Liam's Happy Ending

Hi everyone- I’ve started this GoFundMe to help Melissa raise funds to pay for an at-home euthanasia service for her cat Liam. He was recently diagnosed with masses on his adrenal and mammary glands as well as with enlarged kidneys and an enlarged heart. His condition has deteriorated quickly, and we want to put an end to his suffering, as well as help support Melissa through this painful time. At-home euthanasia is an important and essential element in making those things happen.

If you’ve ever known the love of a pet, particularly a cat, you know how special and deep that love can be. Liam is part of Melissa’s family and has been a huge source of love, joy, and support for her. If you know Liam, you know that he is the sweetest boy, who only ever wants snuggles and pets, and who deserves a peaceful end. And if you know Melissa, you know that she’s gone through a lot over the past couple of years, including losing her other cat Barnaby to an aggressive cancer. She’s handled it all on her own, with strength and perseverance, and I want to show her that she doesn’t have to handle everything alone. She deserves our help.

So please consider donating to help give a wonderful kitty his happy ending and give a wonderful woman at least a small amount of comfort as she navigates with this devastating loss.

Below is Liam and Melissa’s stories written in Melissa’s own words. Please give it a read, and please give anything you can: any amount helps, truly.

Love, Anna Miles

From Melissa:

It’s always been difficult for me to ask for help, especially financial help. But this time, the decision was a little easier to make, because this help isn’t only for me. It’s also to help one of the greatest loves of my life: my sweet cat, Liam.

I met him and brought him home on May 18th, 2013. He has been with me for all of the

greatest milestones of my adult life: my first professional job, my marriage, the birth of my two children, and the end of my marriage.

Early last year, we unexpectedly lost his bonded pair Barnaby to a fast-growing cancer. It was a devastating blow to all of us, and I had hoped that Liam’s time would be years away. But after he began exhibiting some extreme behavioral changes over the past year, which we first assumed was just a reaction to the many changes in his life, and after trying everything the vet recommended (anti-anxiety medication, sedatives, pheromone diffusers, diet changes, etc), his distress and his behavior only continued to progress. So this past month, with my vet, I decided to do more extensive testing.

Imaging finally revealed the physical causes that had always been behind Liam’s changes: a mass on his adrenal gland, a mammary mass, enlarged kidneys, and an enlarged heart. I went to a surgical specialist to see if there was any chance of removing the adrenal tumor, and found out the procedure would cost at least $12,500, not including additional necessary testing and medications. I knew this amount wouldn’t be possible for me to come up with, but as it turned out, while the vet first thought Liam could be a good candidate for surgery, over the past week, Liam’s condition started deteriorating much more rapidly than anyone anticipated.

Which brings me to this difficult choice, and this difficult plea for help.

It’s become clear that Liam is suffering, and that his quality of life has sunk dramatically and will only continue to plummet, so I’ve come to the devastating but loving conclusion that I need to begin preparing for his euthanasia.

Because he hasn’t had a good day in a long time, what I want now more than anything is to make his last day as wonderful and special as it can be. No more tests, no more trips to the vet, no more struggling to administer medication. A peaceful crossing over after a morning of watching hummingbirds and lying in a patch of warm sun, and as many BBQ chips (his favorite food) as he wants.

In order to give him this last day, an in-home euthanasia service will be necessary. Trips to the vet have always caused Liam great distress and that is not what I want for him on his last day. I’ve contacted a service that will come to our home and make sure that Liam is as comfortable as possible for the process and that I have as much time as I need with him. They will also handle his aftercare and return his cremains to me. We used this service with Barnaby, and it was the only thing that made the painful process somewhat bearable for both him and us.

But of course, this service is costly. And that’s where I need your help: to afford to give Liam the happy ending he deserves.

Any additional funds raised past the goal amount will go towards the $1750 in medical bills already accrued for his diagnostic testing.

3822 days together may sound like a long time, but it will never be enough. Those days that Liam gave me will live in my heart forever. They were priceless, and beautiful. The least I can do is give him one more beautiful day in return.

Thank you. Any support helps.

Love, Melissa