By: Beth Montelone
I adopted Ellery when he was seven weeks old, my first cat as an adult. He was the runt of a litter I went to look at after seeing a “free barn kittens” ad, but he was the one who interacted the most with me out of his larger littermates. He came home with me and that was it.
We didn’t know it yet, but Ellery and I were about to embark on a friendship that would span 18 years.
He filled only the amount of physical space required by any 10-pound cat, but for all his years, my home was bursting at the seams with his spirit. He could intimidate the largest of challengers. Even a Great Dane once stood down at the sight of Ellery with his fur standing on end and fierce eyes narrowed into slits.
Ellery contracted an aggressive oral cancer in his old age. Because I had worked as a faculty affiliate of the Johnson Cancer Research Center with many students who were funded by the Cancer Research Awards program, I felt a contribution was a worthy vehicle to remember him.
It brings a smile to know he’s helping today’s students reach graduation — and continue the fight against cancer.
The Montelone Family Cancer Research Award supports a mentored research opportunity for an undergraduate student at K-State’s Johnson Cancer Research Center.
