Help Arizona pay for Mona’s life-saving surgery

My best friend Arizona had to face some impossible decisions last week when her beloved dog was hit by a car. Luckily, Mona made it through surgery and we think she’ll be okay. But the financial burden of paying for her care turned out to be astronomical, and it would be impossible for any student to shoulder that alone.

I know we all love Zona and Mona and want to support them in any way we can, so I’m setting up this fundraiser for them. Financial donations will go towards paying off Mona’s surgery and hospitalization so Zona can spend her time and energy helping Mona get back to her normal self. Any contribution you can make, whether it’s a donation or a share, is deeply appreciated.

The story of what happened, as told by Arizona (Ramona’s human):

Last Thursday (11/9/23), I was cooking dinner when I realized Ramona had gotten out of our backyard. After hours of frantic searching, I found her injured and in shock, right back at the house. With the help of my neighbors, we rushed Mona to a local animal hospital. She was admitted and diagnosed with uncontrolled abdominal bleeding, a partially collapsed lung, and arrhythmias—all likely the aftermath of a car collision.

The veterinarians recommended medical management to see if Mona’s condition might improve on its own. When it didn’t improve after twelve hours, I was faced with the decision of whether to proceed immediately with surgery to stop the abdominal bleeding–knowing there was a large risk of her heart failing under anesthesia–or to continue medical management, with the risk that her condition could worsen.

While contemplating the decision, I thought about finding her in the yard, unable to stand yet having walked God knows how far to make it back to me. She had done what she needed to do to get home once, I thought, and now it was my turn to do what I could to get her back home again. Knowing Ramona and what she was capable of, I decided to proceed with surgery.

The surgery, against all odds, turned out to be not only successful but life-saving. Ramona had a severed splenic artery, requiring the removal of her entire spleen. The surgeon drained a significant amount of fluid from her abdomen, equivalent to a third of her total body volume. She also discovered a fractured pelvis and injured kidney. With a hell of a lot of willpower and some norepinephrine, Ramona powered through the anesthesia and went into recovery.

Now home, Ramona is expected to make a full recovery, though there is a long road ahead. She will be on 8-weeks of continuously monitored bed rest to allow her abdomen and pelvis to heal. And we’ll be medically managing her pain to make sure that she is as comfortable as possible through all of this.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to provide the care Ramona needed at that critical moment. The surgery was the right decision, and I’m so grateful that this option was available, because it gave Ramona a fighting chance.