Support Aaron and Blue's Safe Haven

From Viral Video to a Call for Kindness: Help a Veteran and His Emu Family

Life has a funny way of bringing things full circle.

On April 5, 2025, my husband John Waldo captured a surreal and hilarious moment on video—an emu sprinting down Highway 41 in Skandia, Michigan. If it sounds like something out of a dream, well, chances are you’ve seen it—it quickly went viral! John posted the video hoping it would help the emu find its owner. And it did.

The emu, we learned, is named Blue, and he found his way back to his owner, Aaron Prisk. It was a joyful ending to a wild little adventure—or so we thought.

After posting the video on my blog’s Facebook page, I was flooded with messages from local news outlets. Millions of people watched and laughed along with us. But when John reached out to Aaron, we realized there was a much deeper story behind that emu’s high-speed escape.

Aaron is a U.S. Army veteran who served eight years in Field Artillery. In 2010, during a deployment to Afghanistan, his vehicle was struck by an IED. The explosion on September 19th at 9:36 am left him with lasting spinal injuries—a broken neck and back. While he has had surgery on his neck he has lower back fractures that cannot be repaired, herniated and buldging discs, and chronic pain that impacts his ability to work, move, or even rest without suffering. Aaron is now medically retired due to his injuries.

Despite these challenges, Aaron continues to care for his small menagerie: Blue the emu, his feathered friends Spaz and Yoshi, a pair of peacocks, some ducks, and chickens. Together with his six growing sons, they form a beautiful, dynamic little family. But they’re in urgent need of a safer, more secure enclosure for their animals—something Aaron physically cannot build on his own.

He would never ask for help, but we believe that stories like this are exactly why communities come together. One viral video, one shared laugh, and suddenly, we’re all connected.

Now we have a chance to give back—not just for a moment of internet joy, but to honor a veteran who gave so much, and continues to care for his family (feathered and human alike) with quiet strength and love.

The good news? We’re not starting from scratch. My husband already has a team of volunteers lined up and ready to dig in and build a secure new fence. With your help, we hope to raise enough funds to go even further—construct a fresh new emu coop, stock up on feed, and install a frost-proof hydrant to make fresh water access easy and reliable year-round.

Every donation, share, or kind word helps build something more than a fence. It helps build hope, security, and a little more kindness in this world.

Let’s help Aaron, Blue, and their whole crew feel a little more supported—because no one should have to carry the load alone.

Make sure you like/follow Blue's Facebook Page to learn more: Blue the Emu