My name is Dani, and my family and I are fundraising on behalf of our mom, Tamara, following a severe dog mauling. All funds raised will go directly to Tamara, and support her medical care and rehabilitation.

On Monday, January 5th, our mom was mauled by a Belgian Malinois, and very seriously injured. That she is alive at all is evidence of her skill as an animal handler, and her ability to think clearly during a crisis. She has sustained catastrophic and life-altering injuries. Her face, head, neck, and arms are covered in wounds of varying severity that have been stitched and stapled, but her most grievous injury is her right forearm, which she sacrified in order to keep the dog away from more vulnerable areas of her body.

The injury site is predominantly the upper side of the forearm, where the skin is shredded, a large portion of muscle has been torn away, and several major tendons are irreparably severed. The wound is also infected with a very strong and potentially life-threatening infection. Treating the infection requires deep cleaning of the wound site in the OR every other day, and an intensive three-week antibiotic course.

Once she conquers the infection, she will need a skin graft to finally close the wound, and down the line she will embark on a new surgical cycle to reroute vestigial tendons in an attempt to recover some of her lost wrist, finger, and thumb flexion. Her arm will never be the same, and her new normal is months, if not years away.

One of the most difficult parts of this situation is that the incident occured while she was traveling in the United States, far from most of her support network and outside of her healthcare coverage. She is currently being treated at a hospital in New York City, and cannot be transferred to Canada until the infection is under control, which means she is likely to be hospitalized for at least five weeks, with near daily procedures in the OR for much of that time. We're very grateful for the extraordinary care she is receiving, but we are also apprehensive about this turning into a financially catastrophic incident, as well as a physically catastrophic one.

This injury will permanently alter how Tamara lives her life, from her physical abilities, to her hobbies, to her income and ability to work. Her recovery will be long and incredibly difficult.

We are exploring every available avenue to ease this financial burden so she can focus on healing. Any contribution, no matter the amount, is a help to us, and deeply appreciated. We also thank you for sharing this fundraiser, with or without a financial contribution.

Thank you for reading, for sharing, for your compassion, for your help, and for your well-wishes. We will keep you updated on her healing journey.