By now, most of you know the story of Mickey and Kenneth Pike. When their truck crashed on I-95 Friday, Kenneth was thrown from the vehicle and killed. Mickey survived and was by her husband's side as he took his last breath. It was the kind of tragedy that shouldn't have to happen to anyone, but it could happen to anyone. Mickey was taken to Southeast Georgia Health System, treated, and released. Her sister came from South Carolina to take her to her place to recuperate.
Then we received a call on Straight Talk Monday morning. It was from Monique Gallaher, Mickey's sister. Turns out, Mickey's faithful dog Misha, a beautiful Collie/German Shepherd mix, had also been thrown from the vehicle. However, she'd survived and in all the trauma of the crash and the Interstate, she ran away. Monique pleaded with us to help find Misha, so I put the call out to Straight Talk listeners.
And that's exactly what happened. That evening Straight Talk listener Bill Harbison saw Misha lying motionless in a cane patch by his home. He remembered hearing about the hunt for the dog on Straight Talk and approached her to see if she fit the description. She did, but she was very weak. She seemed tired and undernourished, so he got her some water and food and took her to Southeast Georgia Veterinary Clinic, where Dr. Shireen Hamid took care of her.
Monique contacted me last night with the wonderful news, and we informed Gloria Burns, a local planner who had volunteered to make the ten hour round trip to take Misha back home.
I immediately took to social media to see if we could raise the money to pay the vet. In my mind, we didn't need to stick Mickey with any bills. She's going through enough as it is. Little did I know Dr. Hamid had already decided to take the case pro bono. At that point, I asked (and still ask) that you make contributions to Kenneth's funeral fund here.
This morning, Gloria left with Misha, bound for South Carolina, and I'm so proud to say she was reunited with Mickey!
Thank you, Golden Isles. Thanks for stepping up the way I know you can.