The moment I knew: I was snot-crying through a Disney film when he placed his head on my shoulder

‘I still remember the visceral reaction I had to the friendly face beaming at me through the screen,’ says Will about the first time he saw Herschel Photograph: Will Hopkins

In 2020, I was living in Sydney, working in real estate, attempting to finish my law degree on the side and struggling to juggle full-time work, full-time study and, admittedly, full-time partying. For a while I had been contemplating moving home to Brisbane to escape the chaos of Sydney but, at that time, chaos and I were old friends, and it was a friendship I thought would prevail my whole life.

I met Herschel on 20 December 2020 at about 10pm. I remember it well as it was also the day that a once firmly held belief of mine was shattered into oblivion.