HAPPY TAILS OF PETS WE'VE HELPED
Dear Frankie's Friends,
My dog is alive today because of your organization!
Blitz got very sick and we brought him to BluePearl veterinary hospital. He was diagnosed with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia and the doctors found something lodged in his stomach. Blitz needed endoscopy, but we weren't able to pay for it. We are so thankful that Dr. Myers told us about Frankie's Friends.
Thank you Frankie's Friends, thank you for saving Blitz.
God Bless!!
Sincerely, Blitz's family
John was inspired by our organization to paint this specific portrait, he named it Frankie’s Friend.
This piece, along with several other pet portraits and artwork will be on display throughout summer at BluePearl Veterinary Partners animal hospital located in Brentwood, Tennesse.
Dr. David Bessler from BluePearl veterinary partners speaks about Summertime pet safety, on Fox Channel's, Fox and Friends.
See the video here!
Remember it is really important to keep your dogs cool when it is hot and humid!
Dr. Nicole Salas from BluePearl Veterinary Partners speaks about Fourth of July pet safety, on The Morning Show.
Hope everyone has a very Happy Fourth of July!
Combination of art, charity covers owners' bills FRANKLIN — Fine artist John Cannon, whose studio/gallery is located in The Factory at Franklin, is teaming up with Brentwood’s Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners and a nonprofit organization, Frankie’s Friends, to help save pets’ lives.
The purchase of commissioned pet portraits, as well as the artist’s current show at Blue Pearl, along with selected pieces at his Franklin gallery, will result in 30 percent of sales going to Frankie’s Friends, which offers assistance to people who are suddenly faced with unexpected pet crises and who are unable to afford life-saving treatment.
Matt Laing, hospital administrator for Blue Pearl’s four Middle Tennessee locations, said there’s no planning ahead for a pet that needs to be rushed to a pet emergency facility as a result of injury or in need of life saving treatment for a diagnosis of cancer.
“Some people have pet insurance, but many are caught facing significant veterinary bills just out of the blue,” he said. “Think of the dilemma someone can face in this difficult economy. Do you feed your family or save your pet? Frankie’s Friends can step in to help in such situations.”
Kristy Hemp, development director in Tennessee for the Florida-based charitable organization, says she well identifies with that kind of crisis.
“When our cat, Zorro, was only 1 year old, he suddenly had a significant medical crisis,” she said.
“We took him to an emergency clinic. At first they suspected cancer. As it turned out it was not, but saving his life cost us literally thousands of dollars. Fortunately, we had just received a tax refund and we used it all on his treatment; I don’t know what we would have done otherwise.”
Cannon, a lifelong pet lover, lost his beloved 13-year-old dog, Buddy, three months ago. Though he was not faced with a financial crisis, he says he well knows the joy pets bring and the pain of losing them. Already an artist who enjoys painting pet portraits, he says he was thrilled when Frankie’s Friends contacted him about helping the organization by donating a portion from the sale of his paintings.
“Over the years I have rescued so many pets and loved so many, to help in any way to save pets’ lives is so wonderful,” said the artist. “The work this organization is doing is just fabulous. I’m as excited as I can be to take part.”
He is often commissioned to do pet portraits; now a portion of those commissions goes to Frankie’s Friends.
“If a pet is deceased, I of course do the portraits from the family’s pictures. Otherwise, I like to meet the pets and get a sense of their personalities. I also shoot photos of them during that meeting, and I work from those as well as pictures provided by the family. It’s a real joy to create the portraits,” says the artist, who taught English and then practiced law for 25 years.
“I studied art as an undergrad, then obtained a master’s in English, taught school and didn’t enjoy it. So I became an attorney and spent my career there. All those years, I kept drawing — and remained drawn to art,” he said.
A decade ago he began studying art again and started painting. Six years ago, he opened John Cannon Fine Arts in The Factory. Two years ago he stopped practicing law and fulfilled his lifelong dream — he became a full-time artist.
While Cannon was finding his dream, veterinarians in Brentwood were finding their own.
Three years ago, Pet Emergency Treatment Services had three doctors seeking to expand emergency and critical care.
“We found the Blue Pearl system, based in Florida. It was a good fit for what we wanted to do here. We joined what was then an organization of three hospitals. Now there are 27 across the country,” said Laing.
Now the Brentwood practice has 15 physicians offering 24-hour emergency services and maintains satellite facilities in Goodlettsville and 12th Avenue South in Nashville. A fourth opens next month in Murfreesboro.
“Our specialists go to those other clinics by appointment; we look forward to growing all of them to be 24-hour emergency centers,” Laing said.
Blue Pearl’s vets also specialize in cancer, cardiology, internal medicine, radiology, surgery and rehabilitation. They frequently work by referral from area veterinarians.
The area Blue Pearl facilities join the founding Florida hospital in working with Freddie’s Friends to find funding for families in need of financial assistance to provide life-saving care for their pets.
In 1996, the founding physician of the forerunner of Blue Pearl started Veterinary Cancer Foundation to help clients facing huge medical bills in the treatment for their pets with cancer.
In 2008, the foundation’s name was changed to Frankie’s Friends to honor Frankie, a greyhound who died in 2007 after battling heart disease and cancer since 2000. Frankie’s family made a significant donation to the foundation and continues to be generous supporters.
The local Blue Pearl facilities began working with Frankie’s’ Friends to benefit their patients, and this past April, the organization hired Hemp to establish a full-time presence here.
“Frankie’s Friends recognized right away the dedication in this area by people to their pets,” Hemp said. “Blue Pearl only had some printed materials in their offices; the level of interest and support they garnered prompted them to establish here. All monies raised for Frankie’s Friends here stays here to help area families and their pets.”
Laing says while Blue Pearl also works with a number of other pet charities in the area to assist their clients, that work can often take precious days to get financial decisions on assistance.
“Sometimes days — even hours — are critical in saving a pet’s life. Frankie’s Friends can evaluate requests immediately and offer help within the same day,” he said.
As Frankie’s Friends steps in, Blue Pearl also discounts fees by at least 25 percent.
“We ask that the families participate at some level financially, but certainly it is our goal to save those pets’ lives. Often people who are in temporary tough financial times come back when their situation improves and give back so other animals can be saved,” he said.
Frankie’s Friends’ local initiative is painting a huge mural in the Brentwood’s hospital of “The Tree of Life,” with leaves that bear pets’ names and messages.
Smaller leaves are $100 each and larger are $150 each. All donations are tax deductible.
“The leaves can be in memory of a beloved lost pet or in celebration of a healthy vibrant pet. You need not be a Blue Pearl client to buy a leaf nor to come enjoy and/or purchase a piece of John Cannon’s art from his collection hanging in the lobby. His pieces range from $100 to $1,000 and encompass broad subject matter — from pets to landscapes,” Hemp said.
Thanks to the Zeus Varis Fund,
My family and I are all so grateful to have received the funding for Tony .We thank you so much for making this possible. We wouldn't have been able to afford the chemo treatments and give Tony the proper care that he needed. Your generosity and kindness made it possible to survive Tony and prayerfully make him cancer free. You have given him a chance to live and for his family and I to have him in our lives as long as possible.
We would be so lost without him. He is our joy and brings us all so much happiness. Tony is more than a pet, he is such an important part of our family.
Sincerely, Tony's Family 2012
To the dear people who are responsible for this foundation:
Angel is 9 years old and was diagnosed with a mast cell tumor in 2011. She underwent surgery and it returned in January 2012. She needs chemotherapy in order to stop this from growing.
If it wasn't for your fund, I would not be able to afford the treatment.
I feel truly blessed to receive this gift.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart,
Karen and Angel
To all at Frankie's Friends - Zeus Varis,
Thank you so much for your wonderful assistance, care and consideration for my girl, Lucy. Without Frankie's Friends none of the care she needed could have been possible. Together you have given me more time with Lucy. You are a Godsend foundation.
Thanks, with love and appreciation, John and Lucy 2012
Thank you for all the efforts that you, Dr. Lachowicz and the rest of the NYC Veterinary Specialists team have made in helping my Joey recover from cancer. I am so grateful to Frankie's Friends for their kind and generous support; without Frankie's Friends, this would not have happened. Thank you.
With much gratitude,
Jean Rhode and Joey
May 22, 2011
Dr. Varis,
I'm sorry it has taken me so long to write this letter.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me with Samanatha's cancer medical bills. If it weren't for your help, I would not have been able to continue with her chemo treatments. I am 82 years old, I am in a wheel chair and I live alone. Sammy is my watch dog and my companion.
Again, thank you for helping my beloved Sammy.
Yours Truly, Samantha's Family
Dear Dr. Agnes,
I am writing to thank you for helping my mom and I take care of Massiah, you don't know how much this means to us. Massiah's tumor appeared overnight, it caught us by surprise. It hurt us to see her in such awful pain. When we brought her to the doctor, he told us that she had cancer. I was in total shock.
I know we will all make it through this rough time. Massiah will be okay and it is because of your foundation.
Once again, thank you.
Yours Truly,
Massiah's family
Dear Dr. Varis,
There are no words to describe our gratitude to you for giving us more quality time with our Ben. We just rescued Ben this past December but he quickly became a beloved family member. He is recovering from surgery, wagging his tail, running with the kids, eating well, in other words, he is being Ben. Our smiles are all for you.
Thank you, Maryann, Molly, Joey, Ben and "the Foster Felines" May 2010
Dear Frankies Friends,
Bless you for everything you have done for Bone and my mother. Your gift means everything to us.
Love, Bone's family June 2010
Dear Dr. Varis,
Thank you so much for your help in funding treatment for my Geoffrey's renal lymphoma. This is the third cat I've had within the last twelve months to be stricken with a 
catastrophic illness, I was in near panic about what to do.
I simply could not have funded treatment for a third desperately ill cat. Again, many more thanks than I can put into this letter.
Sincerely,
Lisa Ledlow
Dear Dr. Agnes Varis,
When I took Mylo and Mia home with me, they not only took a place in my heart but also in my mother’s heart. My mother was living with my husband and I at the time, her health was not great. She became alive when I showed her the puppies and from that moment on, they took care of each other. My dear mother died of pancreatic cancer on Mother’s Day in 2007 and my two dogs were such a comfort to me after her passing. We lost Mia to cancer one year after my mother’s death. Mylo suffered a lot also when Mia died.
When Mylo got sick, all of the pain of losing my mother and Mia came back. It was such a difficult time and we couldn't afford to help him.
Mylo is a faithful companion, a fierce guard, a grateful friend and a reminder of my dear mother. He means so much to me and my husband. There are no words to express our gratitude for the wonderful gift that we are receiving. I am asking God, with all my heart, to bless you and to keep you safe and in good health. May He return you a thousand fold for your generosity to total strangers and their beloved pets.
Mylo's family October 6, 2009
On June 20, 2012, our little white Chihuahua Yaqueline got intoxicated with an unknown substance. When we came home she was having seizures, her whole body was in shaking. We rushed her to a BluePearl veterinary hospital around 9 pm. It didn't seem like she was going to survive. Thanks to the Frankie's Friends' Hope Fund, the doctors were able to continue with her treatment. Our family can't thank the doctors at BluePearl and Frankie's Friends enough. Thank you for saving our little angel's life, she is doing much better now. We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts! May God Bless you all!
Sincerely Yaqueline's family :)
Dear Frankie's Friends,
I am writing on behalf of myself and my family to express our deepest thanks and appreciation for your support for our beloved Kami. Kami has been a part of our family since he was adopted as a kitten, he means so much to us, especially to his other brothers. There are not enough words to express our gratitude. You are such generous and caring people who understand what it's like to have a pet with cancer and not being able to financially take care of him/her. Thank you very much for your support and for making sure Kami gets the care he needs and deserves to continue to shine.
Sincerely,
Kami's family
Dear Frankie's Friends,Friday morning we learned about the severity of Pepper's cancer. We were told that without treatment she wouldn’t last more than four days, our hearts were broken. Chemotherapy treatments were out of our reach. We knew we could not afford the treatments even though we so badly wished that we could. Pepper is only 1 year old, we had imagined we would have her for many more years to come.
She is a wonderful dog, very loving and friendly. She has been a blessing to us, always there to make our days. When we are feeling down, we can always count on pepper to cheer us up.
Words truly cannot express how grateful we are to have received this generous grant from Frankie's Friends. We were devastated beyond belief, and when we were told that we may be able to receive funds to help us pay for her chemotherapy treatment we were just so ecstatic. This gift is truly a blessing, we are so grateful and can not believe the kindness that you have given us. We are so grateful and happy that we can give Pepper more time to live.
Thank You,
Joanna, Josh and of course Pepper
Dear Dr. Varis,
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to your having set up the Zeus Fund. For me, receiving this gift was literally like winning the lottery. After six months of tests, I finally had a diagnosis for Sasha, but no funds to cover the treatments for the benign brain tumor. Sasha is my best friend, companion and confidant. Thanks to your generosity, this truly is a joyous holiday season for the both of us.
Sincerely,
Sasha's Family
(2009)
I am greatly appreciative of all the support the organization “Frankie’s Friends” has extended to Sam and I. Sam is my Lhaso Apso whom is a rescue animal I adopted in 2001. Recently, I was hospitalized and Sam also became very ill. He was diagnosed with lymphoma. Upon Sam’s first visit to BluePearl, the staff showed much concern and compassion for Sam and his condition. I am very thankful from the bottom of my heart for all of your help and support. And to my benefactors, God bless you, you are truly my angel!Thank you,
Guinette Harrison and Sam
(2009)
