When Bellingham veterinarian Edmund Sullivan heard a doctor tell him "I've been waiting 25 years for your call," he knew he was onto something wonderful to help save cancer-stricken dogs.
And when Sullivan met Amy Baklund a few years later, he considered it "a great example of synchronicity."
Baklund, a longtime Bellingham resident who is currently working in San Diego, has established a foundation called Copan's Place. The foundation is named in memory for Baklund's beloved Bernese mountain dog, which died of cancer the same day she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Baklund is working to establish a center to house a linear accelerator needed to help cure dogs that have leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma with a revolutionary treatment.
Sullivan and his wife, veterinarian Theresa Westfall, co-own Bellingham Veterinary.
Question: Dr. Sullivan, how does the treatment work?
Answer: First, it's important for me to point out that I'm not a veterinarian oncologist. I'm a general practitioner with a special interest in transplantation biology. I did not invent any of this. It's all therapy that originated out of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. The treatment is colloquially known as a bone marrow transplant for dogs.
Q: How does it work?
A: We collect stem cells from the dog's bloodstream while using a machine similar to a dialysis machine. The dog undergoes total body irradiation without the stem cells to kill any remaining tumors, and the harvested stem cells are then re-infused into the dog so a new immune system can develop and save the dog's life, if all goes well.
Q: How did you learn the technique?
A: I contacted Dr. Rainer Storb at Fred Hutchinson and told him I had a dog with lymphoma. He told me, "I've been waiting 25 years for this phone call." He invited Theresa and I to come to Fred Hutchinson and gave us the opportunity to learn this technique (which originated when dogs were used to develop bone marrow transplant treatments for humans). Things have come full circle now, with the ability to treat dogs.
Q: How many dogs have you treated?
A: I've been involved in the successful treatment of about 80 dogs after helping to train doctors at North Carolina State University, Los Angeles, New York and San Diego. About 20 of the dogs are in Whatcom County.
Q: Where will Copan's Place be located?
A: We envision a centrally located area like Kirkland. We need a treatment center and linear accelerator because we've been using two other hospital facilities. The travel and stress do not create an ideal situation.
Q: Amy, what motivated you to form a foundation?
A: The day Copan died I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I'm now a five-year survivor.
I got the idea for the foundation when I met Dr. Sullivan. He has a genuine passion for curing animals and he has a great heart.
My lifelong friend Cathy Belben (a long-distance runner) has been by my side all the way to help, and now she'll help raise money by running several races this summer around the country.
Q: What are your financial needs?
A: We've raised $250,000 already and our goal is to raise $1 million to create a fully dedicated structure for Copan's Place.