My name is Jay, and I recently lost my mom, Tina Guerriero, in a way that has left me heartbroken and overwhelmed. Tina was a stubborn but loving woman who always tried her best to support me, even when she didn’t fully understand what I was going through. She loved her dogs, cherished old westerns, and found peace in the country. Her passing was sudden and unexpected—I had just gone in for surgery myself, and when I returned home, I found her gone. We suspect medical negligence may have played a role, and her nurse is helping us look into what happened. Before she passed, Tina was struggling with her health, including fluid in her lungs and severe headaches, but she was sent home from the hospital despite these issues.

Now, I’m facing the challenge of arranging her funeral and trying to keep the home we shared. My mom’s dog, Do, is also in need of surgery that she never got the chance to arrange. I have my own dog, Butterscotch—Do’s brother—and our cat, Phantom, who was rescued from a difficult situation. These pets are my family, and I want to keep us all together in the home my mom and I shared. I’m currently recovering from surgery myself and won’t be cleared to return to work until November 12th. On top of everything, I’m already carrying significant debt from emergency vet bills, medical fees, and my car note. I simply can’t afford to pay for the funeral or keep our home on my own right now.

Your support will help cover funeral expenses for my mom, keep a roof over my head and my pets’, and give us a chance to heal and move forward. Any help is deeply appreciated as I try to honor my mom’s memory and keep our family together during this incredibly difficult time.

Update: Do's toe is finally going to get taken care of properly, huge thanks to Lorri..! Theres no way I could have afforded $916 and mom would have been so happy to know her dog isn't going to be left suffering without her.

The vet is going to remove it on Tuesday, prescribed 3 medications and will test to see if its cancerous.

I've managed to get some of her accounts closed at lwast, and bank accounts frozen for the most part..

Huge HUGE thank you to everyone who is supporting me so far, financially, emotionally; mom would be stunned to see all the support...

Edit: Do has had his toe removed. It appears to have not been cancer but we're also waiting on pathology. The first vet was supposed to remove up to the knuckle but instead basically butched it. Boy's on 3 medications now and his foot is all wrapped up. A neighbor was also kind eough to mow our lawn but the poor little guy thought his mom came home because of the sound...

UPDATE 10/29/25

Thanks to your help, I've made a mortgage payment; I go see a lawyer today to see about getting the house in my name, and I've gotten mom's ashes back with a payment toward her cremation.

Just got a call from the vet last night with pathology for Do's toe; apparently he had a skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma; the vet believes he's gotten it all but we're going in again on Monday to double check and I'll be asking about the large lump Butterscotch has as well.