Hillbilly Wilbur was “rescued from a place in the hills.” That was about all the information we had on this boy when we moved to Tennessee. He was a shy little old man who lived in the Old Guys Neighborhood.
Hillbilly Wilbur had never met Hanai. They lived on the same huge property under the protection of the same organization…they had the very same caregivers…received the very same food…got the very same bedding. But Wilbur lived down south with the Old Guys and Hanai lived on the north side in the Washington/Minnesota houses.
Hānaii is a Hawaiian word meaning the adoption of someone into your family. You’re a “hānai sister” to someone who is your best friend. You’re a “hānai daughter” to someone who is like your mother. In an unusual set of medical circumstances, he became her hānai brother.
Wilbur needed blood…and Hanai donated blood in an attempt to save his life. In trying to save one, we tragically lost them both. Their deaths were not related…each had their own set of issues after anesthesia.
Hillbilly WIlbur’s story is now linked to Hanai, a pig he had never met. This was an indescribable loss, but we will press on, trying to improve outcomes and standards of care for farmed animals and practicing kindness and compassion for every living being. Hillbilly Wilbur leaves behind his best friend, Reggie, as well as the rest of the Old Guys.
