Let's Get Cristina Well Again

Hello!

 

This GoFundMe page is set to help us raise funds so Cristina Bierd can receive the medical care she so desperately needs.

 

Cristina is a generous, kind, and compassionate person who has dedicated her life to the care and well-being of the animals of Puerto Plata, D.R. She is so young, only 31 years old, and has her whole life ahead of her still. Cristina has rescued many dogs from terrible conditions on the street and works to provide them the care they need until they can find new homes. She has rescued dogs who were used for fighting, regularly has unwanted puppies dumped on her doorstep from locals who know she is the "dog woman," and until recently, has gone on nightly walks to feed stray dogs and cats.

 

 

 

 

Cristina has a congenital abnormality with her spine that has worsened over the years and has now become potentially life-threatening. She has multiple herniated discs and nerve damage in her whole back. Currently, her cervical spine is the more urgent issue, but she will require at least two surgeries to correct the damage.

 

 

Right now, Cristina is partially paralyzed and it just keeps getting worse.

 

The surgeries are extensive, but they are the only hope she has of regaining her ability to walk, control her bodily functions, and hopefully live without pain. She will require significant rehabilitation following the surgery as her body learns to walk again.

 

Cristina is currently in hospital, and she will remain there until she can afford to pay for the surgery. Right now, she is in the Emergency Room because her insurance covers this at 100%. The conditions here are not good for Cristina, and they do not have the strong pain management medications she will require until she is able to have the surgery. If she is to access appropriate pain management medication, she will need to obtain a private ambulance to transfer her to a hospital in a city over three hours away.

 

 

Cristina's health insurance will cover 80% of the treatment, but this is still going to be extraordinarily expensive. In the Dominican, the 20% co-payment is required upfront. If you cannot pay, you cannot get the care even with insurance. On top of the cost for the surgeries, there is the cost of medication, physical therapy, other rehabilitation requirements that must also be considered.

 

 

I have attached some documents here that Cristina received from her doctor at the Spine Center today (11/18/21) that details the type of surgery she requires and the testing necessary before she can have the surgery.








are also raising money so the animals in Cristina's care currently can be cared for while she is out of commission. Cristina has a 17 year old son who has promised to care for the over 30 dogs she is currently responsible for, but she needs to hire an additional person so her son can attend school again. Cristina's primary motivation for working so hard to get well is to get back to the dogs. They are her family and she misses them so much.

 

 

Our initial goal is $5000. This will help raise the cost of the co-payment for the surgery on her cervical spine, and possibly the ambulance ride to Santo Domingo. After that we will increase the goal to cover the rehab, the next surgery, and ongoing care for the dogs as Cristina recuperates.

 

Please share this as widely as possible so we can get Cristina back on her feet again.