It's a Monday, y'all. There's always something on Monday's, right? Well, today is a toughie. This morning I drove to work with my favorite to-go coffee mug on the top of my car, efficiently shattering it along with my only source of caffeine until lunch break. I was really feeling sorry for myself. But then I sat down at my desk to a ton of messages from a group text and immediately, the thought of my sweet coffee mug was out the window.

It's a sad day for LSU students and fans alike. At 8:49 a.m. Central Time, LSU University Relations released an article announcing that our beloved mascot, Mike VI, has been diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma cancer. His caretakers noticed swelling on the right side of his face and sedated him for examination Thursday night. They have assured us that he does not seem to be in any pain.

Mike's tumor was found in his face near his nose. It is a very rare, malignant tumor caused by fibrous connective tissues of the bone. It is not likely that it will spread through any other part of his body. Mike's treatment plan was designed by specialists around the country. It includes a new and advanced for of radiation therapy. The therapy, called "Stereotactic radiotherapy," or SRT, delivers radiation to the tumor in a way that doesn't harm normal tissues. While this treatment will not cure our beloved Mike of his illness, it will extend his life and allow him to live comfortably for some time longer. Mike's treatment will occur at Mary Bird Perkins - Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center in Baton Rouge.

Mike's caretakers estimate that without treatment, the tiger would live for another one to two months, and with treatment, another one to two years.

Mike VI has been at LSU since August 2007, and his 12th birthday is on July 23.

Lsusports.net says "The team on Mike's case at the LSU SVM was composed of Dr. Baker, Mike's veterinary student caretakers and veterinarians and veterinary technicians in the anesthesia, dermatology, laboratory animal medicine, ophthalmology, oncology, surgery, diagnostic imaging and anatomic and clinical pathology services, as well as local veterinarian Alfred Stevens, DVM (LSU SVM 1979) and veterinarian for BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo Gordon Pirie, DVM."

To get updates on Mike's condition, please go to www.lsu.edu/miketiger or visit his social media pages, www.facebook.com/MikeTigerVI and @MikeTigerVI on Twitter