Extra donations will help other pet owners

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Ogden girls plans to share through 'The Aspen Fund'

OGDEN -- Aspen Granath has raised more than enough money for her cat's surgery through her lemonade stand and donations. Now she wants to open her own fund to help other people and their pets.

Animal-lovers from as far away as New York, California and Texas have sent donations to help Aspen pay for Patches' surgery.

So far, they've donated upward of $800, with the surgery expected to cost about $700.

So what is the 10-year-old going to do with all the extra money?

"Aspen wants to create her own fund and call it 'The Aspen Fund,' so she can help other people pay for their animals' surgery," said Aspen's father, Blue Granath.

Aspen said she wants to set up the fund through the animal hospital her family chooses to do her cat's surgery.

Granath said that since a Standard-Examiner article ran Monday morning explaining Aspen's situation, his daughter can hardly supply the demand of people visiting her lemonade stand.

The purpose of the stand was to raise money so Aspen and her 8-year-old brother, Skyler, could pay to have their cat's right hind leg amputated. An injury as a kitten left the cat with a paralyzed leg, which has prevented it from living a normal life and could lead to a premature death.

Provo resident Ben Harding said he and his wife were so touched by Aspen's story, they created a link on their Web site where people could make donations.

"We designated an entire week for people to donate, but it only took four hours to raise the entire $700," Harding said.

Another concerned cat-lover, Theresa Pilarczyk, of Ogden, said she was willing to pay for the entire operation herself and has made accommodations at Central Weber Animal Hospital for the surgery.

Donations also are coming in to a fund set up at Zions Bank, but there was no tally of how much money had been received by Tuesday.

Thanks to every person who donated money, Aspen will be able to help her cat lead a normal life, and in turn, help other people who can not afford to help their pets.

Story updated Wednesday, June 4 at 12.45 a.m.


People pull for Patches

OGDEN -- What began as a simple lemonade stand has turned into a dream come true for Aspen Granath, as animal-lovers across the nation have answered her prayers by sending in donations to help pay for her cat's surgery.

Standard-Examiner readers and people who saw her story on Internet sites are sending donations in hopes of helping to pay for Aspen's cat, Patches, who needs an operation expected to cost more than $500.

The donations came in after an article about the girl and her cat was published Monday morning.

Carole S., of New Jersey, was moved by the story and is happy to see such a young girl taking the initiative to help her cat.

"There should be more kids like her who care about something much more important than iPods and Hannah Montana," she said.

Ogden resident Theresa Pilarczyk said she, too, was inspired by Aspen's actions.

She has gone so far as to contact her veterinarian at Central Weber Animal Hospital and is offering to pay for the entire procedure.

"I've always had a soft spot for stories about children and animals," she said.

Patches, who has been with the Granath children since it was born, suffered an injury that paralyzed in its rear right leg when it was a kitten.

"Although only one of her legs is paralyzed, it drags along behind her and trips up her good leg," Aspen's father, Blue Granath, told the Standard-Examiner in a story that appeared Monday.

"Now when she walks, she just uses her front legs and drags the back part of her body behind her. It's really sad."

The disability could lead to the cat's premature death and can be remedied only by getting the bum leg amputated.

So for the past week, Aspen, 10, and her brother, Skyler, 8, have been selling lemonade on the side of the road in hopes getting enough small donations to pay for their cat's operation.

Luckily for the siblings, however, cat-lovers and all-around good citizens have been sending in donations to help the children pay for a surgery that would otherwise take them weeks of selling lemonade to afford.

The Standard-Examiner received calls about donations from people in New York, North Carolina, California, Texas and Arizona.

Anyone who would like to make a donation to help Patches can do so by taking donations to any Zions Bank branch or by mailing donations to Zions Bank, 5635 S. Harrison Blvd., South Ogden, UT 84403, for the Aspen Granath Fund.

Also, online donations for the surgery and post-operation expenses can be made at ucpets.com.

Story updated Tuesday, June 3 at 12.50 a.m.


A real sourpuss

OGDEN -- Aspen Granath's lemonade stand has a serious purpose -- raising enough money to pay for a pet's surgery, which is expected to cost upward of $500. 

For the past few days, 10-year-old Aspen and her 8-year-old brother, Skyler, have set up their lemonade stand at the corner of 36th Street and Monroe Boulevard to sell drinks to passing cars.

"Buy a drink, help my cat," a sign reads.

When Aspen's cat, Patches, was a kitten, a spinal cord injury paralyzed her right rear leg. The feline can walk, but the injury prevents her from living a normal life and could lead to a premature death, Aspen said.

"Although only one of her legs is paralyzed, it drags along behind her and trips up her good leg," said the children's father, Blue Granath.

"Now when she walks, she just uses her front legs and drags the back part of her body behind her. It's really sad."

The paralyzed leg needs to be amputated, a harsh option but the only thing that can help the cat lead a seminormal life, Granath said.

Even with her disability, the cat loves to play and has become a big part of the family.

"She's a great cat, and we'd hate to have to put her down when the kids love her so much," Granath said.

The sooner the children are able to raise enough money for the amputation, the sooner the cat can begin rehabilitation and become accustomed to living one leg down.

That's why the children have set up a stand on the side of the road. Water bottles sell for $1, and packets of lemonade and fruit punch powder run 25 cents.

Although the first few days of the fundraiser were slow, Aspen said, more people have been stopping for drinks.

The children have to raise the money themselves because money is tight at home. While the majority of the money being used for the operation will come from donations, Granath said he'll find a way to pitch in as much as he can.

Geanie Ramos, a technician at Ogden Animal Hospital, said an operation of this nature can be expensive. The surgery itself is $420, but other things, such as anesthesia and medications, put the price in the $500 range.

And those are just the bare necessities.

Other expenses may include a bloodwork panel to ensure the animal is healthy enough for surgery, IV fluid and post-surgery medications. Using a laser would ensure a quicker, easier operation, but that raises the cost, too.

With these extra expenses, the price of the surgery can reach almost $700.

But Aspen said Patches is worth the expense, and she's determined to raise enough money to cover the cost.

"Patches is one of my favorite cats, and we'll do this as long as it takes to come up with the money," she said.

Anyone wishing to support the children -- and their cat -- can stop at the stand on the side of 36th Street at Monroe Boulevard, directly across from Aultorest Memorial Park, and purchase a drink.

The children are generally out between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

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