<div>(The heart in this photo is intentional — because at Molly’s House, some come to be seen, and others come simply to breathe, without needing to explain why.)
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<div>Molly’s House started as a local safe space where veterinary students could be seen — and reminded that they are enough.
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<div>It grew through simple, meaningful moments: bonfires, craft nights, ice cream socials, Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinners — and a place where shoulders could finally drop.
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<div>But something unexpected happened.
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<div>The night before the very first local event, a veterinarian from Pakistan reached out and asked if he could attend our bonfire via Zoom.
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<div>That moment changed everything.
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<div>What was meant to be a backyard sanctuary suddenly became something more.
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<div>Watching this kind of unanticipated growth made something clear — this wasn’t just working, it was expanding beyond what I had imagined.It became obvious that Molly’s House would need to grow with it, adapting to meet a scope far greater than the one I originally set out to build.
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<div>I began reaching out to veterinary professionals across the world, simply asking if they would be interested in connecting. After hearing back from 43 different countries saying, “yes — please send the link,” I stopped counting.
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<div>And in that moment, I realized something I hadn’t expected:
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<div>Molly’s House didn’t just have the ability to grow — it wanted to.
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<div>Not by leaving the local space behind…
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<div>but by expanding into something that could reach people who may never walk through my door.
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<div>Something I’ve come to think of as emotional teleportation, for lack of a better term.
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<div>The idea is simple.
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<div>Distance can create safety.
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<div>When you are far enough away from the people who know you — the ones you work with, learn with, or feel you need to “be okay” around — something shifts.
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<div>The pressure softens.
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<div>The fear of being seen differently becomes smaller.
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<div>And through Zoom, that distance becomes accessible.
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<div>A microphone can be turned off.A camera can stay off.A person can simply exist — without explanation.
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<div>And in that space, people are able to unmask… as much or as little as they feel comfortable.
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<div>Because the truth is, many people never walk into spaces where they feel monitored, evaluated, or known.
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<div>We like to believe that if someone is struggling, they will ask for help.
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<div>But there is a hard truth in this field — and in life:
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<div>Many people learn to “fake it until they make it.”
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<div>And the problem is… once you “make it,” the mask is already in place.
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<div>Taking it off can feel like admitting you were never okay to begin with.
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<div>That’s where this model is different.
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<div>Through distance… through anonymity… through choice…
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<div>people can begin to take that mask off, piece by piece.
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<div>Not all at once.
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<div>Not under pressure.
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<div>Just enough to breathe.
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<div>I think of it like a rope bridge.
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<div>Not a wide, structured path with guardrails and expectations…
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<div>but a bridge that may feel uncertain at first — yet still offers a way forward.
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<div>Because a rope bridge to somewhere is better than no bridge at all.
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<div>And for many, this may be the only bridge they are willing to step onto.
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<div>At the same time, the local space continues to grow.
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<div>Students attend — sometimes quietly, sometimes without even introducing themselves — and that in itself is meaningful. It means they are finding their way to a place where they feel safe enough to just be.
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<div>What started as a local space for students is now becoming something much bigger — a growing network of connection for veterinary professionals across states, across countries, and across the globe.
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<div>And the need is real.
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<div>Veterinary professionals face some of the highest rates of mental health challenges across all professions. Studies have shown that veterinarians are significantly more likely to experience depression, burnout, and suicidal thoughts, with suicide rates estimated to be up to 2–3 times higher than the general population. Veterinary students face similarly high levels of stress, emotional exhaustion, and pressure long before entering the field. Veterinary technicians, nurses, and support staff — often the quiet backbone of patient care — carry that same emotional weight every day, with high levels of burnout, compassion fatigue, and stress that are just as real, and just as heavy.
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<div>Molly’s House was never meant to replace therapy or crisis care.
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<div>It is designed to exist before that point — a pre-crisis space where people can feel connection, belonging, and relief before things become overwhelming.
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<div>Because at the heart of it all…
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<div>we are caring for the people who care for the animals we love — the ones who are family, even if they walk on four legs instead of two.
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<div>As Molly’s House grows, so do the needs.
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<div>We plan to continue offering local events, while also expanding our ability to connect globally. This means upgrading Zoom equipment, improving shared spaces, and continuing to build environments — including gardens and outdoor areas — where students and professionals can find small moments of peace.
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<div>One of the goals is to create a space that is always there:a porch with a swing, shade, and a cooler with drinks — a place someone can come to at any hour, on any day, when they just need to step away from a heavy world.
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<div>I had hoped to establish Molly’s House as a not-for-profit, but doing so would require removing the home-based environment that makes this space what it is.
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<div>So for now, Molly’s House continues in a different way — one that stays true to its heart.
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<div>It is supported through this GoFundMe, through benefit events like the yard sale, and through the kindness of people who believe in what it stands for.
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<div>In time, other avenues may open. But right now, this is how Molly’s House grows — one person, one moment, one act of support at a time.
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<div>My hope is to dedicate as much of my life as possible to building Molly’s House — expanding its reach from local to global, while also creating ways to support students more directly, including offering low-cost housing options to reduce both financial and emotional stress.
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<div>This relaunch is not about starting over.
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<div>It is about continuing something that worked — and allowing it to grow into what it is meant to become.
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<div>And if this resonates with you — whether through supporting, sharing, or simply holding this mission in your heart — then you are already part of it.
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<div>Because right now, Molly’s House moves forward through people.
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<div>Not through systems. Not through structures.
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<div>But through individuals who choose to care.
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<div>And every bit of that — every share, every donation, every quiet moment of belief — carries it further than you might realize.
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<div>So that more people in this field can find a place to land…
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<div>a place to breathe…
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<div>and a reminder that they are not alone.
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Theo Nelson

Anonymous

Asa Fitts

Jean Mint

Deborah Linder

Esther Oni

The Zachmanns

Sharon Garland

Rebecca Ferger

Trine Bay Rasmussen

Barbara Byrne

Ashley Gillman

Sophie Bedford

Michael Merkhassine

amanda catti

Molly’s House — Expanding Veterinary Mental Health Worldwide

Molly’s House — Expanding Veterinary Mental Health Worldwide

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