My name is Brooke Hammes, and I am starting this Go Fund Me for my friend & co-worker Sam Williams. Sam is an incredibly hard worker, a great friend, and amazing pet mom to her dog Bentley and her cat Milo. TLDR: Over the last two years Sam has had to deal with quite a few costly hardships, and I would like to raise $5000.00 to help her pay down these costs.

Staring in 2023, Sam had undergone some stress related to both work and a breakup from a long-term relationship that was aggravating her Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome [a heart condition where an extra electrical pathway exists in the heart, leading to episodes of rapid heart rate (tachycardia)]. Her heart rate would get so high she would nearly pass out, had to go to the emergency room, and was ordered by the doctor to avoid stress so she did her best to work from home most of February 2024 while waiting to have a heart ablation. Unfortunately, the first heart ablation did not completely solve the problem, and she would have to wait until July of 2024 to have a second heart ablation that did fix it. (see an image of Sam's average daily heart rates below)

After recovering from heart surgery, in October of 2024, Sam suffered from a concussion that caused blurred vision, short-term memory issues, extreme sensitivity to light, and frequent migraines. She was ordered to take it easy and not look too much at screens which is very difficult given our jobs. It took four months to fully recover, and she was attending physical therapy all during that time. Sam did apply for financial assistance through the hospital but found out that she made about 400$ a year too much to qualify.

After Sam began feeling just a bit better, in the beginning of April 2025, her dog Bentley suffered an unexpected and catastrophic injury to his spinal cord that temporarily paralyzed him. I happened to be at Sam’s that day and we rushed Bentley to the emergency vet, and he would end up needing a complicated medication regimen to manage pain, had to have an MRI to determine if he needed surgery, and then would go on to need physical therapy. Bentley would be diagnosed with Acute Non-Compressive Nucleus Pulposus Extrusion (ANNPE). Caring for Bentley during this time was not unlike caring for a newborn baby. Bentley could not control his bladder and bowels at all due to being temporarily paralyzed and Sam had to learn to help him get around. Due to her dedication, and to having pet insurance, she was able to get him the care he needed, but despite the pet insurance, she still does owe a significant amount for his care. Bentley’s physical therapy is presently ongoing. (pictured below- Bentley when he had to spend multiple days at VCA fishers :( )

Most recently, in July, while Sam has been paying her and Bentley’s medical bills on her own, her apartment decided to raise her rent by $130/month. When Sam had moved into the apartment, she had always been upfront about having two pets, however, they only charged her pet rent for one. As a new company has taken over, they have changed things and when Sam resigned her lease, they made her pay a second pet deposit for her cat Milo, in addition to the rent increase. Milo has also recently started showing some signs of aging and had gone in for an X-ray, revealing some disc degeneration. On top of the rent and vet bill for Milo, Sam also recently had a costly car repair. (seen below- Milo having a terrible time at the vet.)

$3140 is the total remaining for Sam’s medical bills.

$1700 is the total remaining for Bentley & Milo’s vet bills.

$800 is the total for the car repair.

$400 is the total for the pet deposit for Milo.

$6040 is the total of all these combined.

Sam works incredibly hard and always pays her bills, but with prices rising and wages stagnant, these back-to-back crises have been difficult to navigate financially to say the least. I am asking for $5,000 to help my friend ease her financial burden. Any amount — big or small — will make a real difference. If you can’t donate, please share this link. Thank you for helping a truly deserving person!!