Welcome to this edition of Newsgram!

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Remember when you were a kid and someone asked you the question, what do you want to be when you grow up? Do you remember the answer? Was it a Security Guard at the bank or an Underwater welding specialist? No, of course not unless your parents did that job you probably didn’t know it existed. Most kids say they want to be a Police Officer or a Firefighter. Some say Doctor or even Astronaut. Lots of kids want to be Athletes and Actors and many say a Veterinarian because they love animals — and that’s where our story begins today.

Natasha Burrell – It’s always a bit worrying when you get those middle-of-the-night ones because you know it’s going to be serious.

That’s Natasha Burrell, a Veterinary Surgeon remembering the time she got one of those dreaded late night calls that an animal was in need of emergency surgery. This time it was a cat that had been hit by an Ambulance.

Natasha Burrell – So, it’s probably around 2010, this actually happened. It’s the only animal patient I’ve ever had arrive at the clinic in the middle of the night in a human ambulance with a paramedic. And it stuck in my head as the paramedics had treated him so well. He’d had oxygen.He was all wrapped up. He was getting the five-star paramedic treatment. And it also stuck in my mind as he was just a lovely cat. He was a real smoochy, friendly, cooperative patient. And even though we couldn’t find the owner, everyone at the clinic was so committed to giving this cat another chance. I mean, he had a pretty serious, serious injury. And I think also the fact that the paramedic took him home, that we know he had a wonderful life after everything he went through and just the chances of it happening the way it did was quite unusual.

This story is now the subject of her book St John the Ambulance Cat: Based on a true story and if you’re following the timeline you might be wondering why now? This happened nearly fifteen years ago. 

Natasha Burrell – I have three school-age children and my youngest daughter is eight. And I was asked to give a talk to her class about being a vet last year. And part of that, I decided to tell the story of the cat that we called St John. And the kids just really seemed to enjoy his story. They asked wonderful questions. And I kind of thought it would make a good book. Like, it’s quite an unusual story from the point of view of what happened to the cat. And yeah, just a happy ending as well. So, yeah.

Just to recap a bit its 2010 in Dunedin New Zealand, Dunedin is located way down on the South Island’s southeast coast. An ambulance is being dispatched to help a person in need when it accidentally hits a cat. 

Natasha Burrell – It was a bit more complicated than the story because obviously they had to get an ambulance quickly to the human patient. So another ambulance was diverted straight to the human patient. And then St John actually went back to the hospital, got transferred to another ambulance and came out to the vet clinic. But the paramedic that was driving the ambulance came into the clinic the next day and asked how he was. And because we couldn’t find an owner, she offered to pay for his treatment. And after he’d recovered enough she actually took him home and he lived with her for quite a few years. Apparently, I talked to the paramedic recently, apparently he still had a bit of a limp. He wasn’t over 100%, but she changed his name to Ollie.

Makes sense. St. John was the name of the Ambulance company and while the nurses originally named him that she worked for St. John so she decided to give a different name. 

When I first came across this story I thought it was unusual to make a children’s book out of a tragedy

Natasha Burrell – It was very hard to write a children’s book where you’re actually starting by running over a cat

I can imagine…but then when you see it you’ll understand. It’s a  true story with a happy ending and like I said in the beginning, it’s one of those professions that children find most interesting so this is a real life example, told from a young person’s perspective of course, of what that job might entail. 

Natasha Burrell  – I just wanted it to be a story that they could, a simple story that they could follow along and just say what stages go through with the treatment for an injury. And I just, I wanted to be realistic but still try and aim at that, a child’s level of understanding.

And she’s done a wonderful job. There’s nothing graphic in the book, plus it gets them talking and sharing experiences of their own.

Natasha Burrell – Yeah. I mean, I think for when I read to my daughter’s class, a lot of the kids started to tell me their own stories of their animals if they’d been to the beach and what had been wrong with them and I think it’s, I think grandparents would be the same, you know, you can relate to things that you’ve been through with your animals in the past and, you know.

And I don’t think you could ask for more than that, a heartwarming tale based on a true story about how one day a tragedy was turned into a triumph of love, teamwork, caring, compassion and companionship. If you’re explaining it to the kids Natasha has a better description.

Natasha Burrell – So I’d tell ‘em it’s about a cat’s veterinary tale, basically. His treatment through coming into the vet clinic till when he found a home and it’s sort of a glimpse into what a veterinary case may be like.

St John the Ambulance Cat: Based on a true story

by Natasha Burrell is available now at Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. And that will do it for this edition of Newsgram from webtalkradio.com.

Be sure and listen to the interview with Natasha Burrell on the Books on Air podcast with Suzanne Harris. 

Natasha Burrell also appears on the Talking Books podcast with JT Crowley. Catch this episode on Apple Podcasts or on Youtube.

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