Freedom and Jeff
Freedom and I have been together 10 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. Both wings were broken, her left
wing in 4 places. She was emaciated and covered in lice. We made the
decision to give her a chance at life, so I took her to the vet's 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 center 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, on 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. Yahoo!
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's.
Hope you enjoy this.
Jeff
Jeff Guidry and Freedom
Sarvey Wildlife Center
Freedom is 3½ years old in the second photograph below.
Remarkably, she molted when Jeff was going through his ordeal,
then, after 8 months of chemo, Freedom sprouted her new feathers at the same time Jeff regrew his hair.
Freedom & Jeff share a bond that’s incredibly strong and undeniable. For Jeff to fall so deeply in love with Freedom from the moment she arrived; broken, riddled with lice and literally on death’s door - willing her to live, loving her, sitting with her, talking with her, giving her the courage to stand and live is nothing short of the kind of commitment most people will never know. But for Freedom to reciprocate in kind – even coming to Jeff in his dreams during what had to be the most challenging time of his life - is a premiere example of the kind of heart-tugging love that builds an indestructible bridge between our species and gives us a glimpse of what can be.
And if you can believe Freedom and Jeff’s story, showcasing their respective commitment and unyielding love, then it isn’t a giant leap to believing that all animals are capable of love, joy, bonding, disappointment, hope, grief, depression, happiness and yes, crossing that indestructible bridge to communicate with us.
CREDITS: Story reprinted with permission from Jeff Guidry.
PHOTOS: Freedom & Jeff (top photo) by Anne Chase Photography, Woodinville, WA
Freedom & Jeff 2000 & 2001 by Ceal Kight
