LOS ANGELES, Oct 26 — Estella the Guinea Pig’s previous owner squeezed her so hard that she broke her back, permanently paralysing her lower body.
But now, she can walk again, thanks to a Facebook fundraiser by Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary that amassed the US$500 (RM2,115) needed to give her a custom-made wheelchair.
Christine Morrissey, sanctuary manager at Harvest Home, told The Huffington Post that the wheelchair is designed as an exercise mechanism and to increase her activity level.
Before the wheelchair, Estella “had her back legs kicked out to the side and had to use all her upper body strength to move around,” Morrissey told ABC News.
“But now, she’s quite a little titan in her wheelchair. She can forget about her past trauma.”
And where would we all be without a little love in our lives?
Morrissey added that Estella’s “guinea pig husband” Pip, who was found abandoned by the side of a road with her, has been a “huge part of Estella’s rehab process more than anyone in her little life.”
“Their companionship is a very huge part of why she’s still alive and happy despite everything,” she said. “They’re together all of the time.”
Prey animals like guinea pigs can sometimes give up, but Estella never did.
“Today, she is our treasured comeback kid,” Morrissey added to The Huffington Post. “We are so inspired by her relentless resiliency and infectious positivity.”
