They say that when you do good things, the universe has a way of repaying you with the same kindness. Well, that’s exactly what happened to Dina Theissen and her family. While Dina had a husband and daughter, the last thing they expected was to get a new addition to their nest. But it wasn’t a second child that the Thiessen’s welcomed, but rather a blue jay named Gracie. How they met was unexpected, and how they became a family was so heartwarming. And when life threw Dina a shocking curveball, Gracie was more than happy to help her out.The blue jay was only a few days old and sitting at the bottom of a tree. But it was so young that they couldn’t tell what kind of bird it was at the time. One thing was certain, they had to help the cute little guy out.
They gave him a place to stay, and eat. On the advice from a wildlife rescue service, Dina tried leaving Gracie where she’d found him to see if his mom would return, but she didn’t. Since they knew that Gracie wouldn’t survive alone, they took him in.
While the blue jay continued to bond with its human mommy and the rest of the family, Dina knew she had to teach him what it meant to become a bird. As he grew, she nurtured and taught him all about the natural environment.
She decided to help him learn what it was like to forage food for himself by hunting insects. Using her hands and her arms, she’d lift him up and lead him towards his potential food source. In the process, she became a mommy bird too.
Until he flew the proverbial coop, Gracie learned to hone in on his natural instincts and used his abilities to fly, search for food, and explore his surroundings. At first, it seemed like Gracie didn’t really want to leave his human family behind.
He had his own way of bonding with everyone, not just Dina. He’d often talk, or in this case, peck, her husband’s ear off. It almost seemed like he knew how to make every member of the family feel happier.
As much as the Thiessens loved Gracie, they knew it was time to part ways. So after a few tries, the beloved Blue Jay eventually took off into the real world. Then, the Thiessens received the worst news ever.
In the midst of such a horrible diagnosis, something wonderful happened. Gracie started paying the Thiessens a daily visit. Of course, he spent most of his time playing the role of a guardian angel to Dina, or at least pretending to be when he perched himself on her shoulder or back.
It felt to her as if Gracie empathized with what she was going through. Since Dina had been a surrogate mother to him, he felt that the least he could do was look after her while she recovered from chemotherapy.
According to Dina, Gracie always knew what she, her husband, and daughter needed to feel better when they were down. Thankfully, Gracie’s visits gave them the morale boost they needed, and today, Dina is now cancer-free!
