Josie was our first recipient from the Maggie May fund in 2014. She will always have a special place in our hearts and ever since we have kept in touch, following her antics, her bad days and her good. Josie has faced many hurdles since, but she continues to be happy and defy the odds.
Josie’s latest hurdle …. Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, but the good thing is that once the diagnosis is confirmed, it is treatable!
Nalyn (Josie’s Mom) is an amazing caregiver, she does everything she can possibly do for her girl. She continues to make sacrifices for her, she faces each hurdle with hope and a positive attitude. Josie is one lucky girl ….. but sometimes everyone needs a little help, if you would like to help Josie & Nalyn, you can donate directly to:
Western Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Centre – Dr. Glenna Mauldin
(403) 770-1340 using her name “Josie Hill-Unwin”
Nalyn gave Josie a chance, a chance to live, a chance to be happy, a chance to be loved. We recently asked Nalyn to write us an update on Josie …..
“Josie is as happy as can be despite all her medical issues! She likes to run around and try to play with her sisters. She has so much fight to her and continues to fight and stay strong. She has defied all odds that have been thrown at her! She was diagnosed with non contagious inflammatory encephalitis in 2014. She was also diagnosed with invasive mammary cancer in December of 2015, but it has not spread as per her chest X-ray in June and no new masses have grown. She has a grade 4 luxating patella and arthritis in her right hip, but surgery is not an option, it’s just maintaining it with supplements and acupuncture. Josie has been giving me a hard time with eating. I thought I had created it myself because she would turn her nose up and she would get something different. She went for her cytosar treatment recently in August. Her neurologist felt really concerned that she wasn’t eating so he suggested blood work. Her blood work came back with an extremely high white blood cell count that was up by 37.9 from her last blood work and an extremely high lymphocyte count of 82%. Her oncologist strongly believes that we are now dealing with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. The good news is that it is treatable! However, we need to get specialized blood work testing done that is sent to the university of Tennessee in order to confirm diagnosis before we can start treatment. She is my warrior princess!! She is strong and teaches me every day what its like to be strong and I feel so blessed to have her love and trust. She hasn’t had the easiest life coming from her background and all her medical issues but she has so much love to give. She has blossomed from this scared, terrified , very fearful dog to this super amazing, loving , trusting, happy, dog.”
Josie is our wonder girl, we feel she has a higher purpose ….. to show others that no matter how many hurdles they face, always have hope and never give up! Josie is an inspiration and we feel her story needs to be shared.
You can also follow Josie on her Facebook Page. Josie’s Story- Encephalitis-Meningitis.
As you all know “In Memory Of Maggie May” is very dear to my heart and I will never give up, I will always do my very best to help those pets that truly need our help. Fundraising is hard because it is tough times out there for many of us. But, it is discouraging when donations don’t come, especially when we need it most. We are a non-profit organization, but not a registered charity (yet!) because we are small and need people to join us to help us grow, but it does not mean that our hearts are not in the right place. We donate our time and absorb much of the costs personally. We look for great deals on fabric so that the majority of our sales are directed to the memorial fund. We are very diligent in our application process, we work closely with our medical consult, and we ensure that those truly in need receive our help. Did you know that to date we have paid out close to $15,000 to pets in need? Can you help us continue our cause …. we have 426 followers, can you imagine if we received a $20 donation from each, that’s $8520! Small amounts add up fast!
In Memory Of Maggie May 