Local pet owner touched by kindness of stranger

This story originally appeared in the October 12 edition of the Canton Citizen.

When Jeanne Quinn first learned that her cat Two Sox, a female rescue with distinct white-capped front paws, would need to have her leg amputated, her immediate reaction was twofold: ‘I can’t afford this. But I’ll find a way.’

Two Sox (Jeanne Quinn photo)

Not wanting her beloved pet to suffer any longer, Quinn, who is retired and on a fixed income, sprang into action and started cutting costs wherever possible. She even sold a few household items — anything to make a dent in her estimated $4,000 vet bill.

The real progress came, however, when she decided to take up a collection, and before long the donation jar that a neighbor had decorated and given to her was stuffed with bills of varying denominations.

Probably the largest individual contribution — and definitely the most heartwarming — came from a fellow Cantonite named “Frank,” who had heard about Quinn’s circumstances and felt compelled to help.

While Quinn did not recognize the man when he approached her recently in front of the community center at Rubin Court, Frank, like most local residents, was all too familiar with her tragic backstory as the mother of Shaun Ouillette, the 14-year-old CHS freshman who was lured to the woods and brutally and senselessly beaten to death by classmate Rod Matthews in the fall of 1986.

For three agonizing weeks after he failed to return home from school, Ouillette was treated as a missing person’s case as Quinn clung to the hope that her son would be found alive. Frank told Quinn that he thought often about her during this period, and would picture her sitting at home overcome with pain and worry not knowing where her child was or whether he was ever coming home. He told her how he and his wife had wanted to visit, or perhaps send a card or some flowers, but they talked themselves out of it and instead did nothing.

When authorities announced that they had recovered Ouillette’s body, and later when they arrested Matthews, Frank said they again thought about reaching out but didn’t do so. They also considered attending the funeral but never made it. The couple did end up going to Ouillette’s one-year memorial Mass and remembered seeing Quinn standing in the aisle and singing, but they left the church without speaking to her.

Frank told Quinn he had carried this regret for nearly 40 years and wanted to personally apologize for not doing more. He then took out several large bills and placed them into the collection jar for Two Sox.

Quinn said she was deeply touched by the man’s generosity and sincerity. “Just the fact that he would walk up and look me in the eye and tell me that, it says a lot about this person,” she said. “I told him how much I appreciated his words and how it is a gift every day when somebody chooses to remember Shaun.”

Quinn said she also can’t thank him enough for the contribution he made to help Two Sox, who, like all of her cats, means more to her than people could imagine.

“They’re not just animals to me; they’re like my family,” she said. “I lost Shaun and my daughter lives far away. When I had nobody else, I had these cats.”

Quinn said Two Sox, the newest member of the family, was rescued from an illegal research lab in Tampa, where she had been subjected to horrific experiments that caused lasting physical damage. One of her legs in particular is beyond the point of repair and now causing her near constant pain, and the vets have assured her that amputation will greatly improve her quality of life.

Even in her current state of discomfort, Two Sox is the “most thankful, appreciative cat you’ve ever seen in your life,” Quinn said, and much like Quinn herself, she’s a fighter, always picking herself up no matter how many times she gets knocked down.

“She’s a beautiful cat that’s been through hell,” noted Quinn.

Between saving and fundraising, she is now more than halfway to her goal, and she has vowed to keep going until she has every penny to cover the surgery.

At the same time, Quinn is not too proud to admit that she needs help, and she is thankful to all of those who have extended a hand — especially that one kind stranger who came from seemingly out of nowhere to touch her heart.

“I don’t even know his last name,” she said. “But I will never forget you, Mr. Frank, whoever you are out there.”

To inquire about making a donation for Two Sox’s surgery, email the Citizen at submissions@thecantoncitizen.com.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Oct 25 2023. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.