Bashful came into my life 7 years ago, and I immediately knew he was my soul dog. He’s been with me as a single girl in my 20s, a wife and a stepmom in my 30s, and with me as I started my life over again after my divorce. Every step of the way, Bash has shown me the true meaning of unconditional love and has embodied what a best friend is. On 11/13, Bashful collapsed with pale gums and no appetite. When I took him to the ER, we discovered he had a tumor on his liver that had ruptured, causing internal bleeding, and I opted to have them perform emergency surgery to remove it. Surgery was very complex, and he needed a blood transfusion during it, but he made it through because of the brave boy he is. Unfortunately, the biopsy came back showing that Bashful has Hemangiosarcoma, or cancer of the blood cells. This cancer is extremely aggressive, and with surgery alone, his prognosis is 1-2 months. After meeting with an oncologist last week, I feel like pursuing chemo (which is much more tolerated in dogs than people) is the next step in our journey. I have also signed him up for a clinical trial several hours from us in Washington that shows promising results against this type of cancer.

At this point in time, I desperately need help covering the costs of the surgery and the upcoming treatments. I’m nearly $12k in already, with many more expenses to come. I feel absolutely mortified asking for help, but I know Bashful has touched the lives of so many people, and I’m hoping we can rally to give him the best chance at a better prognosis. He means everything to me and any amount can spare is such a blessing to us.