Stella's Too Sweet to Let Die
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Stella Survived a Bad Auto Accident
Traffic was slowing on the interstate, and we could see a terrible accident ahead. Then we spotted a small animal darting between vehicles. "Stop, stop, stop," yelled my wife, Robyne. I pulled over, and she jumped out. Robyne eventually returned with two female Chihuahua mixes. They were afraid and in shock, but neither had any obvious injuries.
We left a phone number and finally, someone called informing us that her friend, Teresa Chambell, had been moving from Michigan to Arizona when the accident occurred. Teresa’s dogs were Stella and Isabella – the two we picked up. Teresa had been medevaced from the accident to a hospital in Springfield, Illinois where she was in the ICU on life support. We assured Monique that we would care for the dogs until Teresa could take them.
We Suspected Something Was Wrong
Over the next few days, the girls began to settle in, but Stella wasn't eating, so we took her to our vet. An x-ray and ultrasound showed that the impact of the accident had forced Stella's organs through her diaphragm and into the pleural cavity. The vet diagnosed Stella with a diaphragmatic hernia – fatal without surgery by a specialist. The outcome could be iffy and expensive. How much, we asked? Three to four thousand, she thought.
We wanted to know alternatives, and the vet said we could put her down. We were horrified. We took Stella home to make her remaining days as comfortable and happy as possible. When that was no longer the case, we would have her euthanized.
Too Sweet to Let Die
Within a week we were in love with Stella and Isabella, and it tore at our hearts to see Stella deteriorate. Despite the cost and uncertain prognosis, we decided to consult a specialist, making an appointment for the next day, worrying about how fast Stella was declining.
The doctor was optimistic and considered Stella a good candidate for surgery, but he needed to operate that morning. The high end of the estimate for Stella’s life-saving surgery was $2,880 – too much to spend on a rescued dog that wasn’t even ours. Robyne and I looked at each other and nodded. We couldn’t let Stella die.
You Can Join Us
We started thinking about a go-fund-me campaign when we first received Stella’s diagnosis. Stella declined so quickly that when we opted for surgery, we knew the financial responsibility was ours. There wasn’t time to ask for money to save Stella’s life, so instead, we’re hoping you’ll chip in now. The bill for Stella’s surgery was $1,937.23, and to date, we’ve spent $2,438.85 on vet care for Stella and Isabella.
Postscript
After four weeks in ICU Teresa (the dogs' owner) is finally able to communicate. She told us that her husband had been hit by a car and killed just 9 months earlier, and she thought she’d lost Stella and Isabella too. Teresa was tearful expressing her gratitude to us for rescuing and caring for her girls.
Teresa was badly injured in the accident and is moving to a rehabilitation center where she will likely stay for the next two months. After that, she plans to resume her move to Arizona. We live in Illinois but have agreed to take Stella and Isabella to Teresa when she is settled. If there are donations above our campaign goal, they will help to offset the expense of getting Stella and Isabella back to their mom.
It was the right decision to rescue Isabella and Stella and to save Stella’s life. They are happy, sweet, and playful little dogs, with lots of attitude and character. Teresa needs them.
Traffic was slowing on the interstate, and we could see a terrible accident ahead. Then we spotted a small animal darting between vehicles. "Stop, stop, stop," yelled my wife, Robyne. I pulled over, and she jumped out. Robyne eventually returned with two female Chihuahua mixes. They were afraid and in shock, but neither had any obvious injuries.
We left a phone number and finally, someone called informing us that her friend, Teresa Chambell, had been moving from Michigan to Arizona when the accident occurred. Teresa’s dogs were Stella and Isabella – the two we picked up. Teresa had been medevaced from the accident to a hospital in Springfield, Illinois where she was in the ICU on life support. We assured Monique that we would care for the dogs until Teresa could take them.
We Suspected Something Was Wrong
Over the next few days, the girls began to settle in, but Stella wasn't eating, so we took her to our vet. An x-ray and ultrasound showed that the impact of the accident had forced Stella's organs through her diaphragm and into the pleural cavity. The vet diagnosed Stella with a diaphragmatic hernia – fatal without surgery by a specialist. The outcome could be iffy and expensive. How much, we asked? Three to four thousand, she thought.
We wanted to know alternatives, and the vet said we could put her down. We were horrified. We took Stella home to make her remaining days as comfortable and happy as possible. When that was no longer the case, we would have her euthanized.
Too Sweet to Let Die
Within a week we were in love with Stella and Isabella, and it tore at our hearts to see Stella deteriorate. Despite the cost and uncertain prognosis, we decided to consult a specialist, making an appointment for the next day, worrying about how fast Stella was declining.
The doctor was optimistic and considered Stella a good candidate for surgery, but he needed to operate that morning. The high end of the estimate for Stella’s life-saving surgery was $2,880 – too much to spend on a rescued dog that wasn’t even ours. Robyne and I looked at each other and nodded. We couldn’t let Stella die.
You Can Join Us
We started thinking about a go-fund-me campaign when we first received Stella’s diagnosis. Stella declined so quickly that when we opted for surgery, we knew the financial responsibility was ours. There wasn’t time to ask for money to save Stella’s life, so instead, we’re hoping you’ll chip in now. The bill for Stella’s surgery was $1,937.23, and to date, we’ve spent $2,438.85 on vet care for Stella and Isabella.
Postscript
After four weeks in ICU Teresa (the dogs' owner) is finally able to communicate. She told us that her husband had been hit by a car and killed just 9 months earlier, and she thought she’d lost Stella and Isabella too. Teresa was tearful expressing her gratitude to us for rescuing and caring for her girls.
Teresa was badly injured in the accident and is moving to a rehabilitation center where she will likely stay for the next two months. After that, she plans to resume her move to Arizona. We live in Illinois but have agreed to take Stella and Isabella to Teresa when she is settled. If there are donations above our campaign goal, they will help to offset the expense of getting Stella and Isabella back to their mom.
It was the right decision to rescue Isabella and Stella and to save Stella’s life. They are happy, sweet, and playful little dogs, with lots of attitude and character. Teresa needs them.
Organizador
Lynne Burnett
Organizador
Godfrey, IL
