Strangers raise almost $50,000 for sick stray dog
<p>Cindy was so overweight she could barely move when Lana Chapman found her lying in the dirt outside a 7-Eleven.</p>
<p>Chapman, an Australian living in Koh Samui, Thailand, immediately decided to take the dog in, and her kind act has inspired hundreds of people online. </p>
<p>The Aussie woman has been helping local street dogs for years and was determined to give Cindy a better life. Weighing in at almost 45kgs when Chapman found her, she has helped the pup lose weight and tracked her progress online where she went viral. </p>
<p>It was all going well until a few weeks ago Cindy stopped eating and had a lump on her neck. </p>
<p>"Usually she runs around the house with excitement [but] it took her about two minutes before she started to eat. That was really out of the norm," Chapman told <em>9news.com.au</em>.</p>
<p>After a few vet visits she was diagnosed with lymphoma, a common cancer in dogs.</p>
<p>"We started chemo the same day," Chapman said.</p>
<p>"It was awful as the vet didn't think she would live for four weeks, but we wanted to try anything we could to help her."</p>
<p>Initial tests alone cost almost $2,500, and Cindy needed at least 19 weeks of chemotherapy to survive. </p>
<p>With pet insurance not an option as most vets on the island did not accept insurance claims, Chapman relied on the help of strangers and started a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/cindys-lymphoma-fight" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> in Cindy's name, hoping to raise $10,000 to cover for the cost of her care. </p>
<p>"$10,000 still wouldn't cover the costs but I thought it would really assist us," she said.</p>
<p>To her surprise, strangers flocked to help raising almost $50,000 for Cindy in a matter of days, with the highest donation so far being $5,000. </p>
<p>The fundraising page was also filled with messages of support, with one writing: "Cindy you are the sweetest girl! I am sending you all the love, you can do this."</p>
<p>"Wishing you well with your treatment Cindy, hoping for a speedy recovery. Sending lots of love to your humans too x," added another.</p>
<p>Chapman said she was blown away by people's generosity, and never imagined that so many strangers would be willing to help the stray pup. </p>
<p>"People have been following her from the day she was rescued off the streets so they have a major soft spot for her," she said.</p>
<p>"We definitely would have struggled to pay for this [without donations]."</p>
<p>Chapman added that the donations received so far will cover all of Cindy's cancer treatment, and the left over cash will be used to help other street dogs on the island. </p>
<p><em>Images: GoFundMe/ Lana Chapman</em></p>
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