CIC: Foxy’s Story
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“I adopted Foxy from a high-kill shelter in rural Illinois where she had come in as a stray in 2011. Originally intended as a foster, Foxy quickly became a foster “failure” when I saw how closely she bonded with Wrigley, the terrier mix I’d rescued the year before. Since then, she’s been a tremendous help with Wrigley, who suffered from separation anxiety prior to Foxy joining our family. Thanks to her, Wrigley is now much more calm and secure.
“Foxy has been constantly by my side through thick and thin, including during my own lymphoma diagnosis and treatment in 2017. At the age of 29, I was diagnosed with stage IV Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma – something terrifying to hear. Thankfully, I’m one of the incredibly lucky ones that entered complete remission following an intense treatment regimen. I’m extremely fortunate to have just celebrated my three-year remission in October. I know a lot of what got me through that time was having my husband (then fiancé), Foxy, and Wrigley by my side, supporting me throughout the process. Foxy made sure to stay especially close, always watching out for me. She’s always been attuned to my emotions.
“Now it’s Foxy’s turn to fight lymphoma, as she was just diagnosed with stage V multicentric lymphoma. We were admittedly shocked when we first learned her diagnosis. Given that her main symptom was increased thirst, with no changes to her normal energy at the time, we naively expected the result to be a mild kidney issue at worst. As soon as we learned her diagnosis, I quickly called multiple DMV oncologists to see who could see her soonest, knowing time was of the essence. Now, just as she stayed by my side during my treatment, we want to stay by her side and do whatever we can to help her through this.
“Thanks to financial assistance from FETCH a Cure, Foxy is being treated at Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners in Rockville, Md. Ideally her chemotherapy will allow her to enter remission. Above all, we want to make sure she maintains a high quality of life and enjoys whatever remaining time she has, which we sincerely hope will be a long, long time.”
Little black cat Ginter came into his dad’s life as a feral neighborhood visitor. When he developed a mass on his ear, a vet visit confirmed that a cancerous tumor was growing in his ear canal. Having lost his wife several years ago to cancer, the senior owner was determined to have a part in saving Ginter, one of his two beloved animal companions. Even though G
Sabbath came to her pet parent from a shelter in New York, through a previous owner who brought her to Virginia. “I basically got handed the perfect cat (free to a good home off Craigslist),” says Sabbath’s owner. “Beyond string eating, she has no bad habits, and prefers to be carried around like a baby.” After Sabbath became lethargic, a check-up revealed enlarged lymph nodes, and Sabbath was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma. Thanks to a CIC grant, Sabbath is being treated at The Oncology Service Richmond. We hope she is doing a lot of lap cuddling between her chemo treatments.
Mr. Biscuits is a Richmond SPCA cat adopted by a volunteer. “He was the only cat that didn’t hide under the bench during human socialization,” says his owner. “Instead, all he wanted to do was sit in my lap, purr, and lick my face. He came home with me two days later and has been glued to my side ever since.”
Macie Gray is a 4-year-old Cane Corso being treated for lymphoma by Dr. Waite at 
house was full. We had adopted three four-legged children and had two two-legged biological humans children ages 7 and 9. Our home had no room for another body or mouth to feed, but this puppy…she smelled so good and was so cute that my heart immediately melted and convincing me to allow her to join our family did not take much effort.
during every phase, stage, and surprise. Yesterday, she finished her last round of radiation in her battle against cancer. Her parents are so proud and have shared that Marley is still smiling and wagging her tail. With the support of our 
headed to RVA, where we didn’t know a single person, and rented our first apartment together. Then, in May of 2016, I purchased our first home – primarily so that Marley could have a backyard of her own.
said, I have tried hard to take very good care of Marley over the years. We have stayed up-to-date on all of her medications and visited the vet regularly. As a side note, Marley was diagnosed with copper storage disease around the age of 5, which required special surgical diagnostics, in addition to a lifelong prescription diet and supplements. As a result, Marley has had no challenges with her liver and the disease has been well-managed. As Marley got older and started seeming arthritic, I would take her monthly to get acupuncture and other treatments to help soothe her discomfort. In April of 2020, Marley tore her ACL, requiring surgery. There was no injury – this was just the result of her getting older. Despite her age, however, she recovered so well and so quickly, just like she did following her biopsy three months later. Her continuous determination is what gives us confidence that she can beat the odds when it comes to cancer. 
COVID-19. Because of current restrictions, I haven’t been able to accompany Marley to any of her appointments. I’m not allowed to sit with her, pet her and tell her that everything is going to be okay while she gets poked and prodded at. It hasn’t been easy… Of course, I have always been aware of the devastating reality that I don’t get to keep Marley in my life for as long as I wish I could, but I suppose I always hoped that the amount of love that I feel towards her would somehow be enough to help keep her around for as long as possible. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would receive a call informing me that she has cancer, and that it had spread to her brain. But my worst nightmare was realized in July of 2020… And I would give anything in the world to be woken up from it.
could see out of her right eye, and needed to be evaluated by a neurologist. We made an appointment for the following day. The next morning, Marley was worse. She had an accident in her bed overnight – which she has never done – and was extremely unsteady on her feet. Being Marley, she saw me sitting on the ground, visibly upset, and despite her discomfort, wobbled over to comfort me. She’s just the best.
The following week, another neurologist performed a biopsy, by cutting into Marley’s head and through bone, to the tumor outside of her brain. The results confirmed our fears… Marley has carcinoma. Although, aside from the patches of fur missing on her head and other parts of her body, more days than not, you wouldn’t know it. I know the medicine she’s taking, like the steroid Prednisone, is helping with this, but she really has been SUCH a trooper. She’s had a couple of bad days where she’s been lethargic and had droopy eyes and obvious challenges with her vision, but most of the time, she has been smiling, wagging her tail, upbeat and alert, prancing around and looking (nonstop) for food. She’s been herself. I hope and pray that Dr. Holmes at