A Birthday Remembrance

left to right: Julia Sharpe-Levine, Elizabeth Sharpe-Levine, Kaeli Kramer, Arielle Lubin, Catherine Schlingheyde

Kaeli and I were making the early morning drive to the Knox School during the Spring of her Junior year, when we made the usual turn onto Nissequoge River Road, which is a narrow and windy road fronting marshland on one side.   A few minutes onto the road, we came around a curve and suddenly saw a deer, collapsed on the right edge of the road, apparently having been hit by a car. We had never seen deer in this area, and we immediately stopped and called 911.  Without a word, Kaeli went to the trunk of my car to get a beach blanket. I then moved the car into the curve to block oncoming traffic, as Kaeli started to approach the panicked deer.

Arielle and Kaeli

Speaking softly to the deer she slowly moved closer, until she could cover his face and head with the blanket. Almost immediately after his face was covered, the deer stopped struggling, but was shaking violently. He was obviously seriously injured and there was blood on the roadway. Kaeli covered him with the rest of the blanket. Moments later, police arrived and called for Animal Control, but in a few minutes, the deer stopped moving and died.  The police officer told us that he had seen a few deer in this area, as they slowly migrate to the west. We continued our drive to Knox in silence, but Kaeli’s eyes filled with tears as she told me how much she regretted not yet being a veterinarian, and not yet having the experience and knowledge that might have saved the injured deer.  I could only comfort Kaeli by reminding her that her kind and gentle handling of the deer gave him warmth and comfort during his last moments of life, and that she would eventually have the knowledge and skill which was her dream. It is in the spirit of this experience, that we now celebrate Arielle Lubin’s acceptance to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, for the Fall of 2012.  Arielle is Kaeli’s close childhood friend who is graduating from MIT. Today March 15, 2012 is Kaeli’s 22ndbirthday, and we are honored to announce Arielle’s agreement to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the Kaeli Kramer Foundation. Since kindergarten, both girls dreamed of working together as veterinarians.