Vinny's fight with cancer!
Don protégé
Hi friends! I want to tell you a story about my good friend Mike and his amazing dog Vinny.....
As a parent, I know I would do anything in the world for my child. If they were sick, I would do everything I could to get them the help they need. My children are everything to me and I know that every parent feels the same.....and sometimes "children" have fur, four legs, and a tail.
Many of you know Mike and his amazing relationship with his "child" Vinny. They have been a part of each other's lives for 10 years. Mike found a best friend when Vinny was just 8 weeks old. Over time Vinny has grown into an active companion and joins Mike on hikes, swims, runs, and many outdoor activities. Vinny even traveled across the country to Colorado with Mike to come visit me last year. While he was here he immersed himself in several snow adventures right beside Mike.
Unfortunately Mike and Vinny's wonderful memories came to a halt last month.....Please read Mike's story about his best friend.
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"I was looking to move into a new house and I wanted to take my furry best friend Vinny with me. I usually take him on a lot of things I do and I wanted to show him the new place. I had to measure some things for the new furniture I was getting. We pulled up and opened the door to the my car .Vinny ran straight to the front door. He was so excited! He ran off the porch and was running around the front yard. It seemed like he loved the house. I called for him as I was getting ready to open the door to the house. He came flying up and tried to jump on the porch. He missed the porch and hit his shoulder on the top slab. Vinny has always been indestructible and would bounce off everything. This time he screamed and the look he gave me was so helpless. I knew he had hurt himself pretty badly and may have even broken a bone. I had never felt so helpless in my life. I put him in the back of the car and immediately took him to Med Vet.
We were there for three hours and found out they he did break his leg in two places. He was going to need a plate or screws in his foot. Without hesitation I said we can do this. He and I will get through this. The surgery was scheduled for the next day. When we arrived for the surgery the doctor informed me that he wouldn't be able to fix the fracture. He actually had found a tumor in Vinny's leg. I just zoned out and knew what that meant as soon as he said that. He said I had two options...one being to amputate his leg and the other to euthanize him. I knew that putting Vinny down wasn't an option. He had always a fighter and he was my best friend. This dog provides me with unconditional love every day. It was MY turn to fight for him.
I cried so hard on the day I picked Vinny up from surgery. It was so hard to see him in that condition...everything happened so fast. He was literally running around the front yard 24 hours ago and now he had to learn how to walk with a missing leg and live with possibility of the cancer spreading through his body.
The results for Vinny's test were suppose to come back within 2 weeks. It was going on three weeks and I still had not heard anything from the doctor. I called the Friday before Christmas. I was anxious to hear something before the big weekend. The doctor told me they couldn't find cancer and that there was a pretty good chance he would be good to go. This was truly the best Christmas present. The doctor's said they needed to do some more work and tests and would call me back next week with more information. On Monday the doctor called and informed me that Vinny did indeed have cancer throughout his body. This type of cancer was called Osteosarcoma and unfortunately is on of the most aggressive ones. The doctor suggested Vinny start chemo as soon as possible in order to attack the cancer quickly. Without chemo treatments Vinny would live for maybe 2-3 months and with the chemo he could live for another year. I'm not ready to give up! After talking to family, friends, and 4 different veterinarians, I decided that chemo was what I wanted Vinny to do. This is my best friend. I have to fight for him. Wish us luck!!!"
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Since the surgery Vinny has mastered how to live life with 3 legs. It is pretty amazing seeing pictures of him playing outside, climbing up stairs, and going places again with Mike. He is one rockstar of a dog! But his fight continues.....
For those of you that are fortunate to know Mike, you know that he is one of the most selfless, caring, and supportive people . He is always willing to help others yet NEVER asks anyone for help for himself.
Vinny started his first round of chemo this week. When I found out that his total bills so far (vet trips, surgery, amputation, first round of chemo) has totaled over $13,000 I knew that this was the time we can help give back to Mike. The bills are going to continue to grow with more chemo rounds and vet visits.
We are very lucky to have people AND animals in our lives that make us incredibly happy. If you can donate, even if it is just a little bit, please help me make this special time a little bit longer for Mike and his best friend Vinny. Thank you so much!
xo Cheryl Huber
As a parent, I know I would do anything in the world for my child. If they were sick, I would do everything I could to get them the help they need. My children are everything to me and I know that every parent feels the same.....and sometimes "children" have fur, four legs, and a tail.
Many of you know Mike and his amazing relationship with his "child" Vinny. They have been a part of each other's lives for 10 years. Mike found a best friend when Vinny was just 8 weeks old. Over time Vinny has grown into an active companion and joins Mike on hikes, swims, runs, and many outdoor activities. Vinny even traveled across the country to Colorado with Mike to come visit me last year. While he was here he immersed himself in several snow adventures right beside Mike.
Unfortunately Mike and Vinny's wonderful memories came to a halt last month.....Please read Mike's story about his best friend.
***********************************************************
"I was looking to move into a new house and I wanted to take my furry best friend Vinny with me. I usually take him on a lot of things I do and I wanted to show him the new place. I had to measure some things for the new furniture I was getting. We pulled up and opened the door to the my car .Vinny ran straight to the front door. He was so excited! He ran off the porch and was running around the front yard. It seemed like he loved the house. I called for him as I was getting ready to open the door to the house. He came flying up and tried to jump on the porch. He missed the porch and hit his shoulder on the top slab. Vinny has always been indestructible and would bounce off everything. This time he screamed and the look he gave me was so helpless. I knew he had hurt himself pretty badly and may have even broken a bone. I had never felt so helpless in my life. I put him in the back of the car and immediately took him to Med Vet.
We were there for three hours and found out they he did break his leg in two places. He was going to need a plate or screws in his foot. Without hesitation I said we can do this. He and I will get through this. The surgery was scheduled for the next day. When we arrived for the surgery the doctor informed me that he wouldn't be able to fix the fracture. He actually had found a tumor in Vinny's leg. I just zoned out and knew what that meant as soon as he said that. He said I had two options...one being to amputate his leg and the other to euthanize him. I knew that putting Vinny down wasn't an option. He had always a fighter and he was my best friend. This dog provides me with unconditional love every day. It was MY turn to fight for him.
I cried so hard on the day I picked Vinny up from surgery. It was so hard to see him in that condition...everything happened so fast. He was literally running around the front yard 24 hours ago and now he had to learn how to walk with a missing leg and live with possibility of the cancer spreading through his body.
The results for Vinny's test were suppose to come back within 2 weeks. It was going on three weeks and I still had not heard anything from the doctor. I called the Friday before Christmas. I was anxious to hear something before the big weekend. The doctor told me they couldn't find cancer and that there was a pretty good chance he would be good to go. This was truly the best Christmas present. The doctor's said they needed to do some more work and tests and would call me back next week with more information. On Monday the doctor called and informed me that Vinny did indeed have cancer throughout his body. This type of cancer was called Osteosarcoma and unfortunately is on of the most aggressive ones. The doctor suggested Vinny start chemo as soon as possible in order to attack the cancer quickly. Without chemo treatments Vinny would live for maybe 2-3 months and with the chemo he could live for another year. I'm not ready to give up! After talking to family, friends, and 4 different veterinarians, I decided that chemo was what I wanted Vinny to do. This is my best friend. I have to fight for him. Wish us luck!!!"
***********************************************************
Since the surgery Vinny has mastered how to live life with 3 legs. It is pretty amazing seeing pictures of him playing outside, climbing up stairs, and going places again with Mike. He is one rockstar of a dog! But his fight continues.....
For those of you that are fortunate to know Mike, you know that he is one of the most selfless, caring, and supportive people . He is always willing to help others yet NEVER asks anyone for help for himself.
Vinny started his first round of chemo this week. When I found out that his total bills so far (vet trips, surgery, amputation, first round of chemo) has totaled over $13,000 I knew that this was the time we can help give back to Mike. The bills are going to continue to grow with more chemo rounds and vet visits.
We are very lucky to have people AND animals in our lives that make us incredibly happy. If you can donate, even if it is just a little bit, please help me make this special time a little bit longer for Mike and his best friend Vinny. Thank you so much!
xo Cheryl Huber
Organisateur et bénéficiaire
Cheryl Miller Huber
Organisateur
Littleton, CO
Mike Hausler
Bénéficiaire