While Cooky is diminutive in size, she more than makes up for that with her passion for her job and her straight-forward approach to any and all of life’s challenges. In Thailand, there are many more women vets than their male counterparts. Cooky’s university cohort had 18 women and only 7 men, yet there are still Thai people who have a distinct preference for a man to treat their animal, particularly if it is on the larger side. The actual ability to lift larger weights is a rather insignificant factor in Cooky’s role with Rescue Paws, which values her surgical prowess and her commitment to educating the community about animal welfare much more highly than the number of kilograms she can dead-lift. Cooky has learnt that in her interactions with human beings, she must not make assumptions. She has had to treat injured animals who have suffered for months, with their condition worsening simply because their owners did not realise that they were experiencing pain.

Cooky’s message is that we should all be maintaining our awareness of what is happening around us. No creature lives in isolation, so what is happening to one also impacts others. Like other Thai children, Cooky learnt about the core Thai value of kreng jai (เกรงใจ). It is one of the most difficult for outsiders to fully comprehend. Basing it off its direct translation of “fearful heart,” you could say Thai people worry about inconveniencing or imposing on someone. But it is so much more than that. Aside from hoping to be considerate, Thais also aim to remain respectful and polite and refrain from offending, disturbing, or making others feel obliged to do something. Kreng jai is all of those things rolled into one and is the reason why many people find Thais so kind, gentle and polite but seemingly infuriatingly unwilling to give a firm response. While this approach to interpersonal interaction is an integral part of Thai culture, Cooky has found it is not always beneficial to her in either a personal or professional capacity, so she has had to develop her own particular style of dealing with friends, family, colleagues and animal owners.

Cooky calls herself hard-working, free-spirited and somewhat unpredictable. She was born and raised in a small, coastal town in Nakhon Si Thammarat in Thailand’s south, where fishing was the predominant industry. A second daughter with a sister two years older, Cooky had a mother who worked as a hairdresser and a father who took any work available. Neither of Cooky’s parents had the benefit of a university education, something they were prepared to work hard to give their daughters, if the girls so desired. In preparation for this possibility, the girls had a tutor for three hours after school each day and often even on the weekend. While this was a positive experience for Cooky, who had an interest in mathematics and the sciences, it was less enjoyable for her sister who was the creative one, interested in song, dance and languages. Cooky’s sister now lives in France with her husband.

In school, Cooky was quiet and attentive and always willing to volunteer. While the local elementary school was nearby their home, getting to the closest middle school was more challenging requiring both a boat trip then a bus ride. Cooky was fortunate to earn a scholarship to a high school renowned for its superior maths/science programs, because her three years there assisted her in earning admission to her six-year-long study of Veterinary Science at university. It is ironic that, as a child, Cooky wasn’t allowed a pet of her own at home, though she fed a brown neighbourhood cat she called Chaiyen, “Thai tea”, because of its colour. Cooky became determined that in becoming a vet she would be able to have as many pets as she wanted though now, she concedes this was not a realistic expectation.

Upon her graduation from university in 2021, Cooky had three jobs in quick succession, the first a training position in Bangkok for her “dream job” with the Soi Dog Foundation. She was soon transferred to Phuket, and when the job didn’t meet her expectations, Cooky returned to Bangkok to work in a private clinic, something which didn’t suit her either. Cooky openly admits that she suffered mental health issues during this time. As a consequence, she is now an advocate for mental health awareness and would urge sufferers to seek help, with her message that “you are never alone”. Cooky believes obtaining her current position with Rescue Paws in late 2021 and the accompanying relocation to Hua Hin changed her life for the better. She has nothing but praise for the entire team, and in particular for its Practice Manager Henna who makes sure everyone knows they are valued and appreciated. Cooky also sees appreciation in the eyes and tails of her patients, sometimes clearly enough that it brings tears to her eyes. These are the most heart-warming compliments Cooky receives.

While Cooky’s job is quite stressful, requiring precise surgical skills, delivered accurately and speedily, she is aware that this production-line approach to sterilisation is what keeps the donations flowing as the benefactors can see clear value from their donations. Sterilisation is not an easy surgery and not many local vets have the skill and training to do what Cooky does. As well as the high number of surgeries, Cooky also has daily consultations and frequent emergency cases related to either road trauma or animal abuse to treat as well. It is to Cooky’s credit that she manages her workload so well.

Cooky works from 8am to 5pm, five days a week and is a focused and productive employee. She knows, however, that living solely for the job is not a balanced and sustainable way of life. Cooky has a partner and also shares the home with two cats and a dog. The cats are both rescues, one with a mean streak it never overcame, the other with a limb deformity. The dog is a “potential foster-failure”, it having moved in four years ago as an adult dog and becoming less likely to find a “forever-home” with each passing year, despite its sweet disposition, at least with people, though not so much with other dogs.

Outside her home, Cooky has many other interests, and hopes she is still learning each day, citing the many volunteers at Rescue Paws as potent sources of learning as they span many nationalities and areas of expertise. Cooky’s partner has encouraged her to train with weights and boxing and has motivated her to re-examine her diet. Sugar is a weakness for Cooky who will admit to the occasional breakfast of bread with both strawberry jam and chocolate spread, simultaneously. Hopefully only very occasionally, since Cooky’s mother lives with type 2 diabetes.

As she matured, Cooky found she had an ability to be straight and direct in a way she would never have thought possible. As a vet, her focus needs to be on her patient’s needs and so sometimes people believe she is not as responsive to the needs of owners as she should be, yet this approach is a reflection of Cooky’s professionalism and her intuitive empathy with the feelings of the animals in her care. In her teenage years, Cooky was aware of people who were bullied, though luckily, she was not targeted. At the time, Cooky had neither the bravery or the skills to take a stand and speak out, yet now she does, and will. When friends ask her advice, she will give her honest opinion, even if she knows it is something they would prefer not to hear. Cooky believes having worked alongside so many Westerners is partly responsible for the fact that she responds in such a frank way. It is her conviction that her friends refer to Cooky as “the mean one” despite always speaking and acting with the best of intentions. She smiles and is friendly with all, but acknowledges she doesn’t control other people’s happiness since it is not within her control. One important key for Cooky in managing her overall health, both physically and mentally, lies in reducing stress through determining not to worry about things she can’t control.

For Cooky personally, her experience of the world now is better than it was when she was a child because she is free to experience more of it. That doesn’t mean, however, that she doesn’t acknowledge the world is facing a number of serious challenges, including our growing reliance on and addiction to technology, especially the tendency to doomscroll. Cooky and her partner are still considering their options in regard to their future and are not in a rush to increase their family, by adding either babies or additional “fur babies” to their household.

Cooky is thankful for all the life experiences which have shaped her into the woman she is today, the bad as well as the good, since they have built her resilience. At the time, Cooky found her surgery trainer cold-hearted and critical, yet she is a better surgeon as a result, able to focus on the intellect and leave emotion behind in emergency situations. While she is able to be calm and analytical, Cooky also has a soft side. At the age of ten, Cooky bought herself a thin green blanket with a gift of 100 baht she received. The blanket, while not particularly warm, has a comforting texture to Cooky’s fingers and remains a cherished possession. Cooky’s mum tried to use it as bedding for a cat at one stage, before Cooky was able to hastily retrieve it.

Cooky views overcoming her mental challenges as her greatest achievement so far, but there is so much more to come for this focused young woman. In the short term, Cooky hopes to travel to the Philippines to spend her vacation time volunteering in animal shelters there. In the long term, Cooky would like to see humanity becoming less selfish, people less obsessed with the accumulation of large sums of money they will never need or be able to use. It seems to Cooky that humankind has lost the ability to perceive when we have enough and when we should be sharing. “I am enough” is a powerful statement of personal acceptance for Cooky and for all of us.

Each new day, Cooky wakes gently to the sound of birdsong and greets the day with confident anticipation, knowing that, fortified with her favourite chicken noodle soup and surrounded by good people, she will be able to handle any challenge the world may throw at her.