Rescue dogs often have a history of hardships, but the story of Lexi, a Pit Bull from New York, is even harder than most. Whoever her previous owner was, they abandoned her earlier this year by tying her to a fence in Brooklyn and walking away. Animal control took her into custody, and she was quickly accepted by Second Chance Rescue NYC. After that, it quickly became clear that Lexi had problems far beyond neglect and abandonment: She started oozing blood and discharge from her eyes and nose, and an MRI showed an aggressively growing tumor behind her left eye. The eye had to be removed, but the tumor itself was so large that only part of it could be taken out by surgery. After several rounds of biopsies, the news was bad: The tumor was an especially aggressive form of carcinoma.
Those are the basic facts of Lexi’s story, starting in March and April of this year. Having an aggressive tumor growing inside your head is about as bad news as you can get, whether you’re a dog or a human, but there has been good news, too. Since March, Lexi has gotten a lot of friends standing behind her to watch her progress. Her Facebook page, Loving Lexi, now has more than 59,000 followers cheering her on, and it doesn’t seem unreasonable to say that Second Chance Rescue is just about the best friend that a dog with a tumor could have. Since the diagnosis, Second Chance has done a lot of fundraising to pay for expensive radiation treatments that could keep her alive for another one to two more years.
Whether Lexi gets those one to two years or not, the pictures and posts on her page look like she’s already gotten a lot more than she could have expected a few months ago, when the scope of her world was only as far as the rope would reach. Second Chance Rescue writes on the Loving Lexi page that “The cancer can cause her to have good days and bad days,” but running through the posts, it seems like her bad days have been coming more frequently lately.
I don’t believe in miracles or in prayers, but I do believe in the power of people to do good for other people and animals when they so choose. It feels like that’s happened here. Lexi might not have a long life, but what she does have will come with a lot of love, care, and attention.
She has not found a permanent home and is unlikely to, although she is technically up for adoption. As you might expect, Lexi comes with a lot of special conditions; she won’t be given away to just anyone who walks through the door and wants a dog. She does have a temporary foster home, though, and she seems to be well cared-for and strong in spirit. Many thanks to the people who have taken care of her so well.
If you want to give money to Lexi’s care, you can donate on Second Chance Rescue’s web page (make a note that it’s specifically for Lexi), or buy the Loving Lexi K9 Cancer Awareness Wristbands in its store.
Via Loving Lexi
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