To Terri, Bindy, Bob and Steve's close circle of friends: my heartfelt condolences for your loss and the pain you must be feeling right now.

Like so many others who have used this forum to let you know they appreciated Steve just as much as they appreciated his mission, I simply can't feel any other way ... with every clip and every televised interview about Steve, I can feel a swelling in my throat and the tears welling in the corners of my eyes.

Steve may have been a celebrity ... a kind of person typically overwhelmed by ego who all too often loses touch with the common man ... but Steve always wore his heart on his sleeve, and I always respected him for that.

Obviously I never met the man, but he was gracious enough to share the birth of his two children with me ... and when his Staffie (Suie) passed away, I honestly felt Steve's sorrow as he said a final good-bye to his childhood friend.

I can only imagine the impact Steve had on the people who were fortunate enough to know him personally: every televised interview I've seen of anyone who has known or worked with him directly has ended with unprecedented, raw emotion ... and it only hurts more that we will never be able to experience more of this great man.

And that's why I want to apologize ... I send this message to you from the other side of the world, the U.S. ... because the onslaught of the Western media has already begun: journalists searching for story angles, contradicting positions on Steve's passing, his lifestyle and his conduct in the past. I've seen/heard repeated references to stories demonizing stingrays, even though this was clearly an incident that was just as unlikely as it was unimagineable.

It's hearing questions and angles such as these that make me almost regret that I come from the part of the world that I do ... but after all is said and done all we are left with is the reality that Steve is no longer with us, and that is what I truly regret.

Steve could often be heard saying he wanted to "get animals into peoples' hearts," and that was just what he tried to do ... but while he was at it, he found his way in, too.

I miss'em already ...

Tom Petrucci
Jacksonville, Fl
United States

Hi, Tom..

I just wanted to say that your post was so beautifully written and expressed exactly how I feel. You reminded me of an article from my local New York paper whereby the author criticized Steve's "behaviour" with animals. I know it's easy to be ignorant when you just don't know the why's of things, but I found it both in poor taste and in poor timing. To suggest that he antagonized animals is an unfair assumption and I personally learned that a little bit of knowledge goes a long way. If only all critics had the grace to learn the same.

It's nice to see that so many "Staters" were touched by Steve and his work. That's certainly something that you'd never have to apologize for.

Sincerely,
Jo