A Toronto DJ stopped traffic with his emotional reading of "How Could You?", as drivers pulled off the road to wipe away their tears. Since then, the essay has been read on radio stations all over North America, with much the same results, including a reading by author and radio personality Karen Lee Stevens on the Animal Radio Network. In Croatia, the (only) animal welfare group ZIVOT (Life) created a banner that reads "How Could You?" in Croatian and passed out 5,000 copies of the essay in the townsquare of Osijek, one of their largest cities, in an effort to raise funds for the no-kill animal shelter they are struggling to support.

In recent weeks Holly suffered a stroke, and had not made a good recovery. Jim was concerned for her quality of life and on Valentine's Day 2003 made the compassionate decision so many animal lovers eventually have to make. He drove 15 miles out of his way to buy Holly two cheeseburgers before her last visit to the veterinarian. In Jim's words,

She never knew that "her" story, "How Could You?", when read by a drivetime radio DJ in Toronto, stopped traffic. And then it was repeated with similar results in other cities. Or that it encouraged some people to think, change their minds, get involved, and most importantly, for some to go to the nearest shelter and save a beautiful animal being who didn't deserve to die, who never deserved to be abandoned. I hope now, in a better place, she knows that. She changed a lot of lives, most especially mine, and I miss her so.

As much as I would appreciate anyone's sympathy, what Holly and I would appreciate more is that you download the story she inspired, "How Could You?", from the sample writings section, and distribute it where it can do some more good. That's the greatest tribute we could pay her.

I gave her a final kiss and whispered "How Could You?" in her ear, and I think she understood.

In the preface to "How Could You?" in his book, "Pieces of my Heart - Writings Inspired by Animals and Nature," Jim said,

In the first year since I wrote and distributed the story it has been published several thousand times in over a dozen languages. It has struck a common chord because it is the composite story of the millions of former pets who die each year in North American shelters. The story has generated mail from around the world and in some countries it is a curiosity because they have no animal shelters - unwanted animals die in the streets, often crually at the hands of the authorities

One of the best uses of the story to educate the public has been by newspapers that have published it along with photographs taken at local shelters and with related articles on local animal welfare programs and resources. I encourage you to ask your local newspaper to publish it in cooperation with your local humane society or shelter.

I hope that my readers will rise to the challenge and use this essay to help educate the general public in their own areas. It would be a fitting tribute not only to Holly Golightly, but to all those tens of thousands of dogs and cats that died needlessly. It surely will help save the lives of tens of thousands more.