When Patricia Smith first saw a photo of a white kitten on Petfinder, she knew it was meant to be. As a child, she had a white cat stuffed animal and always wanted to adopt a kitten that matched.
Patricia quickly fell in love with the kitten, who she described as sweet, lazy and the cuddliest cat possible, and named her Ghost. The two formed an immediate bond. Ghost would cry if Patricia stayed up too late and wasn’t curled up with her in bed.
Patricia credits Ghost with helping her through a major depressive episode.
“She’s obsessed with me, and I tell her how embarrassing it is for her, but the truth is, she’s my baby and probably the thing I love most on Earth,” she said.
Ghost always had a lesion on her nose. Patricia and her veterinarian kept an eye on it and recently decided it was time for a biopsy. She made an appointment with The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center to begin the process. The biopsy showed in-situ carcinoma. Ghost needed treatment to prevent the lesion from developing into nasal cancer.
Patricia was devastated, not only was she concerned for Ghost, she was worried about how she could afford treatments. She had hosted a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for the biopsy, but wasn’t sure how she would continue to cover the treatments Ghost needed.
Patricia’s veterinarian could see how anxious she was about managing costs and brought up the PetcoLove/Blue Buffalo Cancer Treatment Support Fund.
“The weight off my shoulders when she confirmed that I'd receive financial help was almost a physical feeling of relief–I'd been so stressed I could barely enjoy anything,” Patricia shared.
Today, Ghost is completely healed and has resumed her role as Patricia’s constant companion.
