When Hurricane Helene swept through Asheville this year, it destroyed our city. However, our team at Asheville Veterinary Associates West remained determined to be there for our community. Between power outages, repairs, and road closures, we opened our doors on the days we could to care for animals in need.

One day, after a rescued feline arrived on our doorstep, she unexpectedly gave birth to six kittens. The smallest among them – which we named Stromboli – was born with an unusual abscess on his face that threatened to displace his eye. As Dr. Brad Goff attempted to surgically remove it, he realized it was much worse, a very rare, fast-growing teratoma unlike anything he’d seen. A week later, it was as large as Stromboli’s head.

Removing such a large mass from a half-pound animal would be difficult. But it had started to close off his trachea, and our team remained determined to fight for his life. Partnering with Dr. Meredith Kapler at Ethos Veterinary Health’s South Asheville Veterinary Emergency & Specialty, we helped prepare Stromboli for the very complicated medical procedure.

Against all odds, Stromboli made it through. Today, he’s a healthy, happy cat, thriving with our family, the Goffs, and he even joins me at work!

Patients like Stromboli rarely live because people often don’t take a chance on them. But not us. Our team gives forgotten animals that chance. Sometimes we don’t win. But every time we look at Stromboli, we’re reminded that, together, we sometimes do.

NVA’s Asheville Veterinary Associates West won our 2024 Holiday Card Contest, which asked our hospitals to share a story that exemplifies our purpose "for the love of animals and the people who love them." A donation to Sister Kitten Animal Rescue was made in their name.