Hello everyone! My name is Irving Torres-Lopez, initiating this fundraiser on behalf of my family. We are aiming to cover the abrupt and ballooning costs of our dog Ari's health care after a horrific medical emergency.

On Friday, November 28th, our dear Ari suffered a herniated disc injury (known as IVDD, or Intervertebral Disc Disease). The injury resulted in paralysis, preventing Ari from walking and severely impairing his ability to urinate on his own. Due to the timing of the holiday weekend, it became impossible to deliver Ari the emergency neurological care that he needed. Ari was not able to see a neurologist until Monday morning.

After receiving incredible care from the healthcare team at Blue Pearl Animal Hospital and undergoing imaging and spinal surgery, Ari is now home and beginning the long road to recovery. The over 48-hour window between the initial injury and receiving specialist care has hindered Ari's chances of walking again, but our family is hopeful that Ari could one day restore some ability to walk on his own.

Unfortunately, the high cost of treating Ari's injury came as a complete surprise to us. Ari's emergency care has delivered a significant financial blow to our family, and we have decided to turn to GoFundMe as a last resort in hopes of regaining some financial footing during the difficult road ahead.

The fundraising goal of this campaign aims to cover part of the costs of Ari's medical care thus far (including two separate veterinary examination fees, medications, imaging, surgery, anesthetics, and medical boarding), as well as the additional forthcoming costs of his lengthy recovery process, including follow-up veterinary care, supportive equipment, and physical therapy.

Ari is our first dog as a family and is our baby - every member of our family has been touched by Ari's presence in our lives, and we remain fiercely committed to nursing our boy back to health and enjoying many more years with him. Ari is loved by almost everyone who has ever met him, and we have been sincerely touched by the outpouring of support we have received since Ari's injury. Our boy has been the sweetest, kindest, most joyous addition to our lives, and our family would be unbelievably grateful for any support our campaign receives.