{"id":38482,"date":"2022-12-18T22:50:28","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T03:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/?p=38482"},"modified":"2022-12-18T22:50:28","modified_gmt":"2022-12-19T03:50:28","slug":"wny-woman-and-her-dog-battle-through-cancer-together-funds-needed-for-kevins-treatment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2022\/12\/18\/wny-woman-and-her-dog-battle-through-cancer-together-funds-needed-for-kevins-treatment\/","title":{"rendered":"WNY\/Woman and her dog battle through cancer together, funds needed for Kevin’s treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
(Submitted photo-Kevin and Leisha)<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Leisha and her dog Kevin are always there for each other. The pair have been together since 2009 and have been through a lot in 13 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kevin was one of eight male puppies left abandoned in a box on the side of the road in the state of Alabama. He and his brothers were brought to New York to be adopted and Kevin was the last to find a family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“He was a naughty pup who had been returned by several families,” says Leisha. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Our beloved schnauzer had just died of cancer, so when my twin boys and I heard Kevin needed a home, we felt like we were meant to take him in.\u00a0I had no idea the challenge he would be and how much I would need to work with him, or how many toys, socks, Christmas lights, ornaments, plates of food, sections of drywall, he would chew up or eat in the process.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kevin is a small Shepherd mix, but he has the characteristics of a Terrier, he is classed as a Heinz 57 mix and is about 40lbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By April of 2010, Kevin was like a different dog and was more a part of the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s when Leisha, 46, was diagnosed with an aggressive advanced breast cancer. The cancer was inoperable, and Leisha was given a poor prognosis. With a lot of treatments, chemotherapy, surgeries, radiation, monoclonal antibody infusions, medication therapy, and the support of good friends and lots of people saying prayers, Leisha is now in remission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It has been a long and difficult road. The cancer and its side effects have been debilitating and painful and have resulted in numerous medical conditions that have made life a struggle and that have also meant that I had to stop working years ago.\u00a0 But I still have a lot to keep me going, including my sweet Kevin.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In August of 2022, Kevin was diagnosed with cancer and had to have emergency surgery to remove a large mass.\u00a0The biopsies showed that Kevin had a soft tissue sarcoma and malignant nerve sheath tumor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The surgery removed the mass and some of the tendrils the tumor was sending out, but unfortunately, the veterinarian was unable to get clean margins, and some of the cancerous tendrils were left behind.\u00a0 Kevin now either needs radiation therapy or a surgery with an oncologist that would involve resecting his jaw.<\/span>

“If the surgery route is chosen, it would involve removing the portion of his jaw affected by the cancer.\u00a0 The oncologist said that dogs with his type of cancer tend to do well even though the surgery sounds scary.\u00a0Or radiation treatment would also be a good option,” says Leisha <\/span><\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cost of the surgery is $4,500. Several friends of Leisha and Kevin have started a GoFundMe page to help her pay for the surgery or radiation treatment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I feel as though finding a way to treat his cancer and to keep him from suffering is the least I could do for\u00a0him.\u00a0I have been so heartbroken that I haven’t been able to do this for\u00a0him and that I don’t have a way to pay for his treatment, or even the next step.\u00a0 The oncologist says he needs a CT scan and lab work\u00a0before surgery or treatment can begin.\u00a0 And then he has a few different options for treatment, which would relieve his pain, and which could even be curative for him.\u00a0 But they are all far too expensive for\u00a0me, especially after his emergency surgery in the summer and his follow up care.”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link to Kevin’s fundraiser below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fundraiser by Suzanne Janes : KEVIN’S LIFE-SAVING CANCER TREATMENT (gofundme.com)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Submitted photo<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“He has been the best dog in the world.\u00a0He is gentle, loving, sweet and he can tell when you’re having a rough day.\u00a0 He’ll come to sit on my lap and lick my face and he never fails to make me feel better. Having twin boys, I love and need to survive for, and the companionship of my dogs, including sweet Kevin, I am still here 12 years later.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leisha says she can’t imagine life without Kevin. Recently she had to be hospitalized for two weeks for several surgeries and she found it difficult to be away from Kevin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“He has been a loyal companion through everything.\u00a0 Between the\u00a0cancer and everything medical, and everything in between, Kevin has been a light in the\u00a0darkness.\u00a0 He is a beautiful soul who cheers me up, especially when I am at my sickest and my loneliest.\u00a0 He even taught himself how to be a seizure dog. When I started having seizures after some of my cancer treatment, he began to recognize them, and he will alert me when a seizure is coming.\u00a0 So, he is not only my faithful and loving companion, but he also helps to keep me safe. I feel as though he does far more for me than I do for him.”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Leisha and her dog Kevin are always there for each other. The pair have been together since 2009 and have been through a lot in 13 years. Kevin was one of eight male puppies left abandoned in a box on the side of the road in the state of Alabama. \u2026<\/p>\n

Continue 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