Help Save Rainbow Farm
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Rainbow Farm is both a working farm and an animal sanctuary founded by my friend Cheryl and her veterinarian wife, Heather, near Godfrey, Ontario. The couple purchased the nearly 130 acre farm in 2015 and once word got out that the local vet had a farm, the animals began to arrive: kittens hit by cars or abandoned; puppies with neurological problems or in need of surgery; elderly dogs needing palliative care; a runt piglet with an deformed foot; a retired beef cow and her last calf; a Jersey cow with her two miniature donkey companions… and the list goes on. In addition to the farm’s working animals and pets, the rescue population currently includes a large range of farm animals and many beloved dogs and cats, each of which has been given new lease on life, thanks to Heather and Cheryl’s care and commitment to their wellbeing.
In September 2019, Heather was given the devastating diagnosis of early onset dementia and had to stop working. By November, Heather and Cheryl made the difficult but necessary decision to close the veterinary clinic, putting them both out of work. After nearly two decades as the local veterinarian, Heather did not want to leave her clients without local care, but attempts to sell the business were unsuccessful. Thankfully, disability payments and personal savings allowed the couple to focus on making the most of the time they had left together with their young daughter.
Heather’s condition deteriorated quickly and in January 2020, the diagnosis of dementia was recognized as being secondary to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a terminal diagnosis. To make a terrible situation infinitely worse, Heather contracted COVID-19 in March 2020 and, after hearing about all of the people dying alone, opted to be cared for at home by Cheryl with guidance from a medical support team. Heather was so gravely ill that she was treated as palliative and was comatose for a number of days. Everyone said their goodbyes, but miraculously, Heather awoke from her coma and survived her battle with COVID-19. After spending 6 days in hospital to be weaned off the palliative medications, Cheryl and their daughter were thrilled to welcome Heather back home. However, the elation they felt came to a grinding halt when only a few days later they realized that the CTE had progressed. As Heather’s physical mobility and neurological symptoms worsened, the family spent the early summer together, fulfilling Heather’s last wish of a family camping trip to Algonquin Park, and extending their love of camping to a tent on the property, sleeping outside for what would be the rest of Heather’s life. Heather died on July 29, at home on Rainbow Farm, held in Cheryl’s arms and surrounded by the cherished animals she had rescued, adopted, or saved.
In the months since Heather’s death, Cheryl has struggled to keep the farm afloat, while grieving with, and caring for, her 9-year old. She has been piecing things together financially, certain that when the payout from the insurance came through to cover the balance on the mortgage, she and her daughter would be secure in their home and the animals safe in their sanctuary. That relief was not to be found; recently Cheryl learned that the insurance company has denied the life insurance claim.
Here’s where Cheryl’s character shines—when she shared this gut-wrenching news, it was with neither a defeated attitude nor a sense of entitlement. She knows that so many of us are struggling financially due to circumstances outside our control, and she knows that this experience is often weighted with shame. She shared her story in an attempt to challenge that shame, to speak out about the damage that we do when we struggle in silence, and to remind people that financial struggles are not a reflection of one’s value or worth as a person. Cheryl was not asking for help; it was I who suggested we begin a crowd-funding campaign because it gives me the opportunity to do something, and it offers hope where hope seems to be in short supply.
In September 2019, Heather was given the devastating diagnosis of early onset dementia and had to stop working. By November, Heather and Cheryl made the difficult but necessary decision to close the veterinary clinic, putting them both out of work. After nearly two decades as the local veterinarian, Heather did not want to leave her clients without local care, but attempts to sell the business were unsuccessful. Thankfully, disability payments and personal savings allowed the couple to focus on making the most of the time they had left together with their young daughter.
Heather’s condition deteriorated quickly and in January 2020, the diagnosis of dementia was recognized as being secondary to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a terminal diagnosis. To make a terrible situation infinitely worse, Heather contracted COVID-19 in March 2020 and, after hearing about all of the people dying alone, opted to be cared for at home by Cheryl with guidance from a medical support team. Heather was so gravely ill that she was treated as palliative and was comatose for a number of days. Everyone said their goodbyes, but miraculously, Heather awoke from her coma and survived her battle with COVID-19. After spending 6 days in hospital to be weaned off the palliative medications, Cheryl and their daughter were thrilled to welcome Heather back home. However, the elation they felt came to a grinding halt when only a few days later they realized that the CTE had progressed. As Heather’s physical mobility and neurological symptoms worsened, the family spent the early summer together, fulfilling Heather’s last wish of a family camping trip to Algonquin Park, and extending their love of camping to a tent on the property, sleeping outside for what would be the rest of Heather’s life. Heather died on July 29, at home on Rainbow Farm, held in Cheryl’s arms and surrounded by the cherished animals she had rescued, adopted, or saved.
In the months since Heather’s death, Cheryl has struggled to keep the farm afloat, while grieving with, and caring for, her 9-year old. She has been piecing things together financially, certain that when the payout from the insurance came through to cover the balance on the mortgage, she and her daughter would be secure in their home and the animals safe in their sanctuary. That relief was not to be found; recently Cheryl learned that the insurance company has denied the life insurance claim.
Here’s where Cheryl’s character shines—when she shared this gut-wrenching news, it was with neither a defeated attitude nor a sense of entitlement. She knows that so many of us are struggling financially due to circumstances outside our control, and she knows that this experience is often weighted with shame. She shared her story in an attempt to challenge that shame, to speak out about the damage that we do when we struggle in silence, and to remind people that financial struggles are not a reflection of one’s value or worth as a person. Cheryl was not asking for help; it was I who suggested we begin a crowd-funding campaign because it gives me the opportunity to do something, and it offers hope where hope seems to be in short supply.
Cheryl is one of the strongest, most resilient, caring, loving people I have ever had the pleasure to know, and I cannot begin to comprehend the weight of all that she has endured. Heather was her second wife, a beautiful love that flourished in the aftermath of the loss of Cheryl’s previous partner to cancer. Imagine caring for your beloved spouse through a terminal cancer diagnosis, carrying the gift of their love and keeping their light shining in the world after they are gone. And then, having the good fortune of finding love again, creating a family, and then getting word of yet another terminal diagnosis... To add insult to injury, as the saying goes, Cheryl was diagnosed with Lyme disease shortly after Heather’s death, so in the midst of grieving, caring for her daughter and all the animals, endless financial stressors, not to mention the legal process of formally obtaining custody of her daughter, Cheryl has been working with her own complicated health struggles. Her perseverance and strength astounds me.
Rainbow Farm is Heather’s legacy, an opportunity for Cheryl to keep her light alive through the care and comfort of animals in need. She wants her daughter, a grade-four student who is on the autism spectrum and struggles with transition and change, to have the comfort and familiarity of the home she loves. To be raised in the place where her mother’s love is made physical, through the animals, the home, the gardens, the water, the forest, and all of the beautiful memories that surround her. It was Heather’s dying wish that her wife and daughter have the comfort of this love-filled home, and it would have been mortifying to her to know that the farm is at risk a few short months after her death.
If we can save Rainbow Farm, I am certain that Cheryl will carry it to beautiful heights. In addition to the care of animals in need, she has some working animals and has plans to begin providing animal transport and offer cat and dog-boarding. In the future, we can expect to see programs for human animals as well, with retreats and grief-support offerings in the beautiful, forested land surrounding the farm.
Setting Goals
Here is my deepest wish: that we raise enough money to cover what the insurance was meant to in order to pay off the remainder of the mortgage on Rainbow Farm, which is $300,396.00.
However, any amount will help. I’ve put together a list of goals, any one of which will help Cheryl and her daughter navigate this challenging time and help ensure a secure future:
$970.00 = One bi-weekly mortgage payment
$5820.00 = 3 months of support
$7760.00 = The amount that Cheryl has paid towards the mortgage since Heather died, thinking that amount would be reimbursed by the insurance company.
$23,280.00 = A year of respite
$116,400.00 = Support until Cheryl and Heather’s daughter finishes Grade 8
$209,520.00 = Supporting Rainbow Farm until Cheryl and Heather’s daughter completes high school
There are, of course, other costs associated with the Farm. Cheryl and Heather had planned for this eventuality, believing that the mortgage would be covered by the insurance and the farm could be self-sustainable in the absence of mortgage payments. These numbers are based on the current mortgage details that Cheryl has shared and given me permission to include here. Every dollar helps and will be used to save the farm. I can't begin to express my gratitude for any support you are able to offer.
Some of the “fine print”:
GoFundMe makes money by charging 2.9% plus $0.30 for every credit card transaction. They also ask you to leave them a donation, and if you would prefer not to do that, you need to select “other amount” in the drop-down menu and enter 0 in the field. It’s a tricky way of getting donors to add a little for the platform, but it is not required. If you are interested in sending an e-Transfer instead of using a credit card, please contact me for an email to send it to (the GoFundMe platform does not allow me to include an email address here).
Rainbow Farm is Heather’s legacy, an opportunity for Cheryl to keep her light alive through the care and comfort of animals in need. She wants her daughter, a grade-four student who is on the autism spectrum and struggles with transition and change, to have the comfort and familiarity of the home she loves. To be raised in the place where her mother’s love is made physical, through the animals, the home, the gardens, the water, the forest, and all of the beautiful memories that surround her. It was Heather’s dying wish that her wife and daughter have the comfort of this love-filled home, and it would have been mortifying to her to know that the farm is at risk a few short months after her death.
If we can save Rainbow Farm, I am certain that Cheryl will carry it to beautiful heights. In addition to the care of animals in need, she has some working animals and has plans to begin providing animal transport and offer cat and dog-boarding. In the future, we can expect to see programs for human animals as well, with retreats and grief-support offerings in the beautiful, forested land surrounding the farm.
Setting Goals
Here is my deepest wish: that we raise enough money to cover what the insurance was meant to in order to pay off the remainder of the mortgage on Rainbow Farm, which is $300,396.00.
However, any amount will help. I’ve put together a list of goals, any one of which will help Cheryl and her daughter navigate this challenging time and help ensure a secure future:
$970.00 = One bi-weekly mortgage payment
$5820.00 = 3 months of support
$7760.00 = The amount that Cheryl has paid towards the mortgage since Heather died, thinking that amount would be reimbursed by the insurance company.
$23,280.00 = A year of respite
$116,400.00 = Support until Cheryl and Heather’s daughter finishes Grade 8
$209,520.00 = Supporting Rainbow Farm until Cheryl and Heather’s daughter completes high school
There are, of course, other costs associated with the Farm. Cheryl and Heather had planned for this eventuality, believing that the mortgage would be covered by the insurance and the farm could be self-sustainable in the absence of mortgage payments. These numbers are based on the current mortgage details that Cheryl has shared and given me permission to include here. Every dollar helps and will be used to save the farm. I can't begin to express my gratitude for any support you are able to offer.
Some of the “fine print”:
GoFundMe makes money by charging 2.9% plus $0.30 for every credit card transaction. They also ask you to leave them a donation, and if you would prefer not to do that, you need to select “other amount” in the drop-down menu and enter 0 in the field. It’s a tricky way of getting donors to add a little for the platform, but it is not required. If you are interested in sending an e-Transfer instead of using a credit card, please contact me for an email to send it to (the GoFundMe platform does not allow me to include an email address here).
Organizer and beneficiary
Leah Huff
Organizer
Sackville, NB
Cheryl Sutherland
Beneficiary