Help Natalia & Ancho Afford Hospital & Vet Bills

Natalia and Ancho are seeking financial support for medical bills involving heart issues (both of them!)

Natalia has been struggling with strange health symptoms for over three years. Among the many unexplainable symptoms were heart palpitations, frequent chest pains, migraines and vertigo. She’s been endlessly pursuing answers with weekly doctors appointments and too-often ER visits, only to be frequently dismissed and even recommended to see a psych.

One night in March 2024, Natalia woke up in the middle of the night with an uncontrollably fast heartbeat. Her partner rushed her to the ER where the doctors swarmed her immediately. Her heart rhythm had entered AFib, meaning it was beating irregularly. The rate was reaching over 160bpm before doctors were able to bring it down with medicine.

Her heart stayed in AFib for over 12 hours with intense chest pain. She stayed in the hospital for 2 days until doctors were able to convert her to sinus (normal) rhythm. Each of the cardiac doctors that saw her remarked that she was the youngest AFib patient they’d seen (which is a primary reason her health problems had gone undiagnosed for so long).

After discharge they told her that her heart could enter AFib at any moment so she was put on medication (that cost $300 out of pocket) in order to reduce her likelihood of a stroke. A few weeks later, Natalia underwent a cardiac ablation, a procedure used to treat AFib and is currently in recovery.

Since these health scares, her recently adopted doggy, Ancho, started also displaying some health issues. Ancho was adopted in February and arrived at his new home from Texas with a nasty case of kennel cough and some skin & ear infections. With a lot of love (and a lot of vet visits) his health seemed to improve. He quickly proved himself to be the best doggy in the whole world. He loves his toys, is super loving, hardly ever barks, and is just a silly and fun guy. But he seemed to have fatigue after playing, and his back legs became increasingly weak. After testing his bloodwork, Ancho was diagnosed positive for heartworms.

Heartworm is rare in Chicago, especially in winter, because dogs can only get infected via mosquitos carrying the parasite. The vets determined that he must have contracted the condition while in Texas. Heartworm is fatal in dogs if left untreated, but thankfully the treatment has a high success rate. Unfortunately it’s very expensive in Chicago, on top of first needing to treat and resolve his other infections. Ancho’s vet quoted his treatment costs; including antibiotics, x-rays, sedatives, base appointment fees and the heartworm shots themselves; totalling well over $3,000.

The double whammy of hospital bills, cost of medications, and staggering vet bills is completely financially devastating. Ancho’s previous and ongoing infections have already totaled over $1,000. Natalia's past medical costs, long stay in the ER, and ablation procedure are billing for over $1,500. These have wiped out all the financial reserves, leaving us with nothing to afford the upcoming treatments. Natalia and Ancho are now asking for financial support to cover some of these costs. A little goes a long way and any donation is sincerely appreciated :)

Much love & gratitude,

Natalia & Ancho (two doggies with delicate hearts)

P.S. Ancho will be receiving his first injection in early August, so please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.