How many of us are allergic to cats or dogs and simply avoid them? That seems like the most rational thing to do after all. However, one woman seems to completely disagree with this sentiment and her allergic reaction is far worse than a runny nose and itchy eyes. This woman has managed to rescue over 300 animals and has a horrible allergic reaction that leaves her with blisters in the process. So why does she do it? She says it’s her calling.
20 . Caitlin Cimini
Image: GoFundMe
Caitlin Cimini is a 32-year-old Jersey Shore native that has dedicated her life to rescuing animals. Three years ago, she opened up a small farm sanctuary in Jersey. However, it hasn’t been easy for her and the reasons are many.
19. Her Ranch
Image: PEOPLE
Caitlin started her own nonprofit animal sanctuary called Rancho Relaxo.“ I remember working non-stop and I didn’t even have $100 in my savings account. I lived on veggie Ramen noodles,” Caitlin recalled. However, this is all even more remarkable when you hear about her condition.
18. Severely Allergic
Image: GoFundMe
You see, Caitlin has been severely allergic to animals her entire life. She has known this since she was a little girl and the consequences can be deathly. Her body reacts in the most intense ways to being around little creatures.
17. Serious Reaction
Image: Little Things
The reaction that Caitlin has to animals is pretty bad. She is often left with swollen lips and eyes along with red patches all across her body. She has even broken out in blisters from her allergic reactions. However, that’s not even the worst of it.
16. Hospitalized
Image: Facebook
Throughout her life, Caitlin has had to be brought into the ER twice for her animal allergies. Her asthma attacks would get so bad that she couldn’t breathe at all. She was hospitalized for a few days after such bad attacks.
15. Persistent
Image: Little Things
Anyone else with such a severe allergy to animals would probably avoid them for the rest of their lives. However, Caitlin knew she couldn’t do that. Her love for animals is too strong and she believes that it is her calling to help save them.
14. Teamwork
Image: PEOPLE
Her and her husband, Len Cimini, have worked together on opening their ranch. “I just couldn’t stop. I just filtered all the money into the rescue and surprisingly we have become self-sufficient as a rescue thanks to all of the good people that support us,” Caitlin reported.
13. Rescuing
Image: PEOPLE
Caitlin and Len have managed to rescue hundreds of animals together. Some of these include horses, goats, lambs, turkeys, dogs, pigs, and even a mini donkey. Throughout all of this, Caitlin has learned to manage her allergies.
12. Working Against It
Image: Little Things
“I knew way before I started the rescue and working with animals in general that I had a terrible physical reaction to them,” Caitlin told The Dodo. This, however, did not stop the persistent young woman who knew that rescuing animals were her calling. “What they do to my spirit outweighs what they do to my skin.”
11. First Rescue
Image: Little Things
It was Caitlin’s first rescue that really changed her life forever. In 2010, she came across a wild Mustang that was being transported to a slaughterhouse. She knew she couldn’t let that happen so she decided to care for the 2,000 pound animal all by herself. It was far from easy…
10. Hard Trial Run
Image: Rancho Relaxo
“She was the ultimate test for me,” said Cimini. “I had broken fingers. She cracked my ribs. It was really intense. I will admit I regretted [the adoption] at first. I felt so defeated because she was so difficult.”
9. Ongoing
Image: GoFundMe
Despite the hardships, Caitlin knew that she couldn’t give up that easily on the horse that she named Halona, which means “beautiful choice.” Thanks to her dedicated efforts, Halona is happy and kicking. The horse is one of the most loving animals at the ranch.
8. Traumatic Life
Image: Facebook
The transformation see in Halona is miraculous considering how traumatized the poor horse was when Caitlin first rescued her. “Whenever a helicopter would fly over, she would freak out because that’s how they spot and capture wild horses,” she said.
7. Hard Work
Image: Little Things
Caitlin has refused to give up on Halona or any of her animals. On Facebook, Caitlin updates followers on how her rescue missions are going. She happens to have a “deathly” allergic reaction at least once a week.
6. Never Change
Image: GoFundMe
“I am insane but I would not change what I do on this planet for a single second,” she writes on her Facebook page. “Who cares what I look like? And being a little itchy and tender is nothing compared to what animals in factory farms go through.”
5. Collaborations
Image: Little Things
Caitlin also collaborates with many other animal rescue organizations. This comes in handy when the dogs that she rescues need to find a forever home. They are then able to find some of the best people to come and take the dogs into a suitable home.
4. Strong Message
Image: Little Things
“I would much rather suffer mildly forever than have had the animals we have already rescued suffer any longer than they did, or the animals we will rescue in the future suffer until their death,” Caitlin wrote on her page. For now the couple has been trying to get community help to expand their ranch.
3. GoFundMe
Image: Philly.com
The couple has started a GoFundMe page to raise money to expand their ranch so that they can continue rescuing even more animals. The couple’s efforts were so moving that GoFundMe named them the second GoFundMe hero for April. Even the GoFundMe CEO had a word to share…
2. CEO
Image: GoFundMe
“Caitlin is doing incredible, selfless work with animals in need, and I’m thrilled she’s been chosen as our latest GoFundMe Hero,” Rob Solomon, GoFundMe CEO, told PEOPLE. “As a fellow animal lover, it’s been inspiring to see how Caitlin has used GoFundMe to further her mission of giving abandoned animals the second chance they deserve.”
1. Super Meaningful
Image: GoFundMe
It means more than I can ever say
I tell people that if you like what a non-profit does, give them $1. They have no idea how far $1 can go. We are so grateful for every penny we get