Ruby Needs Chemotherapy

Story

Hi friends, If you're reading this, you probably already know Brian and me. Chances are, you also know our beautiful cats, Ruby and Vivienne. Maybe you're friends with someone who knows us. In any event, thank you for being here. Our sweet, chubby little calico baby Ruby started showing strange symptoms over the summer. At first, it seemed like she needed some help coughing up a hairball. Over time, we became alarmed by her behavior (intermittently coughing/gagging once a day, a few times a week). We took her to our vet, Dr. England, at Animal Medical Center in Chicago. He took x-rays of Ruby's chest and found fluid surrounding her lungs. Alarmed, Dr. England immediately referred us to Veterinary Specialty Center (VSC) in Bannockbrock. We rushed there, and they did a battery of tests on Ruby that day and over the course of a few weeks. While the doctors at VSC tried to figure out what was wrong with Ruby, her symptoms worsened. She had several bouts of respiratory distress, and we spent hours and hours in emergency vet centers, namely VSC and MedVet. It was exhausting and terrifying. It took a month to pinpoint the cause of Ruby's respiratory distress. After ruling out heart failure, various fungal infections, and feline leukemia, the doctors felt comfortable giving us a "working diagnosis" of mediastinal lymphoma. Cats with mediastinal lymphoma left untreated live for about a month. If they are lucky enough to receive chemotherapy, they can live much longer, a year or more. We have chosen to do everything in our power to give Ruby the best care we can. She has been the heart of our family for ten years. We owe her a comfortable and happy life for as long as we can give that to her. We also have her sister, Vivienne, to think about. They are bonded and love each other so much. We can't imagine euthanizing Ruby and taking her away from Vivi solely because of money. We have spent upwards of $8,000 on tests and emergency care. The estimate for six months of weekly chemo in Bannockbrock is $6,500, not including additional bloodwork, medications, tests, or the gas it takes for me to drive her 50 miles round trip every Monday morning. So here's where we're at: We have pet insurance that pays 80% of the cost of her care. However, we must pay all her medical bills up front and then apply for reimbursement. Almost every dime we have to our name is tied up in Ruby's medical bills and has been since October. We have waited over three weeks for reimbursement from our insurance carrier, Lemonade. Every time I reach out, their claims specialists tell me they are "experiencing an unusually high number of claims" and that we will "hear something soon." Even with insurance, Ruby's illness has cost our family what will amount to about $3,000 on the low end. She started chemo on 11/21/2022, and each weekly appointment costs between $300 and $700. We are still waiting for our reimbursement from the first month of Ruby's illness, and the fact that it hasn't been approved yet is impacting our ability to pay for weekly chemo. The bills are piling up at a staggering pace. I am asking for your help because I don't know what else to do. I don't want to do this. I always thought having insurance for the cats would safeguard us from situations like this. I'm swallowing my pride and asking you guys for help because the alternative is delaying her care, which could be catastrophic and result in us saying goodbye to our little baby Ruby too soon. I want to make sure I do everything I can for her. She is still so happy to be alive, so curious and fun. Ruby tolerates her treatment amazingly well, and her oncology team is hopeful that she will be with us for a good while longer. As long as she is happy, eating and drinking, playing, and relatively normal, chemo is her best option to manage her symptoms and prolong her beautiful life. Thank you for reading. If you can't or don't want to donate, please share. With love, Nik, Brian, Ruby, and Vivi.