Today's story is about how love, despite the sacrifices, can overcome any obstacle. But let's roll it back a little. Bryson Kliemann is an 8-year-old from Lebanon, Virginia, who just loves everything related to Pokemon. He watches Pokemon religiously, has tons of Pokemon merchandise, and, of course, a huge collection of Pokemon cards. It would take a lot for him to sacrifice any of it, but he actually did, and here's how and why.
Besides Pokemon, Bryson enjoys the company of his 4-month-old lab mix puppy named Bruce. Bryson has a younger brother and sister too, but since they both play together all the time, Bryson mostly spends all of this time with his best buddy Bruce. Though Bruce loves playing with Bryson all the time, one day he just lost all of his energy and became lethargic. The family noticed that he refused to eat and come out of his kennel; there was a feeling that something was wrong.
More info: Facebook
Meet Bryson, a boy who decided to sell his Pokemon card collection to save his dog Bruce
Image credits: kimberly.woodruff.798
One day, Bruce became lethargic and the family realized something was wrong
Image credits: kimberly.woodruff.798
They found out that the dog had parvovirus, which is lethal. The treatment costs $700, which the family couldn’t afford
Image credits: kimberly.woodruff.798
They took Bruce to the vet and found out that he was sick with parvovirus, which is deadly if left untreated. Naturally, they wanted to treat him, but after the vet explained that it would cost $700, they realized that they simply couldn't afford it. But Bryson just didn't want to let his best friend down, so he came up with a brilliant idea.
Bryson decided to sell his most prized possession, his Pokemon card collection, on the driveway. He raised 65 dollars the first day
Image credits: kimberly.woodruff.798
Remember those Pokemon cards that we've mentioned before? Well, since the cards were Bryson's most valuable possession, he decided to sell them to raise enough money for the expensive treatment. He wasted no time, picked up his collection, and made a stand near the driveway with a sign "Pokemon 4 sale." He raised 65 dollars on his first day and kept going.
The word took to the streets, and the money kept pouring in. His mother, Kimberly, created a gofundme page to raise even more money
Image credits: kimberly.woodruff.798
His mother, Kimberly Woodruff, wanted to help his noble cause, so she set up a gofundme page and started a little fundraiser with a modest $800 goal. Soon the word took to the streets, and the people started giving them more and more money. Bryson made $400 just from selling cards! The story picked up on the local news, and the boy's efforts moved people to action; the gofundme page started bursting with donations.
“Going through Bryson’s school work from yesterday and found this, he is just the sweetest kid“
Image credits: kimberly.woodruff.798
Soon enough they had enough money to treat Bruce
Image credits: kimberly.woodruff.798
The fundraiser was doing great, but the family had no time to waste. They quickly drove Bruce to the vet and started treatment. The family crossed their fingers and hoped that it wasn't too late...
With necessary treatment, Bruce started recovering
Image credits: kimberly.woodruff.798
Fortunately, Bruce started recovering from the sickness. The family visited him regularly, and the dog was more than happy to see them visit, but they all had to impatiently wait for the situation to normalize.
They’ve managed to raise $15,000 out of the $800 goal
Image credits: kimberly.woodruff.798
As they waited, the donations kept trickling in. First, there was a thousand, then seven, and it went up to whopping $15,000. Needless to say, the fundraiser went above and beyond the family's expectations.
The die-hard Pokemon fan donated the remaining money to help the treatment of other dogs
Image credits: kimberly.woodruff.798
The boy and the family decided to donate the rest of the money for the treatment of other dogs, and did a fundraiser event in one of his favorite comic book stores to mark the occasion.
Bryson was beside himself when he finally got a hold of his best pal again
Image credits: kimberly.woodruff.798
Days went by, and Bruce was ready to get checked out. And soon came the day when Bryson could finally take his beloved friend home. His smile went from ear to ear, and he was glowing. Bruce happily wagged his tail too, showing that he was as happy to see the kid as the kid was happy to see him.
Bruce was on the mend, and continued his recovery at home where he belongs
Image credits: kimberly.woodruff.798
…And they lived happily ever after
Image credits: kimberly.woodruff.798
The best buddies rejoined at home with a renewed sense of appreciation for each other, and they've probably become even more inseparable than before, if that's even possible. Borrowing the popular cliche from the fairy tales, it's probably fitting to say that they lived happily ever after.