Our Diego Story

On our way home from our last soccer game of the season, we drove by Main street in Eudora. I noticed some roadkill on the side of the road - an opossum. At this stage in my life, I'm fairly desensitized by roadkill and accept it as part of life. However, somthing caught my eye. I saw something moving. It was a little opossum baby. My husband was driving and kept going through the intersection, not seeing what I saw. The kids were in the car so I didn't want to say anything that would upset them and spelling no longer works since Ava can read. I kept quiet for a minute but couldn't stop thinking about it. I even said a prayer in my mind to please bless that someone would stop and help them. Then it dawned on me that we were probably the ones that needed to stop and help them. I did my best to hint to Chris what I saw and what I wanted to do. Ava was onto me and kept demanding that I tell her. I didn't know what to do or if this little life had a chance to survive, but I knew I couldn't just leave it there to suffer.
I used my handy-dandy iphone to look up the number for Operation Wildlife and called to see if this baby was "saveable". The lady on the phone said that many times they do remarkably well and that this was how they got most of the opossums that they help.
We turned around and went back to the site. Without making eye contact with any of the cars driving by, with people probably wondering what the heck I was doing, I put on my vinyl gloves (thank you first-aid kit) and grabbed a box (thank you mom-van) and proceeded to scoop up the baby opossum. I checked to see if any of the other babies had made it - and I found one more that was still breathing so I got him too.
The lady on the phone said that if I was willing, I should check the mom's pouch for any other babies or just bring her body in and they would check. I then came back with yet another box (after I emptied the diapers out of it - thank you Costco trip night before) and shuttered as I pick up the dead mom by the tail and put her in the box. I grabbed the other babies that didn't make it too - a clean sweep I guess.
We got a bit of gas (light had just come on) and headed to the rescue center. The girls, having finally been briefed on what we were doing, drew comparison to Diego and his animal rescue adventures.
Luckily the center was only about 10 mintues away from where we were. We brought the babies in. One looked really good but the other looked injured and dehydrated they said. They sounded optimistic but said the first 24 hrs would tell a lot. We talked about how at the minimum they could keep them comfortable but that they have a good success rate with orphaned opposums and in fact, had about 3 other this size that they would put these two with.
She also checked the mom's pouch but there were no other babies.
After making a donation, we asked if we could call and check on them in a day or two and went on our way.
This experience definitely brought about some teaching moments. On the way home we talked about life and death, our bodies and our spirits and how we did the right thing to help the orphaned opossums. The girls wanted to say a prayer for them so we did right there in the car.
I don't know if these baby opossums will both be strong enough to make it, but at least they will know warmth and love and may not have to suffer as much as they would've had they been left there.