Ty has been showing animals at the fair for a number of years. He said in the past, his pigs have sold for $3 per pound.

“Tonight’s price was crazy. The money would have gone to my college fund, but now it’s going to a way better cause than that,” he said. “It feels good to help her.”

Zander said she is thankful to the auction bidders and can’t thank Ty enough for his amazing generosity.

“All the time that he spent on that animal and all the feed and everything that he put into it,” she said. “That he was willing to give that to me has touched me deep in my heart. I showed pigs for years. You work hard all year round for that money. It is not something that’s easy to let go of. This sure takes a little bit of my stress away.”

Heidi Thorson said she couldn’t be more proud of her son’s willingness to help.

“4-H teaches you that it’s more than about the money, it’s more than about the ribbons. It’s about the community, the people and helping one another,” she said. “We’re neighbors and I bet she would have done the same thing for him. It’s what we do. She’ll never forget this moment and neither will he.”

Follow Kelly Simon on Twitter @KSchmidSimon or contact her at 920-356-6757.

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