Ollie Needs New Eyes

UPDATE to the original post below: 

Ollie had surgery on December 20 and everything went great! His vision was restored and will continue to improve over the next several weeks! 

We're very grateful to all of you who donated, especially during the holidays AND a recession!  We reached 60% of our goal.  feeling blessed! 

February 9, 2007...that's the day I drove 3 hours from Nashville to Gatlinburg to meet the little guy who would end up being my best friend for the last 16 years.

Ollie is a mini schnauzer, but we don't say those words out loud.

He 100% believes he's human.

Ollie has appeared in magazine ads for the latest trendy new condos, traveled cross-country twice, tinkled on the rim of the Grand Canyon, and lived on Hollywood Blvd... but he prefers Music City.

Now that he's getting on up in years, Ollie is dealing with some difficult issues.

Inside, he is doing great! But in the last year, he has lost his hearing and sight.

As of a month ago, he became completely blind from cataracts.

It's breaking my heart to see him so confused and stumbling around, but what gets me the most is that it's now very challenging to communicate.

Ollie's a real trooper, but he's now frightened of the outdoors and has become very sedentary, not wanting to leave his bed. His quality of life has dramatically decreased.

So today, hoping for a miracle, I visited Veterinary Ophthalmology Services here in Nashville.

Turns out Ollie is a great candidate for cataract surgery. Dr. Bergstrom indicated that Ollie would regain most of his sight immediately after the procedure. (I may have teared up a little at this point in the consultation).

So with gritted teeth, I'm here asking for a little help from my friends. If you know me at all, you know this goes against all my grains, but for this little guy, I'm willing to set aside my pride.

The total for consultations, pre-op prep, and lens replacement for both eyes quickly added up to more than Ollie and I can swing by ourselves, so we're asking for a little help from our village.

It takes one sometimes, right?

The surgery is set for December 20th. By Christmas Day, Ollie should be able to actually see the bacon treats waiting for him under the tree!

But more than that, I am looking forward to Ollie seeing me again for the first time.

Any extra shekels you can spare will be greatly appreciated.

Ollie and I send love and thanks in advance!

xoxo