When I lost my dog Bismarck to Gastrointestinal Lymphoma in July 2007, just 8 weeks after his diagnosis, my devastation was beyond words. He was only 5 years old, so to say that I was completely unprepared for his diagnosis and his death would be a gross understatement.

I was also unprepared for the cost of his medical bills. From the moment he was diagnosed, I vowed to do everything I could to save him. Even though each vet I took him to told me that he had, at most, 6 months to live, I wanted to try to beat that prognosis. So I took him to Tufts and did every test, every treatment they recommended. I also took him to a holistic vet who put him on special vitamins and supplements. I kept both the “traditional” and the holistic vets abreast of what the other was giving him so that they weren’t doing anything detrimental to his already fragile health.

Over the course of those 8 weeks, I – with the very generous support of my parents and other family members – spent thousands (yes, thousands) of dollars trying to keep Bismarck with us as long as possible. But the cancer was too strong, and it spread so fast that on July 27, 2007 there was nothing left to do but hug him close and put an end to his pain. I remembered the second anniversary of his passing with this post back in July.

When he passed away, through my grief, I remember feeling the need to make something positive come from Bismarck’s death. I thought about how easy it was for the medical bills to pile up, and shuttered to think of what I would have done without my parents’ help, as well as the help of other family members. I already blamed myself enough for not finding out about Bismarck’s illness sooner, even though I was assured there was nothing I could have done differently. I would have been an absolute mess had I been unable to find a way to pay for his treatment, to feel like I was doing everything I could for him.

I decided then and there that I wanted to set up a fund for people who couldn’t afford their pets’ medical bills. That would be Bismarck’s legacy.

But in December 2008, as I was making a list Things To Do in 2009, I realized with regret that I had not done anything in terms of this fund. So I put it on the top of my list. Specifically, I wrote:

An idea I’ve had is a fund for people struggling to afford their pet’s medical bills. I just really want to do something to honor my boy, who brought so much love and joy into the world and into my heart.

Fast forward to August 2009, just a few weeks ago, when I found out that one of my oldest (in terms of how long we’ve known each other, not her age!) blogging friends, Dawn from So A Blonde Walks Into a Blog, was struggling with her beloved pup Sophie’s medical bills. Dawn had lost her dog Copper back in August 2007, just weeks after Bismarck passed away, so we had bonded over those losses and helped each other in our grief. I remember when she got Sophie and how excited her family was to have another dog to love… so hearing that Sophie was having problems – and that the medical costs were becoming a problem (did I mention that Dawn‘s husband was diagnosed with cancer this summer?) – galvanized me into action.

Sophie would be the first dog to benefit from Bismarck’s legacy, I decided.

And so here we are.

And here is Sophie:

Go to Dawn’s blog and read Sophie’s story, and if you are able to help, you can come back here and donate below. Dawn’s vet has agreed to verify Sophie’s story to anyone who would like to check. Since there are so many scams out there, Dawn wants people who don’t know her to feel comfortable giving. Simply email her at ablondeandherblog [at] yahoo [dot] com and she will give you her vet’s contact information.

I know that, especially in this current economy, money is tight for everyone. But from experience, I know that every little bit helps. So if you are so inclined and are able to help as one of Sophie’s Angels, you can do so through Paypal by clicking Donate here:

<center><a href=”http://momgenerations.com/blogs/jane/index.php/2009/09/10/be-one-of-sophies-angels/#comment-2363″ mce_href=”http://momgenerations.com/blogs/jane/index.php/2009/09/10/be-one-of-sophies-angels/#comment-2363″ target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll303/BlondeBlogger/1sophie.jpg” mce_src=”http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll303/BlondeBlogger/1sophie.jpg”></a></center></texarea></p> <p>If you are a frequent reader of my blog, you know that I have never done anything like this before. I’m doing this not only as a dog lover, and as a friend who sees a friend in need, but for my sweet Bismarck, to whom I promised that something good would come from his passing… and as a thank you to those who helped me out when completely unforeseen circumstances found Bismarck in need of his own angels on earth.</p> <p>Thank you!</p> <p><b><i>*Update – There was an issue with the Donate button not linking to the correct page. It should be working fine now! Also, feel free to grab one of these buttons and link it to this post to spread the word:</i></b></p> <p><img src=”http://momgenerations.com/blogs/audrey/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/sophiebutton165.jpg” mce_src=”http://momgenerations.com/blogs/audrey/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/sophiebutton165.jpg” alt=”” /></p>