At a young age, Jenny Brown was diagnosed with bone cancer. Shielded from the outside world by endless chemotherapy treatments and long-term home stays, she not only lost her hair and time in school — but she also lost a leg due to amputation. Without many friends, Brown relied on her cat, Boogie, to get her through the hard times. During long tough days and tear-filled nights, Boogie was Brown’s best friend, licking the tears from her face.

“She became my steadfast friend,” Brown said in a video. “I was her person. And I loved that attention, I loved her affection.”

Ultimately, it was the sweet cat who inspired Brown to start a special farm to care for animals, as a way of giving back.

Woodstock Farm Sanctuary isn’t your typical farm — it’s a home for farm animals like cows, pigs, goats, and even chickens — a place for them to recover from traumatic pasts or injuries. The sanctuary is meant to change America’s beliefs about animals. As Woodstock’s website states, “Woodstock Farm Sanctuary is driven by the simple philosophy that kindness and respect to animals is our duty and that all creatures that share this earth and here with us and not for us. Farm animals are feeling individuals who deserve to be treated with compassion.”

Brown explains that normally, these sick or injured farm animals would be put down. But Woodstock is a safe haven for these ailing animals, a place to give them a “fighting chance,” as Brown knows firsthand how important it is to have support during illness.

“I sort of pride myself on being different,” Brown said in the video. “I’ve been through something that other people haven’t been through, and it gave me a greater appreciation for life. And it made me stronger… It’s shaped who I am today.”

Boogie is the inspiration behind it, as the compassionate cat molded how Brown sees animals. “I see every animal in our care now as a Boogie,” Brown said. “They think, and they feel, and they suffer just like you and I do. They’re sensitive beings… we just need to give them a chance to show who they are.”