Winston's Emergency Surgery

Hello,

My name is Lisa Elliott, and I am writing to you on behalf of Winston and Josh

Bohn. Josh is one of my family’s closest friends. His dog Winston is the most

adorable German Shepherd / Lab mix that has ever existed! He is a perfect

angel who is almost always wagging his tail and trotting around with the

hugest smile on his face. He is, without a doubt, the light of Josh's life. We have known Winston for almost his entire life, are

officially his Godparents and have called dibs on any and all opportunities for

dog sitting. Seriously, nobody else gets a turn.

Winston has always been a very happy, healthy boy until back in May when he

suddenly had difficulty urinating. Winston’s vet at Banfield took a look,

suggested it could be caused by a couple different things, prescribed

antibiotics, and it worked! Josh went forward believing the problem was

treated and Winston was back to good health. Unfortunately, just a few weeks

ago, the problem returned while Josh was out of town for a few days visiting

family and Winston was staying with us.

Since the reoccurrence, Winston has been seen again at Banfield, referred to

specialists at Blue Pearl, was started on several meds that allow him to urinate

and keep him as comfortable as possible, and has undergone an ultrasound

guided needle biopsy to diagnose a mass that was seen on X-ray. Testing has

determined Winston has a very large, seemingly benign, tumor called a

leiomyoma arising from his bladder wall. Though it produces similar symptoms

to a malignant cancer, with no metastasis, I am told it is not likely to spread to

elsewhere in his body. Unfortunately, even though it is believed to be benign,

just due to the size of the mass and the way it is pressing on his bladder,

stomach, and other organs, it needs to be removed immediately as it is now

causing great difficulty with urination, as well as constipation, nausea, much

discomfort, and will very soon cause Winston to need to be put down.

Josh is a single guy living alone in Seattle and recently accepted a new position working

at Starbucks. Unfortunately, what money he did have in savings had to be directed towards a situation with family, and every penny remaining has already been spent on Winston’s care up until now. Starting from zero, over the last five weeks since realizing the severity of the problem, Josh has sacrificed to pay for approximately $2,500.00 worth of tests and medications.

He applied for Care Credit but was denied, so he accomplished this by

delaying payment of all his household bills, sacrificing his own food budget,

and selling everything he owned of value. He sold his laptop, his iPad, his Xbox,

his Nintendo Switch, and all of their various games and accessories. Now he

needs your help to get Winston the surgery required to save his life. After returning from his trip, Josh made the difficult decision to let my family continue to watch Winston rather than bring him home. As his symptoms worsened, it became vital that he not be left home alone while Josh works, and at my house, someone is always with him to allow for his constant potty needs, med schedule, vet appointments, and cuddles. If allowed the opportunity to get the life-saving surgery he needs, my family will continue to

support Josh and Winston for as long as he needs to fully recover before going

home. Winston is a fighter, and despite the apparent discomfort he is in now, he still

jumps up every time someone opens the freezer and comes trotting in for ice

cubes. Winston has always been the happiest boy in the world. Everyone who meets him falls instantly in love with his adorable face, cheerful demeanor, and the biggest smile. He loves to play with his toys and doggy friends, cuddle with his dad (or anyone who gives him attention), eat ice cubes, and take long naps. In veterinary medicine, far too often, we see situations where nothing can be done, but this is something we have the opportunity to fix so that Winston can continue to live the life he loves. As a benign

leiomyoma, the mass is unlikely to return if successfully removed, and there is a

good chance for a full recovery. It would be a tragedy if he lost his life just because the mass doesn’t allow Josh enough time to save the funds to remove it.

I appreciate your consideration.

Sincerely yours,

Lisa Elliott