Hey friends and family,

This sweet gal is Izzy. Izzy and our amazing friend, Kate B. became immediate pillars in the San Diego community when they moved from Oregon during COVID lockdown in the summer of 2020. And, of course, in Eugene before then!

Izzy has had some health hiccups over the years, but this week capped with several visits to the ER Vet and a diagnosis of IVDD or Intervertebral Disk Back Disease IVDD.

This is basically the human equivalent of having the worst type of herniated disc where the disc protrudes and presses down hard on the most sensitive nerves of the spinal cord. Its impacted all of her motor functions, caused intense pain, rendered her largely motionless, panting excessively, having an extremely inflamed chest… it’s so sad and scary, and has scarier potential outcomes if not address immediately.

If you've known Kate over the past several years, this might sound familiar... Izzy's condition actually mirrors Kate's own medical journey. Which, with tons of resilience, hard work, and support from her loved ones, Kate valiantly overcame! Now it's Izzy's turn to heal!

So... what now?

Izzy has seen the doggy neurologist, is getting an MRI tomorrow, which will more than likely result in immediate entry into surgery. Until then, they’ve prescribed her super intense narcotics, like ketamine, Gabapentin, and tramadol. 

Here’s a breakdown of the overall expected costs:

$13,250 — Total 

$13,250 is a LOT, especially for a law student who is holding down several jobs and leading other academic pursuits before graduation and sitting for the California Bar. Not to mention being a huge part of all the communities she belongs to.

But we can help Izzy and Kate by contributing to this GoFundMe today! 

Kate is at the top of her law school class. No small feat. She's been invited to participate in countless internships and other highly-selective placements with the San Diego public defenders office and California Innocence Project. And she’ll carry this experience into her career of protecting and advancing human rights of all kinds. 

Oh, yeah... and she's done all this while also being a high performer at her paid jobs at a revered spin studio and also as an intern at a premier law firm.

Kate deserves to finish out law school, sit for the California State Bar Exam this summer, and then kick off her career unencumbered by the financial burden and intense emotional stress of caring and paying for a sick doggo.

It's super tough economic times for everyone... there are strikes, inflation, unemployment, literal war, and general instability. But if you happen to be in a position to support Kate and Izzy, please consider donating to Izzy's spinal surgery or even just sharing the link to this GoFundMe on your social media accounts!

Kate will be able receive your donation directly from GoFundMe into her bank account so every dollar will get to her to support Izzy’s medical care. 

OK, so, to close… a dog is a gal’s best friend. But in this case, Izzy is not only a best friend, she is an essential part of Kate’s ever-expanding life.

Let’s help both of them to heal and thrive by donating to or sharing this GoFundMe page today!