Rollo

About the Campaign

Rollo is a 10-year-old male Turkish Angora with a large mass near his right jaw and throat. A CT scan and biopsy point to squamous cell carcinoma, an aggressive cancer of the mouth and head, or possibly a salivary gland cancer, which is treated the same way. The tumor cannot be removed surgically.

His veterinary team at MedVet Salt Lake City has recommended radiation therapy, estimated at $5,215.28. Radiation will not cure him. What it does is shrink the mass, control his pain, and let him eat and swallow more normally, giving him an expected three to five months of good life rather than a fast decline. His owner Kellianne and her husband are not ready to give up on him, and radiation is the treatment that makes his remaining time comfortable.

It happened fast. In the first week of August, Kellianne came home from the gym to find Rollo’s right ear red and his third eyelid covering one eye. It was Horner’s syndrome, caused by pressure on a nerve behind the eye. Within days he stopped eating, started hacking, had trouble swallowing, and could not use his tongue properly. A lump turned up near his lymph nodes. Right now he is on medication and supportive care at home, and his family is helping him eat and drink.

Rollo came from the Humane Society of Utah as a 3-month-old kitten. Kellianne and Kyler had just adopted another cat and wanted a buddy for him. Rollo was fluffy, completely uninterested in them, and busy exploring on his own, and they loved him for it. Ten years later he is more dog than cat: affectionate, always underfoot, always wanting to be with his people.

Kellianne lost her job as a university humanities professor to downsizing and has been doing odd jobs since. She starts a stable position at a specialty clinic next month. Kyler, 36, works as a high school custodian. So far they have been able to barely cover treatment. Recently they raised $1,000 toward the diagnostic costs through friends and family, applied for Care Credit and were declined, and are committing as much money as they have toward the radiation. The gap is what they cannot close.

Rollo’s time is limited, but it does not have to be painful. Donations will cover his radiation therapy at MedVet, sedation for each session, pain medication, and the supportive care that keeps him eating. All donations are paid only to the veterinarian. An estimate is below, you can click to enlarge: