Hello everyone, my name is Willow and I'm just 11 months old - a playful and curious little kitty who should be chasing red dots, bird watching without a care in the world. My very first birthday is coming up on October 19!!… but after I might not have enough time.

My mom and dad adopted me earlier this year in May when I was only 5 months old. I was scared and unsure of the world. But they gave me lots of love and a real home, something I had never felt before. And in return, I gave them my heart.

But we didn’t know then that my heart was already broken.

Not long after I arrived, my parents noticed something strange. My heartbeat was fast, almost frantic even… In the beginning, they thought I was just nervous. Yet as I was getting comfortable, it wasn’t going away. So they took me to a cardiologist… and that’s when they heard the words that shattered their world:

I am diagnosed with Ventricular Septal Defect.

I was born with a hole in my heart.

One side of my heart works too hard. Blood flows the wrong way. Over time, the pressure builds up, and eventually my heart will fail.

My life expectancy is only 12 to 18 months.

I’m not even one year old yet.

But I don’t want to say goodbye. Not yet.

I haven’t caught that red dot. I haven’t finished playing hide and seek with grandma. I haven’t curled up on my mom’s chest one last time. I still have so much love left to give. And so much life I haven’t lived.

My parents have found a heart surgery that could save me. It’s my only chance — but it’s expensive. More than they can afford on their own. So I’m here, paws stretched out, asking for help.

If you can spare anything, even a small donation, you could give me the gift of more time — more naps in sunbeams, more nights curled up in blankets and making biscuits, more mornings waking up in a home where I’m deeply loved.

If you can’t donate, please share my story. Let people know that I exist. That I matter. That I’m fighting.

From the bottom of my imperfect heart — thank you.

With love,

Willow