Lille’s Story

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How Love and Devotion Spawned a Legacy of Giving to Provide a Lifeline for Other Pets

It was love at first sight for Vivi and Ryan Lamb and a cocker spaniel/lab mix puppy they would name Lille after the city in France. “The minute we met her, she picked us,” Vivi Lamb said. “My husband always says you should let them pick you instead of you picking them. We fell in love with her instantly.”

So begins a heart-tugging tale that brought together Lille with Vivi and Ryan, and later, the veterinary medical team at the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital, in a heroic effort to preserve life and support the human-animal bond.

The tale actually dates back to January 11, 2005, which is Lille’s birth date. Her arrival came much to the surprise of rescuers who had found her mother walking in a field with a Labrador. Shortly after, the mother gave birth to a litter, and Lille’s endearing traits quickly became evident.

“She’s always been determined,” Vivi said. “She always had this fiery spirit. Fearless, completely fearless. She was almost like a human. She loved to eat ice cream cones. She loved to eat watermelon.”

Lille grew up with two male dogs – the Lambs’ St. Bernard who was four years older, and later, after he passed away, a golden retriever who joined the family. “Out of the three of them, we knew if any of them got sick, Lille would be the one best able to withstand the treatments, just because of her personality,” Vivi said. “All of her life she had this strong character.”

Those traits were put to the test beginning in August of 2012. Vivi was on a six-week break before starting a new job in the Chicago area. Ryan was working in Indianapolis at the time. They decided to take Lille to White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis. Then, later that night, Ryan noticed Lille was becoming lethargic. “We rushed her to an emergency vet in Indianapolis who recommended taking Lille to Purdue’s Small Animal Hospital Emergency Service. We were able to get into Purdue and honestly, if it wasn’t for that quick action I think her story would have ended faster than it did,” Vivi said.

The Lambs remember the medical team of seven who cared for Lille. “Just the level of care and compassion was unprecedented,” Vivi said. “It was like nothing we’ve ever experienced.”

In particular, Vivi and Ryan were impressed by the empathy shown by Dr. Laura (Tonkin) Van Vertloo, who had come to Purdue to complete an internship and small animal internal medicine residency, and faithfully reached out to them to provide updates, even in the middle of the night.

Lille was diagnosed with Evans Syndrome, a disease where the immune system destroys red blood cells and platelets resulting in severe anemia and bleeding. Vivi remembers how the disease was described to them. “Basically her red blood cells were being attacked from within along with her platelets,” Vivi Lamb said. “She was given a very low chance of survival.”

Despite the poor prognosis, the Lambs refused to give up hope. “We could tell in her eyes she wasn’t giving up. We knew if she wasn’t giving up, we couldn’t give up either. We made the difficult decision to say, ‘do anything you can.’”

With the help of vital blood transfusions during the 10 days Lille spent in the Intensive Care Unit, Lille pulled through. “By some miracle, even Purdue will attest to this, she survived,” Vivi said. “It was just unbelievable the willpower that she had.”

Lille went home but needed to be brought back to the Small Animal Hospital twice a week initially, and then once a week for follow-up visits. By that time, Vivi was living in Munster and working in downtown Chicago. Ryan remained in Indianapolis. Thanks to the kindness of Vivi’s new employer, she was able to be present for Lille’s treatments. For the next nine months, Lille’s disease was able to be controlled by a combination of multiple medications to suppress her immune system.

Then, one night, nine months later, the Lamb’s golden retriever alerted Vivi to a problem with Lille. “It was three in the morning and Lille started bleeding out,” said Vivi, who drove the nearly 100 miles from Munster to the Purdue Small Animal Hospital. The Emergency Service’s personnel were awaiting their arrival with a stretcher in the parking lot.

Once again, Lille survived. “She was unfazed,” Vivi said. “She wasn’t crying going down to Purdue. Her ability to be resilient was very inspirational.” The Small Animal Internal Medicine Service, once again, was able to stabilize Lille, and she did well for another eight months.

Lille’s final battle came in the spring of 2014, when her Evan’s syndrome relapsed and she developed breathing complications, requiring oxygen support. Vivi became emotional recalling the moment she entered the room and saw Lille. “The minute she saw me, she was so excited.”

“I knew it was her time to go. I told her she had done everything that she could and her life would be a legacy. I could tell we had this connection. She just knew.”

After Lille passed away early the next day, the Lambs kept their promise to Lille that her life would be a legacy, and they made a generous contribution to establish the Lille Bug Blood Donor Program Endowment. “It was important for us to establish this endowment to support the Blood Donor Program, to ensure that this life-saving resource will be able to help other pet parents whose animal companions need blood transfusions in the future, just like Lille did,” Vivi said.

“We feel complete now that we’re in this position to give back. We also hope that when others hear this story, they will be inspired to help by contributing to the endowment as well, all for the sake of the pets that need life-giving blood transfusions.”

Click here for more information about the blood donor program, or here to make a gift to the Lille Blood Donor Program Endowment.

Writer(s): PVM News | pvmnews@purdue.edu