Scott Sims, the barefoot veterinarian from Kauai who turned his love of animals into a reality show, died Saturday after a two-month fight with bladder cancer. He was 59. 

His “Aloha Vet” aired this spring on Nat Geo WILD and Sims was in talks for a second season when he was diagnosed. 

Nat Geo WILD announced Sims’ death, noting he was “a great guy who truly loved caring for animals.” 

“Famous for answering calls day and night to care for his patients, he truly embodied the spirit of our network by always putting animals first, and for that he will be greatly missed,” the network said in an emailed statement. “Our only consolation is that we got to share his incredible talent and humanity with the world, if just for one season. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends at this difficult time.” 

Sims was popular on Kauai, but he treated animals across the state, flying to other islands in a small plane he built himself. People loved his passion for saving stricken animals — a guinea pig with a tumor, a goat with a hernia, an unconscious horse in a rocky stream bed. There’s even a pig out there that can see again, thanks to Sims. 

Sims said in June that his illness was a reality check with a silver lining. 

“Would I wish this on anybody?” he said. “Of course not. But is it all bad? No, it isn’t all bad. I get to tell people I care about that I care about them. And they can tell that to me. And those are good things.”