BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A mother says her lifesaving endeavor after her son’s suicide has helped her rescue many animals off the streets in Bexar County.
On the 25th anniversary of her son Eduardo’s suicide, Barbara Garcia said what she saw that day was a message from her son as if to say, “Mom, I’m watching you.”
A small dog kept jumping and barking outside the gate to her property in south Bexar County.
The dog she would name Lucy had come to the right place, Homebound Babies Ranch, at the right time.
The animal rescue, which is now a nonprofit, began as a good-hearted effort by Garcia and her son years before he began being sexually abused at the age of 16 by a priest at a high school seminary.
“My son was very disappointed that this priest just got probation,” Garcia said. “That’s not what you expect from our court system, but it’s what happened.”
Yet by the time the priest had violated probation and would later die in prison, Garcia said her son had committed suicide. He was 20 years old.
Garcia said after losing her son, saving unwanted animals became a matter of who rescued whom.
“It’s a big struggle. After you lose a child, your whole life is just crumbled,” Garcia said. “It’s very difficult to wake up and be normal.”
Helping to deal with her despair, Garcia said she picks up animals almost daily that are often abused and then left to starve and die agonizing deaths along country roads.
“They’re usually nothing but bones,” Garcia said.
Thanks to much-needed donations, Garcia said she’s able to feed and care for the dogs and cats she rescues. They are eventually adopted when they’re ready.
“Helping these animals keeps my mind busy,” Garcia said. “Keeps me knowing that I have a purpose.”