30/12/2022
This is a story of overcoming challenges; of fighting for a second chance; of a holiday miracle.
Mills joined us on Christmas Eve. He was found at a busy intersection, passed by hundreds of shoppers and travelers on their way to spend time with friends and family. It was bitterly cold and there was no food to be found for a lost and homeless cat. Thankfully, a wonderful person at the Mill Inn in Sheridan saw Mills and brought him in out of the cold!
When Mills arrived at SCSCR later that day, we noted that he was definitely too thin, but seemed healthy. He was bright eyed with no visible injuries. But within 72 hours, circumstances drastically changed.
On the Tuesday after Christmas, we noticed that Mills was struggling to breathe. His little chest was heaving with each labored breath, and we immediately had the vet team take action. Radiographs showed that Mills likely had a diaphragmatic hernia - a tear in his diaphragm that allowed his internal organs up into his chest cavity. In the veterinary world, these are often known as "dying-phragmatic" hernias because they are so life-threatening. Even with emergency surgery, Mills' odds of survival were frightening.
We rushed Mills to surgery, with all hands on deck. During surgery, we had to manually breathe for Mills with a ventilator, monitor his oxygen levels and heart rate, try to provide extra light for the doctor, and keep all of our fingers crossed! Mills' entire liver was up in his chest cavity, compressing his lungs and heart. After convincing the liver back into its correct position, the hole in the diaphragm was repaired and reattached to the body wall. Part two of the surgery then commenced, as the doctor found an additional abdominal hernia in which the intestines had adhered to the body wall. Removing those adhesions were tricky, as damaging the intestines themselves posed significant risk. After two hours of surgery, we put Mills to the ultimate test: we stopped breathing for him and let his lungs take over. Imagine our relief when those little lungs did exactly what they needed to do.
Mills spent the night in a heated and oxygenated incubator, with a baby monitor poised on him for frequent check-ins. By the next morning, he had used his litterbox, eaten a small breakfast, was purring, and making biscuits. We could not believe how fast he was recovering!
Now three days later, Mills continues to thrive. His lungs are getting stronger each day, his intestines are working great, and he is happy and loving. We are so thrilled to have been a part of Mills' journey, and we cannot wait to find him a forever home.
Our amazing friends at Inside Voice have granted us $500 towards Mills' medical expenses. We are asking our wonderful Facebook supporters to match that amount and cover the surgery bill. Every dollar helps!
As this year comes to a close, we hope to carry the lessons we've learned from Mills into the New Year: forgiveness in what is past, resilience in what is present, and faith in what is future.
