LSU announced in May that Mike VI had been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of cancer, spindle cell sarcoma.
Spindle cell sarcoma is inoperable, and with this diagnosis, Mike VI was given one to two years to live if he underwent treatment. Without treatment, he would have only lived one to two months.
Veterinarians decided to treat Mike’s cancer using stereotactic radiotherapy, knowing the treatment would not cure the cancer, but could give him a longer and more comfortable life.
With the first announcement of Mike’s diagnosis, University veterinarian David Baker said at a news conference, “I’d like to assure the LSU community we are taking this very seriously, and you have my promise that we’re doing all that we can to extend Mike’s life while maintaining his quality of life.”
Mike VI should not have had to suffer at the hands of the University. The best choice would have been to euthanize him sooner rather than later to eliminate any chance for the cancer to spread and disrupt his quality of life.
Baker announced Mike’s cancer spread last week, saying Mike had about one to two months to live. Unfortunately, Mike was taken into hospice care Monday and euthanized Tuesday, living less than a week after the announcement.
The original tumor in his head grew larger than a lemon. The tumor pressed against his sinus and tear duct on the right side.
In addition, the cancer spread to other areas of his body, and cancerous nodules had been discovered at the base of his neck, his hind area and his lungs. There was also a chain of eight to 10 small tumors on his right hind leg.
This doesn’t sound like a comfortable life to me. It’s hard for me to believe Mike wasn’t suffering with the cancer being in that many areas of his body.
Knowing that Mike would succumb to cancer within two years, doctors should’ve made the decision to euthanize him in June rather than to start treatment. Despite receiving treatment that was meant to prolong his life, months later Mike has passed away. Regardless, treating his cancer to extend his life did more harm than good.
The form of radiation Mike underwent in June was “unique” and “experimental,” according to the University, and it was wrong for him to be subjected to the same treatment as a lab rat. Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Baton Rouge worked on Mike the Tiger in conjunction with University veterinarians with an agreement to absorb all treatment costs.
With this treatment, Mike only lived a few months after his diagnosis, slightly longer than he would have without the treatment.
Mike the Tiger is more than the University’s mascot. Since the reign of Mike I, the live tiger mascot has been a significant part of campus life. Mike is a key part of LSU football and has been a key part in what makes the University such a unique college campus.
Though the community will miss him dearly, the suffering Mike had to endure just to live a few months past the original prediction was not worth it. Even though the search for Mike VII has already begun, the mourning of Mike VI will affect everyone at the University.
Brianna Rhymes is a 19-year-old mass communication sophomore from New Iberia, Louisiana.