Athena

May 12, 2013 - October 4, 2023

Keep scrolling to learn more about Athena.

A shortened story.

Athena's Journey

Athena's gotchya day was May 12, 2013. She was one of her litter, all whom were sick. Her eyes were closed and full of gunk. I couldn't save them all but, I could save one. I took Athena home in a 3-hour car ride.

We bonded quickly as I cleaned her eyes and gave her medication daily from the day I got her.

Athena was very playful and cuddly as a kitten and young cat. Over the years, as she aged, she became less playful and less cuddly. Though she wasn't as she once was as a kitten, she still loved to be with her humans, get pets, and play when she was in the mood.

One of Athena's favorite things was fresh water from the faucet. A water fountain with recycled water would not do. It had to be fresh running water. She also loved her doggy siblings, feathers, and lasers.

In March of 2023, Athena started to show signs that something was wrong and acted as if she was in heat, even though she was spayed. Upon visiting the vet, we learned she had an ovarian remnant. Through the process of locating and removing this remnant, it was discovered that Athena also had a very rare and aggressive form of cancer.

Studies and literature revealed little information and no viable treatment options. With research showing traditional treatments would not work for her, we chose quality of life with what time remained.

With an estimated two months to spend with her, we took her home and continued to love on her, gave her extra treats, and tried new things with her.

Far past her estimated time, in September 2023, Athena began showing signs that something wasn't quite right. Armed with the knowledge from March, we took her to the vet and hoped it was something unrelated. However, the cancer had spread to every one of her organs.

With Athena and her new medication in tow, went home to prepare to make the next couple of weeks as comfortable for her as we could. Her daily medication helped with her appetite and discomfort. We picked her up to put on the counter for fresh water from the faucet, picked her up and put her on the bed where she slept every night since coming home with me in 2013. Sometimes we had to carry her up and down the stairs. But none that mattered, as long as she got what she wanted, we didn't care.

On October 4th, 2023, I noticed Athena was acting quite strange. She was lying in the middle of the floor, which was unusual for her. I picked her up and gave her a daily dose of medication which should help with any discomfort. She hardly fought me at all as I stuck the syringe in her mouth and pushed the medication out. Knowing that she wasn't feeling great I laid her on the couch instead of putting her on the ground, where she would normally be greeted by the dogs and scamper away.

Once on the couch, she didn't move at all. Something about her mannerisms that night told me, it might be time. I called my boyfriend and told him it might be time and he rushed home. We took her to the emergency pet hospital and requested a quality-of-life exam.

The results told us what we feared, she was in critical condition and it was recommended that we proceed with humane euthanasia.

That night, we sat in a private room at the pet hospital holding Athena and loving her until her final breath.

It was one of the hardest and most painful moments of my life.

For the sake of brevity, I left out many details.

OUR STORY

Why we're sharing this story.

For one, we want to share the wonder and love of Athena.

Secondly, although it goes against much of what I believe and who I am, we would like to leave it open for people to help, if they're feeling so inclined.

Like many others, we have been affected by the post-pandemic layoffs.

My partner has been unemployed for more than a year and drives for rideshare while continuing his job search. I became unemployed this past June and have since begun focusing on growing my coaching business, which takes time. In the meantime, I pick up gigs here and there.

We have been managing and are doing okay. However, the added medical expenses are an extra financial stress.

If you would like to help, I've listed some opportunities below.

Ways you can help.

If you're feeling generous and are in a position to help, there are a few different ways you can contribute.

Monetary Donations

In-Kind Donation or Recommendations

Quid Pro Quo Contributions aka buy some things

Hire or Share

I would love to have some of Athena's ashes incorporated into a piece of art. Some examples are a pet portrait, some type of pottery, or glass art.

Any money raised from selling Athena's things will go towards paying off her medical expenses.

If you are in search of a coach or business services professional, you can view my LinkedIn or one of my websites to see what services I offer.

If you are in search of a clinical trial manager or something similar, view Andres' LinkedIn.

You can make a monetary donation to the Athena Fund.
As you can imagine, between the vet and hospital visits, medication, and exams; expenses over the last 7 months have stacked up.