<div>My dad, Louie Pierson, was diagnosed with advanced metastatic prostate cancer in February 2026. Before being able to get any further testing or even treatment, in May, the cancer caused him to suffer a devastating fall that marked the beginning of a rapid decline. After months of uncertainty and finally a PET scan to better understand the extent of his illness, we received the news every family dreads: there are no treatment options left.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>He was just put on hospice this week and his medical team has recommended focusing on comfort, dignity, and quality of life in his final days.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>This has been both the fastest and slowest journey of our lives.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Before he was my dad, he was the man people called when wildlife had nowhere else to go.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>As his only child, I am now navigating decisions no one is ever truly prepared to make while trying to honor the wishes of a man who spent his entire life taking care of everyone else.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>For 25 years, my dad dedicated his life to Florida’s wildlife. He and my mother co-founded Amber Lake Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Englewood, Florida, where our family home became a refuge for injured and orphaned animals. Bald eagles, pelicans, deer, owls, raccoons, foxes, sea turtles, manatees—even dolphins and whales—passed through our doors.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Amber Lake was entrusted with one of only a handful of permits in Florida to transport rescued marine mammals, proudly driving the truck he affectionately nicknamed the “Marmambulance™️” (Marine Mammal Ambulance). He worked alongside veterinarians, conservation organizations, and state agencies, helped rescue countless animals, met presidents because of injured wildlife, appeared on television, wrote newspaper columns, hosted a national radio show, and spent decades educating thousands of people about the importance of conservation. Trust me, if social media existed when he was doing this work, he would have gone viral for his antics, I’m sure.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>But if you asked him what mattered most, he probably wouldn’t tell you about any of that.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>He’d tell you a funny story instead.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>He believed laughter made people listen. Whether he was rescuing a bald eagle, transporting a manatee named Esther on Easter while making up songs to keep everyone smiling, or captivating an audience with one of his unforgettable stories, his goal was always the same:
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Leave people more educated about wildlife conservation than he found them.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Despite dedicating his life to helping others, my dad never earned a salary from his wildlife work. Amber Lake operated through grants, donations, volunteer support, and an enormous amount of personal sacrifice. After being forced into retirement when he was kicked in the head while rescuing a deer, he realized he was getting older and would never physically be able to continue the work he loved. He quietly retired and moved to West Virginia.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>He lived quietly and simply, well below the poverty line, in a small off-grid cabin with no retirement savings, no meaningful assets, and virtually nothing that could be sold to help cover the expenses now ahead. Selling his cabin is not something I can do either because there is no easement or access to his property.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>For me, though, my dad wasn’t just a wildlife rescuer. He was the best dad a girl could have ever asked for. He taught me to love every living thing, to be curious, to tell stories, and to leave the world a little better than I found it. Later in life, he became the most incredible grandfather to my son, Callan. To Callan, he wasn’t “Louie Pierson” or the founder of Amber Lake—he was simply “Baba with a Stick.” While my son got to know the gentle, loving grandfather who adored him, he never got to witness the fearless wildlife rescuer, the larger-than-life storyteller, and the man who inspired thousands of people. More than anything, I want Callan—and someday his own children—to know just how extraordinary their Baba truly was.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Today, we’re asking for help.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Your generosity will help provide:
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>• End-of-life care and immediate expenses.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>• Hopefully getting him transferred from the nursing home in WV to one closer to me, in Florida.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>• Funeral and burial expenses, including laying him to rest in Florida, the place he loved most.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>• The preservation of his life’s work by digitizing thousands of photographs, decades of published newspaper articles, television appearances, and personal stories so they can be shared with future generations.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>• The creation of the Amber Lake Wildlife Conservation Fund, so his passion for protecting wildlife can continue making a difference long after he’s gone.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>As I’ve gone through boxes of photographs, newspaper articles, and memories over the past few days, I’ve realized something extraordinary.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>My dad didn’t just rescue wildlife.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>He told stories.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>He inspired volunteers.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>He taught children.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>He made strangers laugh.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>He showed people that every life—no matter how small—was worth fighting for.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Now it’s my turn to make sure his story isn’t lost.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>If you’re able to contribute, thank you. If you’re not, sharing his story is just as meaningful.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>My dad spent his life making sure injured wildlife got a second chance. With your help, we’ll make sure his stories do too.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thank you for helping us honor Louie’s life, preserve his legacy, and ensure that his compassion, humor, and wisdom continue to inspire generations to come.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>With heartfelt gratitude,
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Riley (Pierson) Lawrence
</div>

Anonymous

Jamie McNeil

Linda Stevens

Teri (TJ) Dixon

Janet Nienhaus

Catherine Davis

Peggy Conkle

Laura Dignam

Amy Walker

Lana Langton

Renee Shope

Louie Gave Injured Wildlife a 2nd Chance—Help Bring Him Home

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

currencyCode

Money Box Donation List Prompt Experiment Audience

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

Eligible for Profile Share Badge

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

NPO upsell education category

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

NPO recommendations prod

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

isEligibleForProfileBadge

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

categoryGroup

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.3.0 and above

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

NPO upsell animals category

NPO upsell disaster relief category

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

NPO upsell essential needs category

NPO upsell medical category

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

NPO upsell cancer category

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Louie Gave Injured Wildlife a 2nd Chance—Help Bring Him Home

Still $17,264 to go. Help us build momentum.