Cancer survivor Fran hits her fundraising target for Bear's op

Published on Monday 19 October 2009 10:03

A CANCER survivor, who relied on the support of her dog as she battled her illness, has succeeded in raising the £2000 to give her beloved pet a lifesaving operation.

Fran Kane turned to her German shepherd Bear for support when she was undergoing gruelling bowel cancer treatment.

Ms Kane, of Restalrig, was devastated when she was told her faithful pet had a life-threatening heart condition of his own. Despite her own ill health, she was determined to do everything she could to help him.

She has now raised 2058 to fit a pacemaker for 18-month-old Bear. The pair managed to complete a sponsored walk to Musselburgh to raise funds, and dozens of readers chipped in with donations when they read about her campaign in the Evening News.

Now Ms Kane faces an agonising wait to see if Bear is well enough for the operation. He is due to have X-rays on his spine, hip and back at the city's PDSA Hospital. She also needs to raise more money to pay for his ongoing care.

Ms Kane said: "I was really surprised by how generous people are. I've had lots of donations from people I don't even know.

"I'm very attached to Bear, and I don't know how I could have got through the last year or so without him. Now he's very tired all of the time, and just wants to sleep and lie down. He used to love going on long walks, but he can't manage it now."

Ms Kane bought Bear as a puppy 18 months ago, shortly after she had been diagnosed with bowel cancer. Fortunately her cancer was caught at an early stage, but she still had to undergo months of gruelling treatment at the Western General Hospital.

She is still taking steroids, and has to return for a check-up about every three months. She also suffers from osteoporosis, which often makes it difficult for her to leave the house.

Vets discovered Bear's heartbeat was abnormally low earlier this year. They told her he would only live for a year unless he had the operation. Unfortunately it is not available through the PDSA, and she will have to pay for specialised treatment.

Heart surgery for dogs is relatively rare, and only appropriate in a small number of cases, but success rates for fitting pacemakers are high, and dogs have a good chance of a long and healthy life.

Ms Kane has set up a special account at the Abbey National. For anyone wishing to donate, the account number is 05100219, and the sort code is 09-01-27.