Life and Love for Lumos Battling FIP
This fundraiser is to collect the resources needed to help my beloved boy, Lumi, fight Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP).
Lumi (Finnish for ‘snow’) aka Lumos (the light casting spell from Harry Potter) came into my life two short years ago. He was abandoned outside a veterinarian’s office on Christmas Eve, in the freezing cold, in a carrier that was too small for him, with all the air holes taped closed.
I fell in love with Lumi the moment my mom messaged me to alert me of the presence of a majestic white cat who was available for adoption. When I met Lumi he was slim and suspicious of others, he was hesitant to be loved but desperately wanted it. I knew he was destined to be mine.
Lumi has been a part of my life for only two short years. He is estimated to be about 5 years old, and I can’t imagine how his life began and what circumstances led him to be left alone outside of an animal hospital, freezing on Christmas Eve. In the two short years he has been with me, he has transformed from a boy who screamed when being held to one who begrudgingly humors me as I flip him over to show off his glorious belly fluff. He rolls around happily, takes far too much pleasure in chasing ice, and loves nothing more than to watch birds outside the windows and to find a cozy spot to rest.
Everything changed a few weeks ago when I noticed Lumi was retreating more and eating less. He lost interest in the things he loves and I started finding him hiding in the basement. Lumi presented with a high fever and started antibiotics but continued to deteriorate until last week when fluid accumulated in his abdomen, his appetite and energy vanished. Multiple tests and an ultrasound later, Lumi has been diagnosed with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) - a fatal disease caused by a coronavirus infection (not COVID-19).
Long believed to be untreatable, there is an experimental treatment showing great success (85%+ cure rate). Lumi started a trial on Saturday and already has made amazing progress - his fever has vanished, his appetite is slowly returning, and the fluid has stopped accumulating and started reabsorbing. Most importantly, his quality of life is improving - I refuse to let those I love suffer and have prepared myself time and again to make the toughest decision of all for him if it really is too late, but his days have vastly improved, his purrs have returned, and he is fighting to stay. And so, I am fighting for Lumos.
The only chance Lumos has to live and know more years of love and safety is this treatment, and it is not insignificant in cost but it will only last for a few short months and then the hope is that he will be among the lucky 85% that are cured. If you’ve made it to the end of this, thank you for reading about my sweet fluffy boy, please send love, please send prayers. Any financial support will go directly to the cost of Lumi’s treatment.
