[Reprinted with permission of the author from WNYmedia.net]
The Making of a Facebook Family:
Social networking--words that define a whole new world of human interaction through Facebook posts and Twitter tweets. If the previous sentence reads like a foreign language, then you are disconnected from what has become a wildly popular way to reach out and touch someone.
According to recent reports, Facebook (Fb) is an online phenomenon with a "friends" list of 153 million and growing (more than half of the American population). Equally impressive are those who tweet, estimated at well over 75 million. Personally, I am both a Fb'er and a tweeter. My original purpose for joining the online networks was promotion of my Buffalostyle radio show. How better to reach vast numbers of potential listeners at the highly affordable rate of free?
Yet despite my initial intention, Facebook has woven its way into the fabric of my life, recently taking on a dimension I could never have imagined.
It all began with a friend request from a man I had known years ago in the horse industry. I didn't recall a great deal about this person, but I recognized his name and knew that we shared a common love of Morgan horses. I accepted his request and began following his daily posts about his world and his equines.
Early last week, this man posted a note about a foal recently born on his farm. Included with the post was a picture of the newborn, a precious chestnut colt named Connor. It wasn't until the last sentence, however, that I realized that this was not a joyous announcement. It seemed that the young horse was unable to stand or nurse and required veterinary help to breath. My heart broke at the sad news and I posted a note to the man, sending my best wishes for Connor.
Soon it became apparent that I was not the only one touched by the young colt's condition. Within hours, hundreds of people from around the country wrote posts, each carrying their own good wishes. As the week progressed, updates on Connor's health appeared. Pictures showed the ailing colt linked to an oxygen tube, a worried mare standing watch over her newborn, caring veterinarians doing their best. And each time more people responded with posts to cheer the man and cheer on the horse.
Then, at week's end, a simple two line post appeared, "RIP little Connor man. You tried so hard to live and we are so very sad." Subsequent posts explained that the vet had pronounced that Connor was unable to sustain life and should be put to rest. The news was devastating, the response immediate. People began posting condolences filled with touching sentiments. Through the world of Facebook, Connor had become part of all of our lives. We had become his family. This man's loss was ours as well.
I went to sleep that night with a heavy heart and awoke with sadness remaining. I thought about staying away from Facebook—withdrawing from the continuing saga of the sweet young horse. Yet by midday I was drawn back. Signing in, what I found among hundreds of condolences was a stunning post that required reading and re-reading. "The vet went into Connor's stall and got him up one last time before putting him to sleep. Connor proceeded to walk around the stall on his own for the first time. The vet was crying and asked us to let them work with him through the weekend, at their expense." The news was nothing short of miraculous and, since then, the veternary updates have continued to be amazingly positive.
Connor now whinnies in greeting to all who approach his stall. He is breathing on his own and, hopefully soon, will be weaned off bottle feedings. And as he progresses, all of us in Connor's Facebook family continue to send notes of loving support and encouragement, taking great stock in his will to live. With 153 million members, Facebook has undoubtedly become the place for social networking. Yet for those of us who have become Connor's Facebook "family," it has also become a place where miracles happen.
- Christina M. Abt is a newspaper columnist and free lance magazine contributor. Her work has appeared in The Morgan Horse, The Morgan Connection, Saddle Horse Report, Horse World and The Peddler. Christina is also a former Morgan Horse owner/breeder/exhibitor.
