KELSEY MCGEE SCOTT
For helping Kelsey McGee at basic levels you can get cemetery tour passes, lifetime passes and Private Tours with Shannon Scott! READ MORE BELOW!
As many know, I’m a storyteller. And this will be a very personal story, so please gather ’round; hear the true story, full of hope and miracles.
This is really the classic “A Boy & His Dog,” or really better told, “A Dog & Her Boy.” Her name is Kelsey McGee, and I’m her boy, Shannon. Her favorite words are “cemetery” and “beach,” along with “ride,” which to her means she’s going to one or the other. People who know us know we’re rarely found anywhere else. We’ve literally explored hundreds of Southern graveyards and cemeteries, and Hunting Island, SC has been our beach for over a decade. We’ve been joined at the hip since adopting her in 2012.
Kelsey’s road to a Forever Home has been a precarious one. In ways, it all began hidden inside of a dirt hole where some misguided teenager had placed her, thinking she’d make a great bait dog for dog fights. Which is why, looking at the end of Kelsey’s tongue, you can see a little torn sliver, reminding us of what she escaped. Eventually, the receiving shelter let Kelsey hang around over 3 months because they said when she sat down, she did a “gorilla sit,” and according to them, that made her special. I know that intimate detail because I volunteered there 4 days a week. With some alarm, I also learned she was on the Doggy Death Row’s short list, per such ominous signs on cages. One day, while pulling her gorilla-sit pose, Kelsey just looked up at me from behind her cell door with this unblinking, upward glance, and I recall it like yesterday. She sighed, impatiently, as if her eyes were expressing, “This place is boring – when are you doing the paperwork?” And that was it. We never looked back at that place. She was my prize for getting all of the other doggy souls out of there.
Our first trip was Hunting Island where she took to water like a fish and showed me her rescue nature, much like you’ll see in the video. Anything in the water needed her help, she came to believe. And boy was I treading some in my life! Over time, Kelsey proved to rescue me, and during the course of our mutual care-taking, Kelsey has surpassed heart worm, overcome 2 ACL knee surgeries, managed Hypothyroidism, survived being hit by a car doing a braking stop from 50 mph, and once, in her favorite cemetery, I found myself pulling her head out of the jaws of an enormous dog that nearly tore her face off! So, other than plainly being each other’s heroes, Kelsey is obviously a survivor, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her. As I can boast of no children, she has been my child and more.
In early 2020, I began to notice the extremely fit and active Kelsey suddenly went from swinging on tree vines by her mouth to having issues with basic porch steps. Out of concern, I took her to the vet’s office. Her long-time doctor had sold the practice, so I wasn’t feeling great about it. They did standard exams and x-rays and told me she probably strained something and needed extensive rest. I wasn’t buying it. Kelsey began walking only short distances, before lying down. Eventually, she couldn’t make it on a basic walk to our favorite cemetery. The “grave news,” as they say, was a tumor on her spine, and it was an extremely risky place to biopsy. Symptomatically, it was some type of sarcoma. The short of the long was that nearly all of the doctors and specialists called it a “done deal” and to prepare for an untimely demise. In fairness, I didn’t expect the people in white coats to grasp the complete spirit of a dog or their owner, but my gut told me this was far from over, yet would be the literal fight of Kelsey’s life. I began to research everything under the sun for Kelsey, and much came to light for the positive. Even so, by early 2021, she’d lost a lot of muscle mass in her back end and the ability to utilize her rear legs.
Since this journey of healing began nearly a year ago, Kelsey has had the best of the best, ranging from lovingly prepared organic meals, weekly acupuncture (amazing), cold laser, and for the past 4 or 5 months, intravenous Vitamin C, along with a ton of amazing supplements and Chinese herbs, oriented for her condition. Less we mention the countless hours of swimming therapy, which she still loves and lives for. Snapshot a year later — her health and spirit are over-the-top, and the experts are pleasantly dumbfounded! Even Kelsey’s famous tail is wagging again to match her loving smile!
Strangely, here’s where Kelsey’s road back turned dreadful, then unexpectedly miraculous? I mean, wild stuff. Several months ago, Kelsey was excitedly scooting out of her bed to greet a friend, and in doing so, broke her back leg. Unfortunately, it was also one day before her oncologist visit. This was devastating, but worse, the oncologist would explain the break was from the tumor having spread into her back, right leg. It was the first time I felt sick throughout all of this. Truly — like there was nothing else I could offer Kelsey, and to be honest, I felt I had completely failed her. On the upside of reporting Kelsey’s time was limited, the doctor noted she could biopsy the tumor to see what type of cancer it was because there might just be a chance it was treatable. It was hope, and we went for it!
That’s when Kelsey’s original operated-on-leg from puppy-hood eased some fears, by revealing the tumors were the most treatable type — Multiple Myeloma! The bizarre irony of this journey was that her ability to walk had been compromised because the type of tumor likes to devour muscle mass from dense areas and bone; it was not because of a more aggressive sarcoma! Had the spinal biopsy been possible a year earlier, Kelsey would still be up and running! It was hard to accept but a blessing and a break at the same time! Because of this discovery and new treatments, her tumors have shrunk and more feeling has returned to her hind area, along with some baby-step movements in her legs. But the decision, in many ways, came down to strategizing how to fix her broken leg. The tumor, after all, had done damage.
The “plan” involved radiation, but if doing her spine first or alone, the pain of the break would torment Kelsey with greater returning feeling to the leg. So, the very able-bodied surgeons had a round-table, and although they leaned mostly towards amputation, said it wasn’t impossible to keep it. I felt her “angel leg” should remain intact. That involved a lot of soul-searching and listening to Kelsey’s spirit, believe it or not. But hope had been found in radio-graphs showing promise, and the surgeon agreed to do it but respectfully warned it could go amputation mid-surgery. Kelsey’s fans will be happy to know that Kelsey’s leg was saved, as they fused the bones! She’s not out of the woods entirely, but its a start!
It’s funny what plays into a journey like this, as inspiration, so I’d like to share a side-story with her fans. We naturally looked to any other dog with the same situation as herself but — inside of vet references, surprisingly — we found only one medical cousin to Kelsey: a white llama! Since that discovery, some of Kelsey’s medical inner circle have dubbed her “Kelsey The Llama,” both as nickname and a sort of healing mantra. Following radiation and aquatic therapy, the llama of comparison, walked once more! So, yes, there’s beauty and laughter that goes along with the struggle, and thank goodness for the spirit of it all!
So, two things — one, I’m not good at asking for help. And two, I know there are far bigger issues in the world and others’ health to prioritize. I respect all of those who have their hardships and hope they’ll not be insulted by my appeal for my friend, Kelsey McGee. Everything has been expensive. As I’m a small businessman, 2020 shut it down, but we have survived through the help of hard work and the blessings of many great friends and family. In truth, Kelsey McGee would not be alive today without them. But Kelsey is destined to walk again, and we know that for many reasons, both explainable and unexplainable, that have included dreams of her walking, of which I had a powerful one last Christmas!
I’ve done all of this for Kelsey McGee for unselfish reasons, even if I love her selfishly. I want to give back to Kelsey what is Kelsey’s to have. If she were truly suffering, I would not make this appeal at all. But Kelsey’s spirit has driven everyone around her, and many will attest to what I’m saying. She’s been our inspiration, as a miraculous creation, and her spirit has guided us to do all of this! Its been an amazing journey, and already Kelsey’s treatment protocols have gone on to help other dogs (and maybe llamas!), and it is the stuff that will continue to benefit other animals for years to come! None of it has been for naught! It’s about what’s possible!
That said, any funds donated will go to pay for her recent leg repair of $6,300.00, her future radiation treatments of roughly $8,000.00, and then subsequent meals, supplements, meds and other therapies.
I know many of you will give without expectation, but I want to give Kelsey’s fans something back, and I’m so blessed to at least have the option! I have created some Donation Tiers 4 Tours, and some are extremely VIP! All tickets will be emailed to you, per you providing an email address and are “Good Until Redeemed” by you, family or friends.
Kelsey and I thank you all from the bottom of our hearts!
- $25 Donated – 1 Bonaventure Cemetery Tour Ticket
- $150 Donated – 4 Bonaventure Tour Tickets & 18 x 24 Bonaventure Poster signed by Shannon
- $250 Donated – Bonaventure Cemetery Journey’s Lifetime Pass! Never buy another tour ticket!(Good for 2 People At A Time on Daytime Tours)
- $500 Donated – Private Half Day Tour w/Shannon Scott of your choosing for 1-6 Persons (choices of Bonaventure Cemetery, Laurel Grove Cemetery, City Ghost or History Tour)
- $1000 Donated – Combination Private Tour w/Shannon Scott for 1-6 Persons that will include Savannah’s Historic District, Ghost, Cemeteries & Surrounding Area
- $1500 + Donated – Lowcountry of South Carolina or Georgia Private Tour w/Shannon Scott
-All tickets can be used by your friends and family
-All Private Tours include transportation with pick-up/drop-off services within 10 miles of Savannah
-Private Cemetery & Savannah Area Tours run 4 hours, generally
-Private Low Country Tours run “Full Day” at 7 hours w/breaks
-Private Tours cannot occur on major holidays or Halloween weekend, per Shannon’s work demands
-Email addresses must be provided through our website contact to receive vouchers
-For daytime Bonaventure tours, an existing tour must be active or live on the calendar and cannot simply be generated, based on tickets in hand, alone. We recommend reserving a few days ahead to ensure success. Thank you!
-Questions: Please see website contact info for Shannon Scott, directly
>>April 2023 update<<< Kelsey’s bloodwork shows no sign of cancer, she is back home in Savannah and loving cemetery walks, swimming in the pool, and acting like a complete goof, which is truly a miracle. She no longer needs a wheelchair and is up to her usual antics, making life so much sweeter and entertaining for us all. We truly thank everyone for their kindness and generosity, helping her and us along this very long, hard road. It’s not over yet, but there is so much to celebrate. We are so happy she’s home.
Writing by Shannon Spencer Scott | Photography + Web Design by Alissa Lee Nicholson