Kasey Valentine, 24 from Stevenage with Cody the Racoon. See Masons copy MNRACOON: A chronically-ill woman has conquered her social anxiety brought on by a debilitating condition all with the help of her pet raccoon and inseparable friend, Cody. Kasey Valentine, 24, took the North American native in when he was just six weeks old in November last year and can now be spotted walking him around her home town. She found him on Gumtree, a free classifieds ads website, a man was keeping him in a cat carrier and did not know how to care for him. Since rearing him from a cub, the animal lover from Stevenage, Herts said they have developed a “strong bond” and he has changed her life.