Jilly Bean and her parents need your help!
Friends/animal lovers/lovers of all things cute, we need your help! Our lovely little Jilly Bean went from being slightly clumsy/unsteady to paralyzed within 2 weeks :( Originally, our veterinarian told us it was likely a brain tumor and she was given a few weeks to live. Desperately, we sought a second opinion from a neurologist in San Francisco who diagnosed her with a spinal meningioma (tumor compressing her spinal cord). We were told that without surgery, the tumor will continue to grow until it interferes with her breathing. However, even with surgery, she may never recover or make it back alive. But our little trooper made it through surgery!! With a few hiccups along the way (she contracted pneumonia during her hospital stay), she is recovering nicely and able to walk again.
Unfortunately, her spinal tumor was too large and had wrapped all the way around her spinal cord to be removed with clean margins, which means it will grow back. Her neurologist told us that with the help of radiation therapy, we can keep the tumor at bay for up to 2 or 3 years, giving her a little bit more time to enjoy life. We hope to be able to take Jilly Bean to receive radiation therapy at UC Davis in June, as she needs this life-saving treatment ASAP to keep the tumor from growing. Alas, because we spent all of our savings (and maxed out Care Credit) on her initial evaluation, MRI/x-rays, surgery, we are asking for your generosity to help us give Jilly Bean the care she deserves. We are kicking ourselves for not having pet insurance (PSA: please insure your pets if you can!) and will appreciate any amount you can spare. If not, we still appreciate your positive comments and thoughts.
The estimate we received for her care at UC Davis is approximately $10,000 and we are trying our best to raise enough money, so any amount, big or small, if you can contribute will mean the world to us. If you can’t help directly, sharing this page would be extremely helpful as well. Thank you for your support!
Questions:
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to message us at Jilly Bean's Facebook page. We will respond as soon as we can.
Pictures and Videos:
The photo below is of Jilly Bean when went to see her during visiting hours while she stayed overnight at the animal hospital:
The photo below Jilly Bean on her first day home after staying at the hospital for three nights:
Jilly Bean enjoying her stroller on her "walk" while she is on restricted exercise.
Pre-Surgery Travels:
