A young boy from Virginia received a surprise package from Pokémon after a photo of him selling his card collection to raise money for his dog’s treatment went viral.
Bryson Kliemann, 8, is a huge Pokémon fan. When his siblings won’t play with him, his dog Bruce is always there to fill in.
But when Bryson was organizing his cards recently, he noticed Bruce had fallen ill. His mother rushed the dog to Southwest Virginia Veterinary Services. Bruce was then diagnosed with parvo, a highly contagious dog virus. When Bryson learned that the cost for the treatment was a price they couldn’t afford, he took matters into his own hands.
He began selling his Pokémon cards on the side of the road. It caught his mom by surprise.
“While I’m in school I get a text with a picture of him and a sign on the side of the road selling Pokémon cards,” his mother, Kimberly Woodruff told WCYB.
“I know everybody likes Pokémon cards so I just decided to sell them,” Bryson said.
Woodruff then created a GoFundMe page with a goal of $800, and posted the picture online to get the word out. In the end, donations exceeded $16,525. The additional money raised from the GoFundMe page will go towards medical expenses for other sick animals in Southwest Virginia.
With the community’s support and a week of treatment, Bryson was finally reunited with his friend with four paws.
Bryson’s act of kindness not only caught the community’s attention, but it also caught the attention of Pokémon employees, who sent a package of rare Pokémon cards that are hard to find in stores. They also attached a letter of appreciation that read: “Hey Bryson, we were so inspired by your story about selling your cards for your dog’s recovery, these are some cards to help you replace the ones you had to sell.”
