING! A few months later, Rosie and I embarked on a new chapter together, and we moved down to Key West. It is here that Rosie and I developed this deep bond together. Rosie grew accustomed to being outside and running around and playing, and truly defied the odds when it came to her original prognosis. Before we knew it, Rosemary turned 10 years old, and we had officially spent a full decade together in the Keys. Rosie is also very well-traveled, as she comes with me all over the country to events where I set up with my Brand. She is known to all that know my brand as "My Boss." Everything I do, is with her in mind, as it has been my devoted duty since that day she limped into my life to ensure she lives her life to the very best and fullest capacity.

In recent months, Rosemary has experienced a myriad of symptoms, to which we had no idea what they had been tied to. Any time I would notice something slightly off with her, I would bring her to the vet. From December through present day, her most prominent symptom was the enlargement of her lymph nodes. Test after diagnostic test was run to figure out whether or not this was a reactive set of nodes, or if it were lymphoma. Finally, we were referred to an internist, after a mass effect was found in Rosemary's abdomen by her Surgeon who performed her dental extraction. The internist was able to run a Flow Cytometry test to later confirm that Rosemary does have Small B cell Lymphoma. Her lymphoma is more rare, which is why the diagnostic results never definitively confirmed the lymphoma. With a schedule of 19 weeks of chemo treatment, Rosemary could enter remission, and live a normal and great quality of life...just the way she has for the past 10 years. This information was incredibly difficult for me to swallow, as I had always hoped that the hardest part of Rosemary's life had been left behind that first day at the apartment complex ten years ago. No different than that day, I instinctively decided that I would do whatever necessary to ensure Rosemary can return back to good health. I am not at all a fan of GoFundMe or handouts. I am in a unique position, where I do own a clothing brand, and can sell merchandise in Rosemary's name in order to generate whatever funds I need to financially support her chemo treatments. However, a few friends of mine mentioned that some people may want to help without purchasing merchandise, or can only help in smaller amounts. And this would be made possible in setting up this fundraiser here on GoFundMe.

My very special girl has already bravely undergone her first round of chemo, with 18 rounds to go. The internist said she is responding well, and we can look forward to remission very soon. I have no doubt she will defy the odds, as she always has. Her current chemo schedule has us at an average of $600 per treatment, every Monday for 19 weeks. This puts us at a staggering $2400 a month. Any help would go a long way, as Rosemary's Insurance has already denied $5000 in claims, despite this being an entirely new illness. The appeals process also takes months to even receive a response to an appeal. We pay for her treatments every Monday, so slow and steady wins this race for us.

I thank you all for your love and support for my special girl, Rosemary.