Written in the Stars
Animals Saved Me Before I Ever Saved Them
I didn’t find animals—animals found me. From the time I was very young, they were the only place I felt safe. People can be unpredictable. Words can cut. Silence can feel like a punishment. But animals? They never asked me to be anything other than myself.
Growing Up With Hurt
Trauma isn’t something you can always explain. It’s the way your chest tightens when someone raises their voice, the way you second-guess if you’re wanted, the way you carry the weight of things that happened long before you had the tools to cope. I grew up with that weight. And when it got too heavy, I went where I knew I wouldn’t be judged—the animals.
I remember sitting outside with dogs and cats, telling them my secrets, crying into their fur, finding a kind of comfort I couldn’t get anywhere else. They didn’t fix the pain, but they made it bearable. They reminded me I wasn’t completely alone.
Why Animals Understand
Animals don’t care if you’re broken. They don’t care if your life feels like it’s falling apart. They lean in when you’re hurting. They sit with you in silence. Sometimes, the way they look at you feels like they know everything you’ve been through—and they love you anyway.
That’s what kept me going. That’s what gave me hope.
Starting So Young
Because of that, I got involved in rescue before most kids even knew what they wanted to do with their lives. It wasn’t really a choice—it was survival. Saving animals gave me purpose when I didn’t have much else. Every time I helped a stray or gave a frightened animal a home, I felt a piece of my own heart healing.
Looking back now, I realize the sanctuary was born long before we had land, buildings, or a name. It was born in those quiet moments where a broken kid and a broken animal found each other and chose to keep going.
Turning Pain Into Purpose
This work is raw and exhausting, but it’s also sacred. The animals we take in carry their own trauma. They’ve been abandoned, hurt, or forgotten. And yet, they still find a way to trust again. Watching that transformation is like watching myself all over again—learning to believe in safety, love, and belonging.
The truth is, the animals saved me first. Now it’s my turn to save them.
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Help Us Save More Lives
If you’ve ever felt that quiet healing an animal gives, you know how powerful it is. That’s what our sanctuary is built on. With your support, we can keep giving animals safety, love, and second chances.
