The CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute gala was hosted this past Sunday by Anderson Cooper. The evening celebrated the Top 10 finalists who were each gifted $10,000, a grant, and organizational & capacity-building support from The Elevate Prize Foundation. Then the big reveal of the night was which one of the 10 had been voted by the public to receive the ultimate prize of being named CNN Hero of the Year, along with an additional $100,000. The honor went to Dr. Kwane Stewart, a California veterinarian who treats animal patients of unhoused people, free of charge, through his nonprofit Project Street Vet. If you haven’t already, I recommend grabbing a box of tissues for reading on:

How Stewart got started: Stewart’s outreach on the streets started more than a decade ago. On a whim, the veterinarian stopped to examine the dog of a homeless man outside a 7-11 where he got his coffee. Stewart treated the dog’s skin condition and the animal was transformed. But for Stewart, the man’s gratitude was a wakeup call: “Thank you for not ignoring me” were the words that Stewart says inspired his next chapter.

He almost quit being a vet: Stewart had spent several years working in a county shelter in Northern California when he thought about quitting in 2011. He’d long dreamed of saving animals but was instead forced to euthanize an increasing number of those that were being surrendered. “It was the recession. I’m seeing hordes of unwanted pets dropped off, people who don’t have the money to feed them or care for them medically,” Stewart, 53, said. “It started to steal a part of my soul. I thought about leaving the veterinary profession altogether.”

The birth of his nonprofit: Project Street Vet came about after his encounter with the homeless man and his dog outside the 7-11. “That was the moment I said to myself, ‘I’m going to do more of this. I’m going to get back to saving animals on my terms. And I’m going to do it for passion, not for pay.’” “It was my way to heal,” said Stewart. “Maybe some of it was guilt. Maybe some of it was I just wanted my own little crusade.”

The bond between his patients and their persons: “They’re with each other 24/7 hours a day. Their bond and relationship is on a different level,” Stewart said. “Because they’re not in a traditional home, it doesn’t necessarily make them less of a pet parent. A pet doesn’t care about nice furniture and a big home, they want to spend it with you.”

A ‘boots on the ground’ operation: Stewart says they can treat about 80% of the cases they see out of a small portable kit. Treatments include antibiotics, vaccines, and anti-inflammatories as well as deworming and flea and tick medications. “It’s boots on the ground,” Stewart said, adding that their group will also help connect animals in need to clinic services. “And whenever we can, we advocate for or assist people in getting their animals spayed and neutered.” Stewart’s work with Project Street Vet is all volunteer, and the organization has expanded to other cities, including Orlando and Atlanta.

Help, hope, and dignity: “It doesn’t matter what your situation is or what your background or past is, I see a pet in need, and I see a person who cares for them dearly who just needs some help. … It’s at no cost to them. It’s free.” Since he started, Stewart and his volunteer teams have treated thousands of animals while giving their human parents hope and dignity, too. “I will say this about the people I’ve met who have pets on the streets,” he said. “They are some of the most remarkable pet parents I’ve ever met.”

[From CNN]

Many of those remarkable pet parents are highlighted on the Project Street Vet website. I was a bawling mess reading their stories. Like Mike who said he’d sooner have his dachshund Crazy Girl be cured of her blindness before looking to treat his own colon cancer. Or Justin who rescued his cat, Um, from a dumpster when Um was a kitten. A common theme among the stories is Dr. Stewart determining that surgery is necessary, his team getting the patient to proper facilities, and the pet parents breaking down in tears upon learning that the life-saving procedures would be performed for free. I have never experienced the hardships of these pet parents, but I can relate to the overwhelming relief of seeing your fur-baby blossom after being ill. My Girl was homeless for the first 18 months of her life. When I got her, she was a bag of bones and had a severe eye infection. Our vet prescribed antibiotic eye drops for her, and I absolutely burst into tears when My Girl opened her eyes for the first time two weeks later.

Dr. Kwane Stewart is generous with humans, too. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Stewart surprised his fellow Top 10 nominees by committing to dividing his extra $100,000 prize with each of them. You can make donations to Project Street Vet directly on their site, or donate to them (or any of the other Top 10) via CNN Heroes’ GoFundMe page, where all contributions will be matched (up to $50,000 per Hero) by the Elevate Prize Foundation. Since I cannot top the closing words from Dr. Stewart’s acceptance speech, I’m repeating them here: “An act of kindness can change your day. An act or gesture of kindness can change somebody’s life.”

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