Community rallies to support Abilene woman battling cancer while running homeschool co-op & animal sanctuary
ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC )— Abilenian Bambi Blaydes is known by many for running a free homeschool co-op. When she isn’t in the classroom, you can find her tending and caring for animals at Blaydes Animal Sanctuary, located on Barrow Street.
Since 2016, she has combined her passions and served the community free of charge. She provides homeschool classes in various subjects for children of all ages, such as robotics, sewing, and arts and crafts, and even takes students on field trips. As for the animals, she provides them with health care and helps find them homes.
Abilene nonprofits react to ‘devastating’ proposed loss in funding as city adjusts budget
However, her life took a turn for the worse on May 13th when she injured her back. While at the ER, she learned she had stage 4 breast cancer at the age of 44, and it unfortunately spread to other parts of her body.
Now, the same community she has known and loved is rallying together to help her. Alison Limon is a mom who also runs a homeschool group. She met Blaydes after she reached out about her co-op. Since July 2023, her children have attended the co-op, and she has seen tremendous growth in learning.
“Honestly, of everywhere we have gone before, not many people have been accommodating of special needs and stuff, and Bambi has always met my kids right where they are. She’s made sure she understands their learning process, gets them involved, and makes them feel like they are important like everybody else, which has been great,” explained Limon.
Summer Solstice brings weather twist this year, what to expect for the Big Country
She shared that Blaydes knew that homeschooled children in the Big Country needed a space to interact with other kids of all ages, and she was able to meet that need.
“She’s very sweet, she’s very kind, she’s very understanding. I think the best way I would put her is she’s very positive, and her studio has been a safe haven in many ways,” added Limon.
Limon is one of many people coming together to raise funds for Blaydes. She is hosting a Pet and Charity Benefit to help get the dogs in her sanctuary adopted so Blaydes can focus on her treatment and health.
Wendy Logan owns Lads & Lassies, right next door to Blaydes’ business. Over the years, she has befriended Blaydes because of their shared love of animals.
“She is very selfless and does a lot for the community free of charge. So we just want to help out with the sanctuary, we want to help out with her medical costs, and the main thing is to get the animals adopted so she can focus on herself,” shared Logan.
Dyess family saved from house fire by ‘Guardian Angel’
The fundraiser takes place at Lads and Lassies on 2517 Barrow Street, Abilene, Texas 79603, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 22. Take a look below to see the pups hoping to find their forever homes this Saturday:
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com.
