Support Jawahir and Teddy's Recovery Journey

Hello, my name is Zeyna and I created this go-fund me to help support my mom, Jawahir and her emotional support animal, Teddy.

On Wednesday, July 17th, Teddy was having trouble walking and going to the bathroom and kept whining from pain. We thought he might have a stomach ache so we took him to his doctor the next morning. The doctor recommended that we go to urgent care so that he could get an X-ray. The X-ray showed that he had a herniated disc in his lower back, likely due to IVDD or intervertebral disc disease.

This was shocking because just three months earlier in March, 2024 our family dog Tippy died from IVDD. Tippy very suddenly became paralyzed in his back legs, and died less than 24 hours later because he was too far gone. Tippy was just about to turn four years old.

Tippy was my mom’s first dog and her guardian angel and helped her get through a really hard period in her life, and it was a huge loss for her. To help my mom cope with the grief my sister Noora let my mom keep Teddy and he has been a big help to her.

The doctors recommended an MRI to see how bad Teddy’s spine was and to see if surgery could help. We knew that no matter what we would try to give Teddy the best chance like Tippy should have had and we could not bear to lose another family member so soon.

Friday morning, Teddy underwent spinal surgery and the doctors removed the affected discs. He is still in recovery and once he comes home will need to be on crate-rest for 4-6 weeks. The surgery went smoothly but the doctors said that it will take time to see whether he regains function and feeling of his tail and the ability to control his bowel movements.

The hospital required us to pay part of the projected bill upfront. I was able to do so. However, the total cost of his surgery was $13,400. We have been able to cover some of the cost through contributions from family members, but still need help with the rest.

It’s extremely difficult to ask for support, but I only do so because I truly am having trouble managing this. My mom is a single mom, and I am her main financial support. She works part time as a nanny for a young baby, and the rest of my siblings are still finishing their education. On top of supporting my sibling's education, my mom tirelessly dedicates almost all of her time towards activists efforts in the Atlanta community against the genocide in Gaza and for the liberation of Palestine. She has poured her soul into this community despite only being here for a year. Now we are asking the community to help to get through a difficult time.