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Sadly we learned on January 14th that surgery isn't an option for Rasa due to the the tumors size and location. We are still hopeful for a possible cure. However, that will mean radiation treatment and possible reconstruction surgery. Unfortunately, there is no place in the state of Alaska that offers radiation treatment. This means that Rasa and I will have to travel to Boston and stay with my mother and sister so that Rasa can get the treatment she needs. Traveling away from home, her brothers, her dad and our business is going to be a new and challenging chapter in all our lives. We hope to be separated for three months inorder to complete her treatment. It was recommended to us to do a certain type of radiation that targets the mass more directly due to its location near her brain. This treatment will cost us about eleven thousand dollars. Your contributions, shares, thoughts and prayers mean more than ever right now as we continue to fight for Rasa's life.
How Rasa came to us:
I adopted Rasa when she was very young. I was told she was 6 or 7 weeks old but after seeing the vet I learned that she was only 4 weeks old. She turned 4 on September 28th, 2020. She was too young to be taken from her mother and had to learn from me how to manage stressful situations and find her confidence. Slowly, she started to teach me the same things.
Throughout Rasa's life, I have cared for and raised her as if she were my child. She got me through the most tumultuous times in my life, including some very difficult personal situations when it felt like she was all I had. I would always tell her that as long as I had her I could do anything and would never be alone. Now her life hangs in the balance.
How we found out:
he was recently diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a very aggressive oral cancer. My husband and I first noticed on December 17th that she was acting low energy. Later that day, she started throwing up bile and refused to eat. We looked in her mouth and saw an open and bleeding sore on the roof of her mouth. There was also some swelling around one of her teeth and we could tell that the tooth needed to come out. The next day, I took her to an emergency clinic to have the tooth taken out, where we waited in the parking lot for four and a half hours. Finally, they came to get her. I was expecting a simple tooth extraction and we would be on our way. Waiting in the car alone, they called me almost immediately. The vet was very concerned about the mass in her mouth and recommended a biopsy. We got the results a week later and it was the worst news I could have imagined: the mass was SCC. We were referred to an oncology specialist. I called as soon as they opened to schedule an appointment, and now we're waiting for the first available appointment on January 14th. Since discovering the mass, it has already grown. She has begun to drool blood, cough, and lesions on her nose have appeared. I cannot express how helpless I feel watching her.
Please help me save my baby. Anything helps, I can't thank you enough for your generosity, you are saving both of us.
~Sierra and Rasa
SCC mass in Rasa's mouth: Jan. 15th
The SCC mass in Rasa's mouth: Dec. 17th
Rasa as a 4-week old puppy:
Sierra and Rasa:
Rasa smiling:
How Rasa came to us:
I adopted Rasa when she was very young. I was told she was 6 or 7 weeks old but after seeing the vet I learned that she was only 4 weeks old. She turned 4 on September 28th, 2020. She was too young to be taken from her mother and had to learn from me how to manage stressful situations and find her confidence. Slowly, she started to teach me the same things.
Throughout Rasa's life, I have cared for and raised her as if she were my child. She got me through the most tumultuous times in my life, including some very difficult personal situations when it felt like she was all I had. I would always tell her that as long as I had her I could do anything and would never be alone. Now her life hangs in the balance.
How we found out:
he was recently diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a very aggressive oral cancer. My husband and I first noticed on December 17th that she was acting low energy. Later that day, she started throwing up bile and refused to eat. We looked in her mouth and saw an open and bleeding sore on the roof of her mouth. There was also some swelling around one of her teeth and we could tell that the tooth needed to come out. The next day, I took her to an emergency clinic to have the tooth taken out, where we waited in the parking lot for four and a half hours. Finally, they came to get her. I was expecting a simple tooth extraction and we would be on our way. Waiting in the car alone, they called me almost immediately. The vet was very concerned about the mass in her mouth and recommended a biopsy. We got the results a week later and it was the worst news I could have imagined: the mass was SCC. We were referred to an oncology specialist. I called as soon as they opened to schedule an appointment, and now we're waiting for the first available appointment on January 14th. Since discovering the mass, it has already grown. She has begun to drool blood, cough, and lesions on her nose have appeared. I cannot express how helpless I feel watching her.
Please help me save my baby. Anything helps, I can't thank you enough for your generosity, you are saving both of us.
~Sierra and Rasa
SCC mass in Rasa's mouth: Jan. 15th
The SCC mass in Rasa's mouth: Dec. 17th
Rasa as a 4-week old puppy:
Sierra and Rasa:
Rasa smiling:
Organizer and beneficiary
Sierra Adams
Beneficiary