I rarely share personal stories on Inspirations & Celebrations, as I created this site with the mission to empower and educate all my readers. Given a recent situation that happened in my life, I felt compelled to ask you for your kindness and support, as this year has been challenging for our family. 

The Story of Melody – More Than Just A Dog

My brother has a beautiful, lively, and loving 7-yr. old Black Labrador / Border Collie (that he adopted at the SPCA for Monterey County) named Melody. She brings so much joy, love, and warmth into the lives of our family and those who meet her. Her radiant spirit and enthusiastic personality always greet people who come to our home or office.

Several months ago, we watched Melody develop excessively dry, unhealthy skin. To figure out what was wrong, my brother took her to a few Veterinarians to get a diagnosis. They evaluated her and did an analysis on her blood, but could only conclude that she developed a “strange food allergy”.

A few weeks later, her condition got worse. She was in physical discomfort and feeling melancholy. In addition, one of her lymph nodes had swollen to the size of a baseball. This alarming new development made us very concerned. So, we decided to take her back to the Veterinarian once again. This time, he became worried too, and decided to aspirate the lymph node.

Within a few days, our family learned why her body was undergoing these problems. 

Melody was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lymphoma Cancer.

That was a very sad day for our family; one filled with fear, worry, and frustration. Being proactive, solution-oriented people, we immediately took action to help Melody. 

My brother started on a Raw Food diet and put her on a myriad of nutrient-dense health supplements to help boost her immune system (at the suggestion of The Raw Connection, a leading pet store in Carmel, CA.), and scheduled her first visit at The Animal Cancer Center in Monterey, CA.

Unfortunately, the pet insurance he had applied for a few weeks prior denied Melody the coverage for the Cancer treatments, as her diagnosis was determined during their 2-week “waiting period”. Therefore, it was up to us to pay for the expensive Chemotherapy treatments.

Over the next few months, Melody continued to visit Dr. Arteaga at the highly-regarded Animal Cancer Center, getting different types of Chemotherapy to treat her Lymphoma. At first, her Cancer went into remission, which was great to hear!

But after a few weeks, the Cancer came back with a vengeance. Our family sadly watched our beautiful and beloved animal lose half of her hair, develop red sores throughout her body, and see her lymph nodes continue to swell up.

Now she is on an expensive, but highly-recommended, mix of premium dog foods and supplements to strengthen her immune system. This is an important part of the treatment, as Chemotherapy wreaks havoc on the body (similar to in humans), since it doesn’t just affect the Cancerous cells.

Over the past few months, my brother spent over $4000 on Chemotherapy, in addition to high monthly bills for her specific type of dog food and supplements.

Because of this emotional and financial burden, which has taken a major toll on my brother and our family, we have decided to ask our friends and community for much-needed help.

Charitable Giving: The Remission Mission for Melody

The Remission Mission for Melody is a way for our friends, community, and animal-lovers to help Melody become healthy again by getting the on-going Chemotherapy treatments she needs for her Lymphoma Cancer to go into full remission. 

GOAL: To raise $10,000 to help cover Melody’s treatments. Once the financial goal is met, any additional funds raised will be donated directly to the SPCA for Monterey County.

To support this worthy cause, please visit The Remission Mission for Melody Fundraising Page or simply click the link above to be taken to the donation page. In addition, we would be grateful if you could help spread the word by email or social media.

From our hearts to yours, we thank you very much for your love, support, and contributions.