The following thread was originally from my husband's Twitter account. He's no longer on Twitter, but I want the story to live on. What follows is one of the most powerful things that has ever happened to me. It confirmed a lifetime of beliefs about respect, love, and compassion.

(thread) Our impact on others isn't always what we think. There was a little girl who brought her new kitten into the clinic. She was 9 years old and loved this kitten more than anything. She brought the kitten for regular visits and did everything right. 1/11

She learned about diet and what toys were healthy, as well how to properly train poor behavior away. She was remarkable, better than most adults. She even "volunteered" at the clinic when she was 11 & 12 for a couple hours a week over two summers just to see the animals. 2/11

When her kitten turned three she brought her in because she was "acting strange," wasn't eating, and she seemed to have difficulty lying comfortably. I was almost certain this was going to end in a cancer diagnosis that I truly feared giving more than any other. 3/11

After the exam and testing, some of which weren't "necessary" for anything more than me hoping for a miracle I know didn't exist (I didn't charge for those). I explained the situation to her and we talked about treatment and palliative care. She was trooper. 4/11

Her first response was "I won't be able to tell you to it's time. I'm going to need you to tell me." I said of course, then we spoke about care in detail and she asked a lot of questions. At this point her parents were nervous about something. 5/11

Later they said they couldn't afford all of the care and the visits. They simply didn't have the money for that and weren't sure what to do. This isn't unusual, and normally you work out what you can, but I decided with my wife (also a vet) that we would cover the expenses. 6/11

This was out of respect for a girl that clearly cared about her responsibility to the life she promised to care for, even though the Universe wasn't kind to them. Eventually the day finally came. She stayed in the room for her companion until the end, like a champ! 7/11

When it was over she asked for a minute, then she came out and thanked everyone for all they did for her and her cat over the last few years, then she left. Her family moved a couple years later and we didn't see her again for long, long time. 8/11

That was ~20 years ago now, but in 2017 she graduated from UC Davis in veterinary medicine, arguably the best veterinary school in the world. She now works as part of a conservation effort in South Africa as a wildlife veterinarian. 9/11

She came to see us after graduating and said that she never intended on being a veterinarian, and that she simply loved animals. After her experience with her cat, and our willingness to help her, she realized that if she obtained the tools she, too, could make a difference 10/11

This isn't a story about how great my wife and I are for inspiring greatness. That wasn't even on our mind. The point is that how we treat people, even when we don't realize it, can impact their entire life trajectory. We never know where someone is on their journey. 11/11