Luigi is a 13-year-old Maltese in Yorba Linda, CA, who needs $850 for cancer treatment.

2020 was a rough year for Celia R., and without your help, 2021 will be even tougher.

Celia lost her job due to COVID-19, her son was diagnosed with a debilitating illness, and then their beloved dog, Luigi, was diagnosed with lung cancer. "Lung cancer is very rare and only affects less than one percent of dogs," Celia tells Waggle. "He had his first appointment with the oncologist at Advanced Veterinary Specialty Group. Dr. Bommarito performed a chest X-ray, and it showed a mass the size of a kiwi on Luigi’s right lung."

The news devastated Celia and her family. "I adopted Luigi 12 years ago as a gift from Santa for my son," Celia says. "All he wanted for Christmas was a puppy. My son refers to him as his little brother. Luigi walked my son to kindergarten every day, and he was part of my son’s high school graduation this year. They even wore matching graduation caps."

Luigi started taking anti-cancer pills, and they appear to be shrinking the tumor! The problem is Celia can't afford the cost of his treatment, which seems promising so far. She is desperately trying to find another job. "It's just a bad time right now," she adds. "I do marketing and events, and we have no events because of the pandemic."

Her family would be thrilled to keep Luigi's treatment going and hope, with your help, they may reach their fundraising goal. "Luigi is the sweetest dog alive. He's the heart of my family. We were so devastated when we heard the news. Now we want to keep him in a healthy place. He's the sunshine of my family."

Their family is trying to be optimistic, but they need help paying for Luigi's care.

"Luigi is simply the heart of my little family. He’s very well behaved, loving and playful. Our lives are so much better because he has been in our family. He’s the best part of our day. Luigi loves to play and guard the door. His cute little bark has certainly kept us safe! He loves to run around outdoors, and he loves to eat his num nums," Celia adds.