Compassionate Care: How a Nurse’s Quick Thinking Saved a Little ‘Moonshiner’
In a heartwarming display of compassion that transcends species, Kentucky nurse Misty Combs transformed an ordinary workday into an extraordinary rescue mission. Arriving at the Letcher County Health Department in Whitesburg for what she thought would be a typical shift, Combs instead found herself thrust into an unexpected emergency that would soon capture hearts across the internet. “I’ve had some pretty crazy days on the job, but nothing like this,” Combs later shared with local news outlet Lex18, reflecting on the unusual turn her day had taken. The commotion that drew her attention came from the parking lot dumpster, where a distressed mother raccoon was frantically trying to rescue her trapped babies – a scene that would soon call upon Combs’ professional skills in a most unexpected way.
What made this wildlife emergency particularly unique was its peculiar cause. “Our health department is right beside Kentucky Mist Moonshine, a distillery, and they had put some fermented peaches in their dumpster,” Combs explained. The sweet, intoxicating aroma had lured the baby raccoons into the dumpster where they became trapped, unable to climb out of their predicament. Witnessing the mother raccoon’s desperate attempts to reach her young, Combs felt her own maternal instincts kick in. “I saw that momma and she was trying so hard to get her babies back and she didn’t know what to do,” she recounted. Without hesitation, the nurse grabbed a shovel and went to work, successfully scooping out the first baby raccoon, who quickly scampered to its anxious mother. But the second baby presented a far more serious situation – it lay face down and motionless in a puddle of water mixed with those moonshine-soaked peaches at the bottom of the dumpster.
The scene quickly shifted from rescue to resuscitation as Combs pulled the unresponsive baby raccoon from the dumpster by its tail. While bystanders declared the little creature dead, Combs’ nursing instincts took over. “It had drowned, and it was full of water; you could feel the water, so immediately, I just started doing CPR on it,” she explained. In the viral video captured by her astonished coworkers, Combs can be seen performing chest compressions on the tiny raccoon before turning it on its side and delivering firm back slaps – adapting her human medical training to this wild patient. Despite her 21 years of nursing experience, this marked Combs’ first attempt at animal CPR. She later admitted she simply did what seemed right in the moment, drawing on her medical knowledge while following her heart’s guidance to save the small creature’s life.
As the raccoon began showing signs of life, Combs faced a new concern – the potential danger of a frightened wild animal. “The entire time, I was afraid it’d come-to and eat me up, and raccoons carry rabies so I was afraid of that,” she confessed, highlighting the courage it took to continue her lifesaving efforts despite the personal risk. Fortunately, Fish and Wildlife officials soon arrived at the scene, taking the revived but intoxicated raccoon to a local veterinarian. There, the little patient received fluids and professional care to counteract both its near-drowning and accidental intoxication from the fermented fruit. The entire episode represented a remarkable intersection of human compassion and professional skill, with Combs adapting her medical training to save a life most would have considered beyond help or perhaps not worth the effort.
The story took on an additional charming dimension when Combs and her colleagues bestowed a fitting name upon their rescued patient – Otis Campbell, after the lovable “town drunk” character from “The Andy Griffith Show” played by Hal Smith. The name perfectly captured both the humor and heart of the situation: a baby raccoon who had gotten itself “trashed” on moonshine-soaked peaches, only to be saved by an improvised medical intervention. The naming reflected the light-hearted spirit with which the healthcare workers approached this unusual emergency, finding joy in extending their care beyond human patients to include a wild creature in need. It also demonstrated how moments of unexpected crisis can transform into stories of connection that resonate with people far beyond those directly involved.
After receiving proper veterinary care and sobering up from his moonshine misadventure, Otis the raccoon was eventually returned to the Health Department parking lot, where Combs herself had the satisfaction of releasing him back into the wild. This final act completed a remarkable circle of care – from emergency rescue and resuscitation to professional treatment and, ultimately, restoration to natural freedom. The entire episode serves as a poignant reminder of how compassion knows no boundaries between species and how medical training can extend beyond its intended application in unexpected moments. For Misty Combs, what began as an ordinary workday became an extraordinary story of quick thinking and heartfelt intervention, showing that sometimes the most meaningful care we provide may not be to those we expect to treat. And for little Otis the raccoon, a misadventure with fermented peaches led to an unlikely second chance, thanks to a nurse who refused to give up on even the smallest life.
