A real-life Snow White is visited every day by a blue jay she saved back in 2015 – and it barely left her side as she battled cancer.
Dina TheissEn, 47, of South Florida, found tinyGracie near a tree in her garden when he was only a few hours old.
When the baby bird’s mother didn’t show up, teacher Dina, her husband Ken, 49, a personal trainer, and their eight-year-old daughter Alyssa, took it into their home.
Perfect pose: Dina TheissEn, 47, of South Florida, raised a blue jay after he was abandoned as a chick in her garden
Baby bird: The tiny creature was only a few hours old when he was left by his mother. Luckily, Dina and her daughter Alyssa (pictured) were only too happy to take him in
The family spent days doting on the chick, nursing it back to health in a towel-lined shoe box which they kept on their patio.
Dina hand-fed Gracie dry cat food every half an hour and later taught him how to perch by coaxing him onto branches balanced between plastic chairs.
She even taught him how forage for himself by leading him towards insects and encouraging him to peck at them.
After a month, when Gracie was confident enough to fly into the nearby trees, Dina and her family tried to release him into the wild – but he didn’t want to leave.
Two weeks later he plucked up the courage to fly the nest but the following day he popped back for a visit.
‘The next day Alyssa was by the pool and she said, “Mommy, there’s Gracie.” And there he was, doing his little blue jay call to us,’ said Dina.
Happy family: Dina’s husband Ken (left) runs an Instagram page for the bird’s adventures
Kisses: Dina taught Gracie how to perch and forage for food, basically ‘how to be a bird’
‘Since then he comes to visit all the time. He has had broods of babies but he still comes to visit us every single day.
Dina’s husband Ken says the mom-of-one is like a ‘real-life Snow White’ because like the fairytale princess she loves animals – and they love her.
Dina added: ‘An unbreakable bond was developed through the endless hours Gracie and I spent together.
‘It was a huge commitment for the whole family – he needed to be fed every half an hour and we pretty much taught him how to be a bird.
‘Between us, Ken and I would be running home from work to check on him and my daughter used to play at the park after school, but all that changed. I became his mommy in every single way.
‘Sometimes he will want to play. He picks up anything shiny and flies off with Alyssa’s crayons.
Back again: Even though they finally coaxed Gracie into flying away, he still returned every day to visit the family
‘Other times he will just perch on the lamp and chirp away.
‘He even made his own nest on top of the fridge.’
Incredibly, when Dina was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in January 2016, Gracie began spending even more time in the family home.
When she underwent chemotherapy and surgery, the caring bird perched on her shoulder and visited for longer periods of time.
Dina, who is now in remission, said: ‘When I was battling cancer and couldn’t get my head off the pillow, he would fly in and perch next to me and talk to me.
‘He started staying for longer and ending up bringing happiness to a situation where there was nothing to be happy about.
Spending time: Dina claims that Gracie’s presence helped her have courage for her fight against ovarian cancer
‘Having Gracie there reminded me how brave he was going into the world and made me have courage.
‘For Alyssa, when Gracie came in and would play or sit with her, she wasn’t thinking about what was wrong with her mom.
‘The experience of going through cancer for our family would have been completely different without Gracie.’
Dina added: ‘I never thought I would have this sort of bond with a bird, let alone a blue jay. He is the sweetest, most kind little bird in the whole world. He came at a time when we needed him and he has totally changed our lives.’
More than two years after he was rescued in May 2015, Gracie – who lives in a tree nearby the family’s garden – still comes to visit every single day.
‘She is a real-life Snow White’: Dina’s husband Ken claims that when he brought home his future wife to meet his dad, he compared her to the Disney character
A typical visit could last ten minutes or two minutes, but he will often come 15 times a day, Ken said.
The father, who was a WWE coach, added: ‘When Dina was diagnosed with cancer, there were tears and anger, but Gracie came and replaced all that with joy.
‘From the moment he was there all that went away.
‘Watching Dina with him on her shoulder, chirping away – he would stay for ten, 20 minutes at a time. It was unbelievable. Their bond is amazing.’
He added: ‘When I first met her 24 years ago, my dad said to me that she reminded him of Snow White. He said he could imagine all the little animals around her.
‘She is a real-life Snow White.’