Dear Community,

Sometimes a single, unexpected moment can undo years of careful planning, and that’s where Christina finds herself today.

We are Christina’s aunt and uncle, reaching out on her behalf to ask for support after an unexpected financial setback during her final semester of college.

At 22 years old, Christina has worked incredibly hard to reach her senior year at Cal State Fullerton. Throughout college, she has largely paid her own way by working at local dance studios, teaching young children to dance, and saving every dollar she could toward tuition and her future. She has approached her education with determination, discipline, and a sense of responsibility that has guided her every step.

Now, as she prepares to graduate in May, Christina has been applying to graduate programs in social work. Her hope is to one day support children who have experienced hardship and instability early in life—work that reflects both her compassion and the resilience of her own childhood story.

Last week, everything changed.

In the middle of the night on Christmas, Christina’s beloved cat, Sophie, her companion since seventh grade was attacked by a coyote after accidentally getting out of the house. Christina rushed her to the emergency vet, where it became clear the injuries were severe. Sophie required a five-day hospitalization for a shattered jaw, extensive surgery, a feeding tube, and intensive care. Thankfully, she is now home and healing, but Sophie's recovery is ongoing and requires continued medical support.

The cost of that emergency hospitalization alone was nearly $15,000.

Faced with an impossible decision, Christina did what most people who deeply love their pet would do...she made sure Sophie received the care she needed. In doing so, she used every dollar she had saved for graduate school to cover what she could of the bill and financed the remainder. Those savings are now gone. While family members are helping however we can, we are not able to fully replace what Christina has lost, and this setback may ultimately prevent her from beginning graduate school this coming fall.

We created this fundraiser to help Christina recover from this unexpected medical debt and begin rebuilding the education fund she worked so hard to create. This was not an impulsive expense or a poor decision. It was an act of love and care in an emergency.

If you know Christina, you know her heart. You know how deeply she cares for others, how devoted she is to animals, and how seriously she takes her education and future. Asking for help does not come easily to her (or to us), but sometimes community is what makes the difference between a setback and moving forward.

Any contribution, large or small, will go directly toward covering ongoing medical expenses and restoring the savings Christina planned to use for graduate school, helping her stay on the path she has built with such care and effort.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for supporting Christina during this moment. Even sharing this page means more than you know.

With gratitude,

Christina’s Uncle (Chris) & Aunt (Erin)