Ms. Bella needs surgery

Hi, my name is Mary. Bella became part of my family at 10 weeks old. We’ve stayed UTD on annual exams and vaccinations. This year on March 9th, Bella turned 12.

She’s really been a blessing! A rescue puppy, who in fact rescued me! During her most recent routine exam, a heart murmur was detected. Not uncommon for her age. The issue is a lipoma she’s had for several years that has now grown to 9 cm. Her doctor recommends surgery to remove it. It sits right behind her left shoulder and over her upper ribs.

As you can imagine, at this size it’s become quite uncomfortable. But before surgery could be considered, we had to drive to Ann Arbor to see a specialist about her heart. Echocardiogram and consultation with the cardiologist revealed that she has degenerative mitral valve disease. The good news is—her heart is not enlarged, and no medications are needed at this time. She’s been cleared for surgery, with the recommendation to do it sooner than later. As her mitral valve issue may worsen in time and take surgery off the table as an option.

I so wish I had health insurance for Bella! I’ve been self employed for 40 years. And I purchased my own health insurance several years ago. It’s been a blessing as I was diagnosed with splenic marginal B cell lymphoma a few years ago. Those bills would’ve sunk me.

Flying solo and doing it all on my own with some fairly serious health issues of my own, has definitely beefed up the challenge.

Because of the time element involved in getting Bell her surgery while she’s still in good shape cardiovascularly, I’m going to need help. I’m unable to quickly fund her surgery, while trying to get more fully back on my feet.

It was recommended to me that I create a crowdfunding account to help me help Bella. It’s truly the only option we have given all the considerations.

So that’s why I’m here—to fund Ms Bella’s surgery and give her a better quality of life-

I appreciate your help either via funding or sharing this with others.

God Bless…

Mary