Cancer is one of the biggest threats we face and one of the worst possible diseases anyone can ever have to deal with. It kills millions, leaving countless family members and friends forced to watch their loved ones suffer, spreading so much sadness and sorrow, and the day we eventually find a cure will be one of the greatest days in human history. Fortunately, we do have ways to treat different forms of cancer, but the prices of these treatments can often add up. When we have a loved one in pain, we do whatever we can to help them, and this young girl had a very original idea.
Katie Eitner, a 4-H member, found herself in a terrible situation. Her stepfather, Harley Joe Gapen, had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and funds needed to be raised for life-saving treatment.
Katie wanted to do whatever she could to contribute to the cost, so she decided to auction off a lamb at the Greene County Fair in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, back in August.
An intrigued crowd watched on as Katie stepped out with her little lamb, hoping that some kindhearted souls might be willing to offer her a good price. The bidding started at $20 per pound, but then it started to rise.
As the auction continued, more people decided to place bids, boosting the price higher and higher, far beyond the regular market value.
Eventually, the bidding reached a staggering $233 per pound, with the lamb eventually selling for an extraordinary total of $33,785!
Katie’s friends and fellow 4-H members joined her in the ring, applauding happily as the price kept on going up, while members of the crowd cheered and filmed the whole thing on their phones.
Some 4-H members even contributed some money raised from their own animal sales towards Katie’s fundraiser, and the whole community came together beautifully to support a family in need.
And their efforts paid off in the best way. Gapen had his surgery on August 13 and the tumor was successfully removed, with all of the money raised helping to cover the costs of his surgery.
The concept of selling animals at auction has been part of 4-H for many years, but as the prices of livestock have started to drop, the auctions haven’t always been too succesful.
Still, there have been plenty of other inspiring stories, just like Katie’s. Back in 2018, a Grand Champion steer was auctioned off for an impressive price of $5,000, helping to give a young, aspiring farmer a good start in life, and 4-H communities in various states have often come together to help out in times of need. In 2017, for example, a boy with cystic fibrosis in Michigan raised around $36,000 from selling a pig.
It’s always wonderful to see people spreading joy and kindness, giving to others to make the world a brighter place, and the winning bidder for this lamb deserves a lot of respect.
See it all happen in the video below.
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