Help with Luna’s Lymphoma
Donation protected
hi! my name is Tawny and i am fundraising for my 6 year old cat, Luna, who was recently diagnosed with large cell (high-grade) lymphoma of the gastrointestinal tract.
i have debilitating cPTSD and luna has been my ESA for 6 years. i adopted her after my uncle, who i was close with, unexpectedly passed at 49. she’s been my one true constant through so much in the last 6 years…
she’s helped me for all this time and now it’s my time to help her.
other than the lymphoma.. she also has a palpable abdominal mass (discovered on 7/31) located in the intestinal wall of the beginning of her large intestine/colon. this was shocking for me as 1) she’s been healthy for every annual visit and we’ve always been on top of things, and 2) she’s SO young for this diagnosis. but as most know, cancer does not discriminate. it’s deeply unfair.
- currently, luna is receiving multi-agent chemotherapy (the best option, but also the most expensive), which involves different medications combined to target cancer - also known as “COP.” most cats do not have side effects with chemotherapy and lymphoma also responds well to this treatment. the price of chemotherapy is the main reason i am doing this. this amounts to about $2533.52 every 4 weeks. steep. however - if she doesn’t respond to this treatment, we will move into other options (which are known as single-agent chemotherapies), which are slightly cheaper (but not as effective, hence me starting with the best). it’s also not recommended to go from the most conservative aka cheapest to the strongest as the cancer cells are smart and will be resistant.
she previously received a one time treatment of Elsbar and has only improved with no side effects, which is promising!! she’s doing really well right now - she watches the sunrise every morning, she plays, she cuddles and purrs and chats, she uses her scratcher, she’s eating/drinking. she knows how to open doors (yes, really) and she’s still doing that nonsense. so i know she’s alright and happy, which matters most here.
as most of you know, i want to give her everything i can, with quality of life being my top priority. after some encouragement from friends, and finding myself with more limited resources as time progresses, especially as a full time graduate student… i decided to do a gofundme. so here we are!
all donations will directly go to luna’s above treatment and medical costs, which are immense, even WITH our pet insurance (bonkers).
anything helps and i cannot emphasize enough how gracious i am for everyone’s support in this very scary and trying time. your words and comfort mean everything to me.
as always, i will keep you guys updated with her health and invoices. and be sure to hold your pets close and give them lots of love while they’re here.
xo,
luna & tawny
Organizer
Tawny E.
Organizer
Thousand Oaks, CA