It is impossible to describe the feelings that we felt during these times. Just imagining the amount of pain Willow was in for four days is absolutely awful. It was a very very dark and painful week. But, the donors of Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund gave us the best Christmas present of our lives.
What is the one thing we as humans want most in life?
I’d say it’s to know we are loved.
Truly loved. No matter what we say or do. Isn’t it an amazing feeling to walk in the door and be greeted as if you are the best thing since sliced bread?
That’s what our 6-month-old ball of energy, Willow, does for us. Does your dog or cat greet you at the door, too? Yes, but does the ENTIRE back half of them wiggle when they do? It cracks us up.
As does her after-potty routine. We don’t have to say a word. She knows. She comes in. Sits. Shakes with both paws. And lays down. After all that, how could we not give her a treat?
Willow is the sweetest girl and is there for Mason and me as we figure out life. We are so young (19 and 20 years old), and Willow has taught us responsibility and patience. She has given us a reason to stay strong when times are hard and to be resilient.
Although Willow cannot talk back, we tell her everything. She listens to our problems and always finds a way to make us feel better. Most importantly, this sweet girl has taught us how to have fun. Willow is the light of our lives, and I honestly couldn’t imagine life without her.
On the 23rd of December, we woke up to her vomiting and saw pieces of her rope toy in it; we were worried. We believed that she had just swallowed a small portion and could get it back up. We had no idea the next three days would be filled with the most depressing, tiresome, heart-shattering events.
When she kept throwing up (it had turned yellow at this point), refusing food, fatigued, etc., we rushed to MedVet on Christmas Eve, and we were told it would be $8,000 to remove a blockage in her small intestine after X-rays. Like most people, we cannot come up with $8,000 on the spot. So they taught us to do Sub-Q fluids, and we took our beloved Willow home to attempt to flush things out.
On Christmas Day, her vomit was now green, and we were frantic. It had now been 72 hours that our girl had gone without eating. Our kind Vet at Twin Maples got Willow in, and their head surgeon started to perform the surgery, but things weren’t going well due
to the location of the blockage. Tragically, they had to remove a good chunk of Willow’s small intestine. They called to say that chances were that she could be disabled for the rest of her life. The location of the blockage was extremely close to her pancreas, causing it to become inflamed and damaged.
We prepared to say goodbye.
We spoke to the surgeon, Dr. Claus, who said that with proper post-op care, Willow had a 70% chance of bouncing back and returning to her old self. They gave us hope, so we decided to stitch her up and hope for the best.
It is impossible to describe the feelings that we felt during these times. Just imagining the amount of pain Willow was in for four days is heartwrenching. She is our family. She is our baby girl. Plus, we knew the bill just kept growing. It was a very, very dark and painful week.
But, the donors of Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund gave us the best Christmas present of our lives. Because you stepped up, Willow was transferred to the ICU at Medvet. Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund paid for Willow’s entire stay. We will forever be grateful for giving her a chance to live. Because Willow received excellent post-op care, she managed to pull through! She is back home with us where she belongs.
You saved our baby! You turned the most excruciating week of our lives into one of hope and elation. We desperately tried, but like many families, we could not raise $8,000 immediately.
Willow makes us whole, and we can’t imagine life without her. Thanks to you, we don’t have to.
I am so grateful for every donor of Ellie’s, Dr. Claus, Twin Maples, and MedVet.
~Willow’s Mom
