Who would have guessed an online connection could be so life-changing?
Kim Weaver of British Columbia, Maire Anderson of Lewisville, TX and Dona Olson of Oxford NY had never met in person but were online friends on a social networking site about cats called Caturday on Fark.com. The Caturday community meets online each Saturday to share stories about their fur children. One topic of discussion was a cat named Vanna who had been taken in by Dona Olson who runs Little Mews Rescue in Oxford. Vanna was a new mother of only one kitten as she was so malnourished during pregnancy, she lost the other seven kittens in her litter. Texan Marie Anderson offered to take in stray Vanna and her kitten Delta. But Vanna was with Donna in NY which presented the problem of getting her and the kitten to Texas.
An idea was born. The Caturday community had become a pretty close group, sharing more than just stories about cats. Everyone knew about Canadian Kim Weaver’s battle with Melanoma which, after chemo and radiation, left her at only 92 pounds. Weaver is also the mother of a daughter with Autism. She is a huge advocate for pet therapy as she has seen firsthand the benefit of pets around those with disabilities. Three hundred members of the Caturday and Fark.com community raised $6000 to do two things: get Vanna and Delta to Texas with Anderson and send Weaver on a much-needed vacation of a lifetime. One man donated all he had in his account with was just less than $6 to, “buy that skinny girl a sandwich.”
Kim’s trip started March 4th, the first leg on her way to pick up Vanna and Delta. Anderson flew up from Texas and the two joined Olson at a hotel where they would meet face to face for the very first time. Anderson and Weaver would take Vanna and Delta and make their way back to Texas with stops along the way to meet other Fark.com community members who were part of the process.
Monday the 7th marked the day the journey of nearly 5,000 miles brought Vanna and Delta to their forever home in Texas. If circumstances allow, they might send Weaver on to Disney World before heading back to Canada.
Neighbors at their best!
awwwss…. how wonderfull!
and shared.