I’ve quietly been dealing with a lot of personal grief. From one day to the next my beloved dog, companion, life line, (son) who I lovingly call Tootie had a sudden decline in health. My holiday visit home began with a strong start; spending hours upon hours and days upon days at the vet. We’ve since moved onto to spending time at the neurologist running many expensive tests. My insurance with Lemonade has run dry.

As I mentioned, this began upon my visit to Miami for the holidays. I had to make the difficult decision of leaving my beloved pup behind in Miami with my mother, while I returned to NY to work. I didn’t want to put him through the stress of travel and bad weather while he felt ill. I am now back in Miami sitting at the vet office with another flood of bills.

I want to be clear that I understand pet ownership is a responsibility I chose fully, knowing that situations like this can arise. I’ve also never asked for or accepted help in the past. However, as a freelancer, my industry largely shuts down at the end of the year, and the constant back-and-forth between New York and Miami—combined with having to turn down work during this period—has made this moment especially difficult.

As a deep lover of animals, and someone who truly understands the profound role they can play in a person’s life—especially in mine—I’ve always contributed to crowdfunding efforts when I’ve seen others in need, even during times when I wasn’t in a position to do so. My only hope is that, in some small way, I paid that kindness forward. Anything helps. Sending love.

Love, Andi and Tootie (Marcel) ♥️