Who Chibi was, and why we started this
A Pekingese from Los Angeles, deeply loved and very well traveled. She passed away in 2023 at 15½ — but the reason she got those years is the reason Chibi's Friends exists.
Chibi · Los Angeles · 2007–2023
The night everything changed
When Chibi was only two years old, an unleashed dog came flying out of the bushes in our old neighborhood. Chibi fell off a curb and suffered a massive herniated disk. We rushed her to the closest emergency vet, and there we were given only two options: put her down to stop her suffering, or perform emergency surgery — $10,000, out of pocket.
I had just begun my career in nursing. We had just moved into our first apartment. In my early twenties, I was nowhere near financially prepared to take on that kind of burden. But my mother and my sisters stepped in and helped us fund the surgery.
Chibi went on to live another thirteen years. She traveled to 33 states and state capitals, visited 40 national parks, and even crossed the border with us into Canada.
If my mother and sisters hadn't seen how important Chibi was to us and helped us pay, our lives would have been completely different.
15½
years of life
33
states & capitals
40
national parks
13
extra years after surgery
Why the foundation exists
We created Chibi's Friends to be, for other families, what our family was for us — the people who show up when the bill is impossible and the clock is running. We truly believe no one should have to lose a member of their family because they can't pay for care.
Be someone's mother and sisters
Help us cover the next emergency — or, if you're the family in the waiting room right now, let us help you.