Years ago, Wende Harston took to the stage as the lead singer of Denver's well-known Queen City Jazz Band. But most of 2015, she spent homeless, living out of an old RV. Due to her circumstances, Harston had to turn her beloved parrot, Samula, over to the Gabriel Foundation, one of the largest parrot rescues in the world.
"Things just got bad quicker than I anticipated," she told 9 News.
Now, several times a week, Harston returns to see her feathered companion. The duo spends hours together, singing and hanging out. The shelter houses nearly a 1,000 birds – many of whom were abandoned castoffs when families could no longer care for them.
When she begins to sing, many of the other birds begin to sing along with her.
"You have no idea what it means to me that they're keeping him safe for me," Harston says through tears.
But the goodbyes are the worst, she admits. When she has to leave Sam, the parrot cries out, "Mom!" which makes the goodbyes even harder.
This story does have a happy ending. According to the news station, Harston found a mobile home big enough to support a bird cage for Sam and will be able to bring him home soon.
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