Save Link And Help My Dad Heal
Donation protected
Hello There,
My name is Lynsey and I've created this gofundme campaign to raise money to keep my dad's cat, Link, alive and healthy. Doing so, will help my dad get better as well. You may be asking yourself how that makes any sense at all. . .
It's a long story, but one that I must explain so you understand how important this is to my dad, to my whole family, really. I promise you, it's really, REALLY important.
Here goes. . .So my dad, Paul, is diabetic and has been for as long as I can remember. And in 2012 he was diagnosed with kidney disease (no doubt caused by his diabetes), and was forced to start pertineal dialysis after it progressed to stage-4 kidney failure in December of 2013. Since then, he has had to have two heart and two leg angioplasties to remove arterial blockages. The dialysis has left my dad exhausted and literally drained. . .it keeps him alive but also keeps him from being able to go places and he has missed out on a lot because of it.
This is where the cat comes in. Link is a fat and adorable American Shorthair who we've had for years. He is my dad's best friend who has many other names, actually-Wubby, Little Buddy, Linkin Log, Stinky-just to name a few. They love to snuggle and "talk" to each other all of the time and my dad even sings to him (which drives my mom, Kathy, nuts but I think it's funny). Link has really been a comfort to my dad (and to all of us, really) through all of his pain and sickness and I can't imagine how my dad would have done without him. I know he probably wouldn't have been able to hold on to his wonderful sense of humor.
Well, as they say: "When it rains, it pours." And in May of this year (2015), both of my parents were laid off from Boeing when the company ultimately decided to relocate their customer service department to California. Both of my parents had worked for Boeing for 20+ years (dad was making about $44/hr and mom was making about $34/hr).
Having to live off of unemployment (which was less than half of what my parents were used to making) and unable to afford the mortgage payments on the house that our family of five had been calling home for over a decade, my parents decided that a short sale would be. . .the best option. And in August, after what seemed like an impossible amount of downsizing, we all had to move into a tiny rental house on the other side of town. Which would have not been possible without the help of our wonderful family and friends as almost all of the work was left up to my mom (as my dad was just too ill to do much). She is the strongest woman I know and my personal hero. . .but more on that later.
Not too long after moving in, my parents noticed that part of my dad's left foot was turning black. . .The hospital doctors confirmed our worry that it was indeed gangrene and my dad has been either hospitalized or kept in a rehab center (over an hour away, in Seattle) since then, having had necrotic (dead) portions of both of his feet amputated. And he's not doing very well. The doctors have told us that there is a possibility that they might have to take his left leg to just below the kneee, because the circulation is so bad that his foot is not healing properly.
So for the past couple months, my family has been living soley on my mom's umemployment as my dad can no longer look for work because he can no longer work due to his health problems. My parents have tried to contact disability lawyers, with no luck. And now the unemployment has run out and my mom has been forced to take money out of her retirement until she can find a job. . .which has not been easy considering the fact that she has essentially been a single parent since my dad got really sick. Between trying to sort things out and visit my dad, etc., she's understandably overwhelmed by it all, having never been in this kind of situation before. I am amazed by her strength every single day. But something really scared me yesterday. . .
We've noticed over recent weeks that Link had been acting strangely. He has been barely eating (one of his favorite pasttimes!), barely "talking", etc. . .so my mom took him to the vet (the visit cost over $400), assuming that he's just depressed because dad's been away from home for so long. We got a call from the vet and found out that Link has feline diabetes. He's not covered by health insurance and his prescriptions would be extremely expensive: costing about $500-$600 per month, which is supposed to cover the cost of blood glucose testing, insulin, syringes, prescribed cat food. My mom was telling me about this, and then her eyes filled with tears, "I just can't make another f***ed up decision. I don't know what to do." I just felt like screaming, "I HAVE HAD IT WITH THIS HORRIBLE F***ING DISEASE!"
We have ALL had it. We can't let diabetes take anything else from our family. But we really need help to even make that a possibility.
The goal amount of $3,000 should hopefully cover about six months of veterinary costs for Link. The good news is that feline diabetes is treatable and sometimes reversible. We are hoping that once we get Link's diabetes under control, that the cost of his treatment will become more manageable and that hopefully by then he'll be insured, my dad will be out of the hospital and on disability, and my mom will have a good job. God-willing. We're looking into the cost of pet health insurance now, but because this diabetes will have been a prexisting condition, we just don't know how much of a possibility it's going to be. But we can't and we won't give up. Link is a part of our family and he is SO important to my dad. So please, if you can, any help you can provide-donations, prayers, advice, contacts, etc.- would mean the world to us.
My dad has lost enough. He can't lose his best friend, too.
Blessings and Many Thanks,
Lynsey D.
My name is Lynsey and I've created this gofundme campaign to raise money to keep my dad's cat, Link, alive and healthy. Doing so, will help my dad get better as well. You may be asking yourself how that makes any sense at all. . .
It's a long story, but one that I must explain so you understand how important this is to my dad, to my whole family, really. I promise you, it's really, REALLY important.
Here goes. . .So my dad, Paul, is diabetic and has been for as long as I can remember. And in 2012 he was diagnosed with kidney disease (no doubt caused by his diabetes), and was forced to start pertineal dialysis after it progressed to stage-4 kidney failure in December of 2013. Since then, he has had to have two heart and two leg angioplasties to remove arterial blockages. The dialysis has left my dad exhausted and literally drained. . .it keeps him alive but also keeps him from being able to go places and he has missed out on a lot because of it.
This is where the cat comes in. Link is a fat and adorable American Shorthair who we've had for years. He is my dad's best friend who has many other names, actually-Wubby, Little Buddy, Linkin Log, Stinky-just to name a few. They love to snuggle and "talk" to each other all of the time and my dad even sings to him (which drives my mom, Kathy, nuts but I think it's funny). Link has really been a comfort to my dad (and to all of us, really) through all of his pain and sickness and I can't imagine how my dad would have done without him. I know he probably wouldn't have been able to hold on to his wonderful sense of humor.
Well, as they say: "When it rains, it pours." And in May of this year (2015), both of my parents were laid off from Boeing when the company ultimately decided to relocate their customer service department to California. Both of my parents had worked for Boeing for 20+ years (dad was making about $44/hr and mom was making about $34/hr).
Having to live off of unemployment (which was less than half of what my parents were used to making) and unable to afford the mortgage payments on the house that our family of five had been calling home for over a decade, my parents decided that a short sale would be. . .the best option. And in August, after what seemed like an impossible amount of downsizing, we all had to move into a tiny rental house on the other side of town. Which would have not been possible without the help of our wonderful family and friends as almost all of the work was left up to my mom (as my dad was just too ill to do much). She is the strongest woman I know and my personal hero. . .but more on that later.
Not too long after moving in, my parents noticed that part of my dad's left foot was turning black. . .The hospital doctors confirmed our worry that it was indeed gangrene and my dad has been either hospitalized or kept in a rehab center (over an hour away, in Seattle) since then, having had necrotic (dead) portions of both of his feet amputated. And he's not doing very well. The doctors have told us that there is a possibility that they might have to take his left leg to just below the kneee, because the circulation is so bad that his foot is not healing properly.
So for the past couple months, my family has been living soley on my mom's umemployment as my dad can no longer look for work because he can no longer work due to his health problems. My parents have tried to contact disability lawyers, with no luck. And now the unemployment has run out and my mom has been forced to take money out of her retirement until she can find a job. . .which has not been easy considering the fact that she has essentially been a single parent since my dad got really sick. Between trying to sort things out and visit my dad, etc., she's understandably overwhelmed by it all, having never been in this kind of situation before. I am amazed by her strength every single day. But something really scared me yesterday. . .
We've noticed over recent weeks that Link had been acting strangely. He has been barely eating (one of his favorite pasttimes!), barely "talking", etc. . .so my mom took him to the vet (the visit cost over $400), assuming that he's just depressed because dad's been away from home for so long. We got a call from the vet and found out that Link has feline diabetes. He's not covered by health insurance and his prescriptions would be extremely expensive: costing about $500-$600 per month, which is supposed to cover the cost of blood glucose testing, insulin, syringes, prescribed cat food. My mom was telling me about this, and then her eyes filled with tears, "I just can't make another f***ed up decision. I don't know what to do." I just felt like screaming, "I HAVE HAD IT WITH THIS HORRIBLE F***ING DISEASE!"
We have ALL had it. We can't let diabetes take anything else from our family. But we really need help to even make that a possibility.
The goal amount of $3,000 should hopefully cover about six months of veterinary costs for Link. The good news is that feline diabetes is treatable and sometimes reversible. We are hoping that once we get Link's diabetes under control, that the cost of his treatment will become more manageable and that hopefully by then he'll be insured, my dad will be out of the hospital and on disability, and my mom will have a good job. God-willing. We're looking into the cost of pet health insurance now, but because this diabetes will have been a prexisting condition, we just don't know how much of a possibility it's going to be. But we can't and we won't give up. Link is a part of our family and he is SO important to my dad. So please, if you can, any help you can provide-donations, prayers, advice, contacts, etc.- would mean the world to us.
My dad has lost enough. He can't lose his best friend, too.
Blessings and Many Thanks,
Lynsey D.
Organizer
Lynsey Daigneault
Organizer
Tacoma, WA