In November of 2008, Laura Voitik, a freshman in the Pre-Vet program at UIUC, learned that her beloved dog, Sabu, was diagnosed with stage four lymphoma. Immediately, she and her mother decided to treat Sabu. Voitik says, “She responded really well to treatments and was basically back to normal. However, because we caught the cancer at such a late stage, and because the cancer was particularly aggressive, the treatments only worked for a few months, and we had to put her down in February 2009. Deciding to treat Sabu was one of the best decisions I have ever made and I want to help other people have the choice to treat their animals without having finances be a factor in the decision. That’s why I started Sabu’s Fund.”
Quickly after Sabu’s passing, Voitik got in touch with Heather Vazquez at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the U of I, and set up a meeting with her. The college established Sabu’s Fund, and Voitik has been working on raising money for the fund ever since.
This week, Indi Go Artist Co-op will host a Sabu’s Fund fundraiser. Smile Politely asked Voitik a few questions about this week’s event.
Does the artwork have any context within the benefit?
The artwork is all animal themed to really focus the event on animals. Some of the artwork is done of animals, and some of the artwork is actually done by animals.
I see there’s a “Meet the Animals” event. What is the best advice you can give to someone who might like to adopt a pet?
Do your research. Make sure that you have both the time and the money you need to properly care for the type of pet that you are considering for adoption. Also, your local shelters and breed rescues often have strong adoption programs that enable them to help you find the animal that will be best for you.
What is the most important thing to remember when living with an animal that has cancer?
The most important to remember when your animal has cancer is that the goal of the treatments is to prolong and improve the quality of your animal’s life, not necessarily to eradicate the disease. So, enjoy the extra time you have been given, but be prepared to do what is best for your animal, even if that means saying goodbye.
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Sabu’s Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Fund will be used to help pay for the cancer treatments of animals whose owners would otherwise not be able to afford cancer treatments.
Here is the schedule of events for Sabu’s Fund fundraiser:
Tomorrow, May 27, from 6–10 p.m., there will be music, art on display, live animals, a gourmet animal food bake sale, a raffle, and refreshments. Also, Laura Garrett, D.V.M. will be a guest speaker and according to Dr. Garrett, her talk will “focus on why we treat pets with cancer, and it will highlight how achieving and maintaining quality of life for these pets and their owners is our guiding principle.”
Friday, May 28, from 6–10 p.m., the Champaign County Humane Society will have an adoptable “guest of honor” present for the evening. The night will feature an animal costume contest which will be open to the public with pre-registration and a small fee of $5 in advance and $10 at the door. Pre-registration ends tomorrow, May 27.
Saturday, May 29 the event runs from noon–11 p.m.. From 1–2:30 p.m., there will be a “Meet the Animals” children’s event. The Champaign County Humane Society’s humane educator Clay Foley, along with several animal assistants, will be present to teach kids about the importance of proper care and handling of animals.
Sunday, May 30 the event runs from 9 a.m.–9 p.m. During noon–2 p.m., there will be a “Pet the Pooches” event where children will have the opportunity to interact with several dogs.
Monday, May 31, from 6–9 p.m., the silent auction will close and the raffle winner will be announced towards the end of the evening.
Photo compliments of Laura Voitik.