8-yr-old sells rare Pokémon cards he collected for years to pay the vet to save his sick puppy

Bryson Kliemann, an 8-year-old boy, had collected Pokémon cards for years, but he set up a stall outside his home and put them up for sale to raise money for his sick puppy. Kliemann's Mom, Kimberly Woodruff, heard about it from a friend of hers who sent a photo of her son sitting outside their home in Lebanon, Virginia, beside a huge placard reading: "Pokémon 4 Sale." Woodruff was heartbroken. "I cried," she said. She knew how much he cared for his Pokémon collection. "Bruce got sick and needed my help. I was super sad. I didn’t want to lose my best friend,” said Bryson, reported The Washington Post.

It was only days earlier that the family's puppy, Bruce, was acting lethargic and losing weight rapidly. The family was worried for him. “He wasn’t coming out of his cage and being the normal puppy he usually is,” said Kimberly, reported Inspire more. “He was very lethargic, just not doing good.” They took him to Southwest Virginia Veterinary Services and their puppy was diagnosed with parvo, a highly contagious virus in dogs. Treatment for parvo was around $700, something the family couldn't afford leaving all of them despondent. While they have had other pets, this was their first family dog. 

Bryson was heartbroken but decided to do something about it. That's when he decided to sell his beloved Pokémon collection. He knew they'd be takers but he didn't know how much he'd be able to raise. “I know everybody likes Pokémon cards so I just decided to sell them,” said Bryson. Kimberly was overcome with emotion after seeing the picture of her son sit outside their home, selling Pokémon cards. “Christmas, birthdays, any holiday you get gifts on, that’s what he asks for, and that’s what he gets,” said Kimberly about her son's passion for collecting Pokémon cards. 

While some bought cards from him for $5 and $10, many showed up just to donate $20 or more to him. Few others brought Pokémon cards from their personal collections and handed it to the 8-year-old. A few dropped off dog supplies. Kimberly decided to start a GoFundMe page to help her son and to save Bruce. She shared the photo of her son outside their home and asked her friends to pitch in. People were moved by the image and started donating funds. The amount received has far exceeded the $800, and has crossed $14,500.

The puppy received treatment and was released a week later. Bruce is regaining his strength and weight and is on road to make a full recovery. "Bruce is home and doing amazing," wrote his mother. The boy's mother said the additional money will be given to the veterinary practice to help other pet owners who are struggling to pay for the treatment of their pets. A little bit of the money will be used to buy Bruce some new toys. “I would have never imagined that one small, selfless thing that my little boy had done would have become so big with a whole community and beyond our community behind him,” wrote Kimberly.

"I want to thank everyone for all of their love and support for my baby and his fur baby. We have exceeded our goal and then some. Any remaining money left over from our cause will be used to help another family who is currently in a tough situation with their mommy dog. Bryson will also be using some money he raised to reward himself for his selflessness that has touched the hearts of so many," wrote Kimberly.

Bryson's sacrifice was so moving that the staff at Pokémon HQ in Washington state sent him some really rare cards as a gift. The cards were attached with a letter. "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," the letter read, reported BBC.  “I couldn’t believe it. I was so, so, so, so excited,” said the boy.