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  • Fabulous story about an eagle and Jeff

  • Fabulous story about an eagle and Jeff

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    Old 10-23-2011, 07:39 AM
      #1  
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    This is the kind of story you need when it seems like the world is spiralling out of control....

    Not many people get a picture of this proud bird
    snuggled up next to them

    Freedom and Jeff

    Freedom and I have been together 11 years this summer.
    She came in as a baby in 1998 with two broken
    wings. Her left wing doesn't open all the way
    even after surgery, it was broken in 4
    places. She's my baby.

    When Freedom came in she could not stand
    and both wings were broken. She was
    emaciated and covered in lice. We made the
    decision to give her a chance at life, so I took
    her to the vets office. From then
    on, I was always around her. We had her in a
    huge dog carrier with the top off, and it
    was loaded up with shredded newspaper for her to
    lay in. I used to sit and talk to her,
    urging her to live, to fight; and she would lay
    there looking at me with those big brown eyes.
    We also had to tube feed her for weeks.

    This went on for 4-6 weeks, and by then she still
    couldn't stand. It got to the point where the
    decision was made to euthanize her if she
    couldn't stand in a week. You know you don't
    want to cross that line between torture and
    rehab, and it looked like death was
    winning. She was going to be put
    down that Friday, and I was supposed to come in
    on that Thursday afternoon. I didn't want to go
    to the centre that Thursday, because I couldn't
    bear the thought of her being euthanized;
    but I went anyway, and when I walked in everyone
    was grinning from ear to ear. I went
    immediately back to her cage; and there she was,
    standing on her own, a big beautiful
    eagle. She was ready to live. I was
    just about in tears by then. That
    was a very good day.

    We knew she could never fly, so the director
    asked me to glove train her. I got her used to
    the glove, and then to jesses, and we
    started doing education programs for schools in
    western Washington ..
    We wound up in the newspapers,
    radio (believe it or not) and some
    TV. Miracle Pets even did a show
    about us.

    In the spring of 2000, I was diagnosed with
    non-Hodgkins lymphoma. I had stage 3,
    which is not good (one major organ plus
    everywhere), so I wound up doing 8 months of
    chemo. Lost the hair - the whole
    bit. I missed a lot of work. When I
    felt good enough, I would go to Sarvey
    and take Freedom out for walks. Freedom would
    also come to me in my dreams and help me fight
    the cancer. This happened time and time again.

    Fast forward to November 2000, the day after
    Thanksgiving. I went in for my last
    checkup. I was told that if the cancer was not
    all gone after 8 rounds of chemo, then my last
    option was a stem cell transplant. Anyway, they
    did the tests; and I had to come back Monday for
    the results. I went in Monday, and I was
    told that all the cancer was gone.



    So the first thing I did was get up to Sarvey and
    take the big girl out for a walk. It was misty
    and cold. I went to her flight and jessed her
    up, and we went out front to the top of the
    hill. I hadn't said a word to
    Freedom, but somehow she knew. She looked at me
    and wrapped both her wings around me to where I
    could feel them pressing in on my back
    (I was engulfed in eagle wings), and she
    touched my nose with her beak and stared into my
    eyes, and we just stood there like that
    for I don't know how long ... That was a
    magic moment. We have been soul mates ever
    since she came in. This is a very special bird.

    On a side note: I have had people who
    were sick come up to us when we are out, and
    Freedom has some kind of hold on
    them. I once had a guy who was
    terminal come up to us and I let him hold
    her. His knees just about buckled and he
    swore he could feel her power course through his
    body. I have so many stories like that..

    I never forget the honor I have of being so close
    to such a magnificent spirit as
    Freedom.

    Hope you enjoyed this!
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    sueisallaboutquilts is offline  
    Old 10-23-2011, 07:50 AM
      #2  
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    Susie, thank you! I've seen the pair on TV and it is so tender and magnificent.
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    Old 10-23-2011, 07:54 AM
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    Tears. What a magnificent bird to have that kind of attachment between them is unbelievable
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    Old 10-23-2011, 07:54 AM
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    so touching, it was heart warming.
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    Old 10-23-2011, 08:06 AM
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    This is such a touching story. I had to grab the kleenex box, then I saw the picture and I bawled. What a picture. How touching. Thank you for posting this. It made my day.
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    Old 10-23-2011, 08:07 AM
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    What a beautiful, amazing story. Thanks for sharing this tearjerker!
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    Old 10-23-2011, 09:10 AM
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    Wow! GREAT story!!! :thumbup:
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    Old 10-23-2011, 09:11 AM
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    I have tears just reading this story. Angels come in all shapes and sizes and I believe some are sent in animal form when we need them most.
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    Old 10-23-2011, 10:10 AM
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    Thank you for sharing! Stories like this give so much hope and inspiration; something the world needs more of.
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    Old 10-23-2011, 10:57 AM
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    Originally Posted by 3incollege
    so touching, it was heart warming.
    ditto! what a wonderful story,gives one hope !
    dar :thumbup: :thumbup:
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