The
first time I met Phil, he saved my life from an enraged housecat. It was my first day of community service at the
SPCA of Northern Nevada. I was
attempting to clean the cat’s cage, and the cat was having none of it. I was foolishly making an attempt to pick the
cat up and put it in a crate. It gave me
one of those looks that says, “If your hands move another inch toward me, I’ll
take them from you...” Phil saw what was
happening and rushed over to soothe the cat and make sure that I walked away
with all ten fingers still firmly attached.
I can
never remember that cat’s name or really anything else about it. But if anyone could remember the details or
what it was that ever happened to the cat, it would be Phil. You see, Phil has devoted a huge portion of
his life to the care and rescue of Northern Nevada’s shelter animals. He truly has a knack for it. He’s been bitten and scratched more times
than I can imagine, and yet he still dives in head first to the care of sick,
wounded, or unwanted animals; and he does it with a smile on his face. At some point he has devoted time to nearly
every rescue group in the area, and in doing so has saved countless lives that
were in far more peril than mine was when we met.
I wasn’t
the only person that he met at the SPCA.
He also met his future wife, Koelyn, there. She was a volunteer while he was an employee;
both of them were in high school at the time. One thing led to another and four years later
they got married in a beautiful ceremony at the Rose Garden in Idlewild
Park. Today they live together with a
bevy of rescued animals.
Unfortunately
devoting your life to saving others doesn’t mean that you won’t have struggles
of your own. Phil is currently in Stage
5 Kidney Failure. He is receiving Dialysis
treatments three times a week and he is on the transplant list. He was put on the transplant list in
September of last year and at the time he was told that he would receive his
transplant in 6 – 18 months. That’s a
large window of time, and to fill that time he’ll need to continue his Dialysis
treatments.
Phil
and Koelyn have insurance, and it’s covering large portions of his treatments
and the eventual transplant. However it
isn’t covering all of it. The hospital
bills are quickly piling up and becoming too much for the two of them to handle
alone.
The lives that Phil has saved
primarily belong to those of a four legged persuasion, and as such, there is
very little that they can do to return the favor. So I’m asking for those of you who have lived
with and loved rescued pets for your help.
If you’ve ever rescued a pet, or even just enjoyed the company of one,
perhaps you can find it in yourself to donate something on their behalf. Phil and Koelyn have started a fundraiser at www.youcaring.com and every single cent
helps. If you can spare anything, a
donation would be massively appreciated.
If you can’t spare a donation at the moment, then please just take a few
seconds to share the link below with your friends and your family, spread the
word.
Someone
who has given an immeasurable amount of love and care to the world needs a bit
in return. So please, remember the love
that you’ve felt for the animals in your life, and think of the love and
happiness in the world that Phil made possible simply by living the life that
he chose. Spread the word, after all,
isn’t someone who has devoted their life to making the world a better place the
kind of person that you’d want to keep around?
Click below to
donate and read more of Phil’s story…
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