Duck rescues cat on Daniel Island

As a former resident, one of the events on Daniel Island that I will miss the most is the annual Charleston Charity Duck Race.

 

I always relished the thrill of handing over $10 to enter a duck in the race.

 

While entrants have never been allowed to enter a yellow rubber duck of our choice (among 30,000 ducks), we have always been welcomed to take home a stand-in: one of the brightly painted character ducks on display, such as a pirate duck, a police duck, or a duck in snorkels.

 

I regarded my ever-growing collection of ducks as the real prize in the duck race.

 

Several years ago, one of my ducks actually “swam in” to second place, earning me $5,000. I was thrilled! I could finally buy that badly needed dining room table.

 

Apparently, fate had other ideas. I was about to learn the true value of entering the duck race.

 

A few weeks after the race, my 10-year-old cat, Joey, who had been struggling with some health issues, began to show signs of distress.

 

I brought him to the Daniel Island Animal Hospital, where Dr. Rebecca Dimondstein, a new vet assigned to Joey, recognized that his lungs weren’t working properly and urged me to rush him to Veterinary Specialty Care on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mount Pleasant, now doing business as BluePearl Pet Hospital.

 

As anyone who’s ever taken their pet to emergency care knows, full payment is required before any medical treatment can be administered. Thanks to my lucky second-place duck, my daughter and I were able to give Joey a couple more months of love.

 

I also want to thank Dr. Jake Jacobson for calling on his pulmonary expertise that saved Joey’s life, and especially Dr. Dimondstein and the team at Daniel Island Animal Hospital for making Joey’s initial life-saving diagnosis, the attentive follow-up care, and the compassionate support they gave to Joey - and me. 

 

Above all, I am so very grateful for the generosity of the Daniel Island Rotary Club for all the work they put in every year to make the duck race such a successful event, and, even if indirectly, rescuing my cat!

 

Whether you sponsor just one duck or several in the upcoming race, your entry fee will go a long way toward helping the Daniel Island Rotary Club and other local Rotary clubs to support many local organizations, such as East Cooper Meals on Wheels and Girls on the Run.

 

What’s more, you just might find out how much joy a winning duck can bring right into your home!

 

Kate Maas is a former Daniel Island resident and has previously written freelance articles for The Daniel Island News.