Tiffinee D.

Tiffinee started off young. Her entire life was about saving whatever animal her path crossed with. She cried for the worm she had to feed to the bird, but explained to the worm his life was given to the bird so the bird could survive. She says that she didn't know it at the time, but there are certain people in this world that have a calling. It's something deep within us and it's not something we can ignore and it's something that has always been. All the birds, turtles, snakes, kittens, puppies, and the animals that Tiffinee used to surround herself with in the forest when she was alone -- they all mattered to her and she understood what they said without having to talk to them. She started volunteering at a humane society when she was 14 years old, until they hired her at 15. She went on to become a Vet Tech shortly after and really loved it. She looked forward to work everyday until she was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease (CIDP) which prevented her from working full-time, but has not stopped her need to save animals. She missed helping animals and felt her self-worth diminishing by the day. She tried volunteering in a more traditional sense by going into humane societies, but realized her physical limits very quickly. Two years ago, she tried a wildlife center, and was asked to take home 13 baby opossums to care for. She knew in her heart that she had finally found her life's calling. Their eyes weren't even open yet, and between every 2 hour feeding, she spent the hours doing research. Weeks went by, months went by, and she watched all 13 grow into beautiful creatures she was beyond proud of. Being limited physically but able to care for opossums at home has truly changed Tiffinee's life. She says that it has given her life a purpose once again.