THE husband of YouTuber and animal rescue enthusiast Mikayla Raines struggled to hold back tears as he shared a montage of unseen moments featuring his late wife.
Mikayla, the founder of SaveFox Rescue, died by suicide last month at the age of 29.
She died in Faribault, Minnesota, on June 20 and left behind devastated husband Ethan, and their daughter, Freya.
In a YouTube video uploaded July 27, Ethan thanked fans for their support in what he described as the “hardest time” for everyone at the animal rescue organization.
The video was also shared on the SaveaFox Rescue Instagram page, with the caption describing Mikayla as someone who was “purely glowing and one in a trillion.”
“I hope you can enjoy seeing Mikayla in some of these candid clips. She truly was a radiant positive energy,” her family’s post said.
“A pure glowing individual; one in a trillion. A piece of me that I’ll never get back.”
Ethan’s voice cracked and he struggled to hold back tears as he thanked people for their letters and flowers following Mikayla’s death.
“I know that you all saw her as a hero to the animals but she was a lot more than that,” he said.
“She wasn’t just an animal rescuer, she was an advocate and an educator and a daughter and a sister and a mother – a mother not just to Freya but she was a surrogate as well.
“She was an artist and she was a really great singer and she was a lot of things that most people didn’t get to see.”
Through tears, Ethan said the memorial montage was “hard to watch,” but said it’s worth watching.
YouTube fox rescue star Mikayla Raines dies by suicide aged 29 as tearful husband Ethan blasts online bullying campaign
In the 20-minute montage, Mikayla was seen stroking tortoises and beaming at home.
The clip featured snapshots from Christmas celebrations and days at the theme park.
In one clip, Mikayla was seen balancing on the back of the horse with her arms raised as it galloped in an open field.
The montage also featured tender moments Mikayla spent with her daughter in the park and gym.
Footage captured Mikayla feeding animals and cuddling foxes.
Ethan said he will never recover from Mikayla’s death.
“But, I’m so glad we all were gifted these many years with her,” he wrote online.
Ethan previously spoke about how he felt broken after his wife’s death.
He compared it to a loss that was “unimaginable” and described Mikayla as “the most amazing and inspiring individual.”
She was an artist and she was a really great singer and she was a lot of things that most people didn’t get to see
Mikayla Raines’ husband
Ethan spent 15 minutes trying to revive Mikayla before paramedics arrived on the scene.
He said Freya was left “heartbroken” by her mom’s death.
Ethan recalled how his wife had been subject to internet trolls before her death and spoke about the impact it had.
“[Mikayla] felt as if the entire world had turned against her,” he said.
Mikayla’s passion for wildlife stemmed from a young age.
On her website, she revealed her mother was a rehabilitator, and she raised her first baby fox at 15.
She studied in a veterinary technician program while at college.
A local media report from 2016 described Mikayla as a “fox whisperer.”
“I think I can kind of relate to them: They’re shy in crowds, it takes them awhile to get used to strangers,” she told The St. Paul Pioneer Press.
But, she founded the SaveaFox rescue center in 2017 and revealed that the organization had saved around 150 foxes from death.
The SaveaFox YouTube page has almost 2.5 million subscribers.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
