MEET Naleya from Tennessee!
I'm sorry to report that Naleya passed away this morning(6/8/11). Naleya had a beautiful spirit that always shined through, even while she was fighting for her life. Your love, prayers, + energy & support mean the world to her family - please keep them in your thoughts as they try to cope with the loss of their baby girl. Rest In Peace Naleya. You will be forever loved & missed. - Save-An-Angel + Saints xoxoxox
Please consider donating in Naleya's memory. Your gift will help Naleya's family offset the cost of her treatment. Donations are being accepted via PayPal or by mail. Thank you in advance for your kindness.
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Naleya (nuh-lay-uh) received a life-saving canine bone marrow transplant at North Carolina State University on May 25, 2011! Please read her story, donate to save her life & share with your friends. :) We welcome you to follow Naleya's journey to the cure by reading her daily updates at the bottom of this page. |
Naleya's Mom wrote a bio about Naleya's family, friends and interests. Now, it's our pleasure to share her story with you. Please watch her video-- you'll love her as much as we do!! :)
Naleya's family is working day and night to raise the money for her cure. The cost for a canine bone marrow transplant is $16,000 & Naleya's family needs your help! So far they have been able to fund Naleya's chemotherapy, but they desperately need donations for the BMT. This beautiful girl wants to live, and she can, but only with your help! Please consider donating to Save Naleya's Life today!!
We promise to keep you updated on Naleya's progress as she makes her way to the cure!
What breed of dog is Naleya?
Naleya is a German Shepard
How old is Naleya?
She will be 6 years old in June. We’re not sure of the exact date, but we believe she was born in early June.
When was Naleya diagnosed?
She was diagnosed at the beginning of February 2011. We had noticed a small lump on her belly, and took her to the veterinarian. The vet told us that it was a swollen mammary gland and to bring her in for surgery the following Tuesday.
For some reason, this just sounded odd to me, so we decided to get a second opinion from another vet, who is wonderful. He noticed that the lymph nodes on the back of her legs seemed slightly swollen so he felt the rest of the lymph nodes and said they also seemed swollen. He did an aspiration of the cells and had it tested. The vet called us back in a couple of days and told us it was confirmed to be lymphoma.
When we found out we were shocked and sad. We didn’t realize that canine cancer was so common, especially lymphoma. We were referred to a specialist who told us what options were available. We decided to go ahead with the chemo and got it started that same day.
What was Naleya's diagnosis?
B cell Lymphoma -- Stage IV-a
When did Naleya start chemo?
February 7, 2011
When does chemo end? May 5, 2011
When does she check-in to NCSU? May 19, 2011
How big is she? How much does she weigh?
She weighs 105 pounds right now, her appetite had increased due to prednisone, which caused her weight to go up to about 110 pounds,but she’s back to about 105 pounds. She’s a big girl and a big baby.
When did Naleya join your family?
Naleya joined our family when she was 6 months old.
What was Naleya like as a puppy?
When we first got her, she seemed so timid and quiet. She soon became comfortable with us and wanted to play and run all the time. She was so cute too, she had one ear that stood straight up and one that flopped over. She absolutely loved any toy that squeaked,loved to play chase and she was always very excited to meet anyone new. She was very smart, she was house trained within 1-2 weeks. She also learned early on not to chew on shoes or furniture, so that was a good thing for our furniture. She learned how to sit, stay, and lie down within a couple of months.
What activities does Naleya enjoy?
She loves running and playing in the yard, especially in the fall when its cool outside. She also loves playing with her toys,especially toys that squeak. She loves to pull all the fluff out of them. Her favorite toy at the moment is her giant tennis ball. She plays with it all the time. Her absolute favorite thing ever is going for a ride in the car. If we say bye-bye, she is up by the front door in seconds. Once we’re going down the road, she’ll put her head out the window as far as she can and just check everything out. She likes to go with us all the time even if it’s just to run to the store. She loves her treats too.
Tell us about some of Naleya's funny or endearing personality traits.
She has one of the most wonderful personalities we’ve ever seen in a dog. She is very funny and silly, but also very protective and loving at the same time. We have a number of friends who aren’t ‘dog people’ who swear up and down they love her and have never met another dog like her. Anytime we take her to the vet or for chemo the staff always love seeing her. Everyone falls in love with her very shortly after meeting her. At 100lbs, she is a gentle giant.
We bring her over to my grandparents house from time to time and she’ll sit with our 1 year old niece and 2 year old nephew contently. She loves kids and she is very protective and loyal. She also does this really funny and cute thing for attention where she will walk/run in-between your legs and stand there as you are walking. At her size, you can imagine how funny that is.
Another funny/interesting thing she does is how she will follow conversations as they are happening. She’ll watch between person to person as people talk as if she’s trying to follow along. It’s really cool to watch. She does this really cute thing with her toys where she grabs them and throws them straight up in the air over her head.
She also knows where her treats are kept. When she wants one she will get your attention, then get you to follow her to the hall closet where she knows her treats are kept, and sit down in front of the door just waiting for her treat. We’ve both had dogs all of our lives and love them. We feel she is very special and we want her to be with us for a long time to come.
When did you decide to admit Naleya into the bone marrow transplant unit at NC State, and when does she check in?
I was researching canine lymphoma and came across the save-an-angel website. I didn’t realize that the bone marrow transplant was an option until I found this website. I read through the site and saw that several dogs had it done and were cancer survivors to this day which I thought was amazing. I found the link to NCSU on the save-an-angel site so I checked it out and read all the information I could find. Then I contacted NCSU and talked with one of the staff there. They got all my info and all the info from her vet.
NCSU contacted me about a week later and said that Naleya was a candidate for the BMT. They placed her on the schedule and she is scheduled to be there on May 19, 2011. We are excited and nervous at the same time, but I know she will be getting the best treatment available and hopefully a cure. We want to give Naleya a chance to live a long life, which is why we are choosing to do this procedure. She is still a young dog, not even 6 yet. We hope and pray that it will work and she can have a shot at a having a long great life.
The procedure is expensive, but the way we see it is it’s the least we can do for how she’s been to us. She is such a selfless, caring, loyal and protective animal, and the fact that she puts our safety and well-being before herself says it all. She loves and cares for us so much, and we owe her the same. We are asking for anything you have to offer. We appreciate and are grateful for any and all help.
Most Sincerely,
Naleya's Parents -- Matt & Nicole
UPDATE Wednesday June 8, 2011
Naleya lost her battle this morning. She is at peace now. Thank you to everyone for your love, prayers, thoughts and support.
Naleya's Parent's - Matt & Nicole
UPDATE Tuesday June 7, 2011
Spoke with Dr today, everything is still about the same, but he said her mood seemed a little brighter : ) Will get to see her tomorrow.
Naleya's Parent's - Matt & Nicole
UPDATE Monday June 6, 2011
Naleya has not improved. Nothing has changed. She hasn't eaten in a few days. We have been advised that it might be a good idea to come see her. We will probably head up there tomorrow night. Thank you so so much to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, and kind words. We greatly appreciate it. Please continue to pray.
Naleya's Parent's - Matt & Nicole
UPDATE Sunday June 5, 2011
Naleya has not gotten any better. They will stop the neupogen today, and update me tomorrow. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you so much.
Naleya's Parent's - Matt & Nicole
UPDATE Saturday June 4, 2011
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Naleya still did not respond to the neupogen, they are gonna do the same thing they did yesterday-give her another dose today, do blood test tomorrow, and let me know something tomorrow.Thank you so much to everyone for all your support. It is so wonderful to see that so many people are rooting for her. Please keep sending your good thoughts, prayers, positive energy her way. She really needs it. |
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Naleya's Parent's - Matt & Nicole
UPDATE Friday June 3, 2011
CALLING ALL SAINTS! NALEYA NEEDS U!! PLEASE PRAY, Wish, Chant & send + energy 2 Naleya. The latest update from her Mom: "Naleya's platelet & cell count aren't going up. She was given Neupogen last night N an attempt 2 stimulate things & she didn't respond. They're going 2 give her some more, do a blood test & let us know something 2morrow." U helped Save Angel's life, & 2gether we can help Naleya 2! Thank You!!
Naleya's Parent's - Matt & Nicole
UPDATE Wednesday June 1, 2011
Naleya's cell count still hasn't gone up. They said most dogs have normally responded by now. If you could please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.
Naleya's Parent's - Matt & Nicole
UPDATE Tuesday May 31, 2011
Talked with staff , they said she is feeling better today. She did eat this morning so she is getting her appetite back. :) Her platelets have dropped, but they said this is normal. Her white cell count is still at zero, so hopefully within the next couple of days she will start producing these cells.
Naleya's Parent's - Matt & Nicole
UPDATE Friday May 27, 2011
Naleya's white cell count dropped, so she has been moved into isolation today, she's been nauseated, not eating. But as they explained to us, this is not uncommon. So now we are praying that she will get to feeling better and continue to heal.
Naleya's Parent's - Matt & Nicole
UPDATE Wednesday May 25, 2011
| Thanks to Kristen at NCSU for these pics of Naleya! |
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Naleya's Parent's - Matt & Nicole
UPDATE Monday May 23, 2011
Heard from NCSU, they said naleya's cell count is more than double what it should be. One of the highest they've ever seen. So this is great news! She starts radiation in the morning.Thanks to everyone for your kind words, thoughts, prayers. Means a lot to us.Naleya's Parent's - Matt & Nicole
UPDATE Saturday May 21, 2011
Spoke with staff at NCSU today, they said Naleya is doing well. She's responding great to the Neupogen. Good news!Naleya's Parent's - Matt & Nicole
UPDATE Wednesday May 18 PM
| Made it to Raleigh. Headed to NCSU in the morning:) |
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Naleya's Parent's - Matt & Nicole
UPDATE Wednesday May 18, 2011
Naleya and her family are leaving for North Carolina State University today! Naleya will check in on Thursday May 19, 2011 and receive a life-saving canine bone marrow transplant next week. :) Naleya will stay at NCSU's state of the art facility for 3 weeks surrounded by the best team of canine BMT doctors in the world! GOOD LUCK NALEYA!
Naleya's family is working to raise money for Naleya's CURE, and they need your help. Please consider donating $1, $5 or more to help Naleya's family offset the cost of treatment. Every little bit helps and they are grateful for anything you can offer. Please check back daily for updats & remember...sharing is caring!!
Naleya's Parent's - Matt & Nicole
Interview!