Death isn’t something any of us wants to think about. But if you knew your time was coming, would you have a last wish?
Would you want to go somewhere special once before you died? Or see your husband or wife, your siblings, or another loved one one last time?
How about your family pet? For many of us, the bonds we share with our pets are at least as strong as the one we have with our fellow humans. Yet many hospitals don’t allow pets to visit — even when their owner is on their deathbed.
For some terminally ill patients, saying goodbye to their beloved furry friend can be difficult if not impossible. This is tragic, because there must be a way to allow pets to meet their owners one last time without putting other sick patients in danger.
Last year, a reddit user named Mellifluous_Username shared a story about his wife’s dying wish, and although it’s a little old, we just had to share it.
The hospital where his wife lay dying doesn’t allow dogs. But when his wife asked to see their dog Bella one more time, the man took matters into his own hands. Read his story below!
“My wife was in the hospital after a very invasive surgery, which after a few days, looked like it did not produce ideal results. The prognosis was not good. She was able to speak, but was not eating or drinking, and relied completely on her IV and hard pain pills. In one rare instance of cogent speech, she convinced me to sneak our dog into her private room, so she could see her ‘one more time.’
Our dog, Bella, is about a 50-pound Australian Shepherd, and as it turns out, she fits nicely in a normal suitcase. I packed her in, with the lid unzipped, and placed her in the car until we arrived at the hospital. When we arrived, I ‘explained’ to her that I would open the zipper in a few minutes and that she could see her mommy.”
“Unbelievably, she never whimpered, barked, or whined. When I walked past the station nurses, I told them I was simply bringing items to make my wife more comfortable. ‘No problem,’ they said.
When we entered the room, my wife was asleep. I unzipped the suitcase, and Bella immediately jumped on the bed, and gingerly laid across her chest, somehow avoiding the wires and IV. She positioned herself to where she could look directly into my wife’s eyes, and laid completely still, until about 20 minutes later, when my wife woke up, and started moaning in pain.
Bella immediately started licking her, and quietly moaned, as if knowing that barking would definitely blow our cover. My wife hugged her for almost an hour, smiling the whole time. We were busted by one nurse who was so touched that she promised not to tell. When my wife finally went back to sleep, I loaded Bella back in the suitcase, and she somewhat sheepishly obliged.
My wife sadly passed a few days later, and now, whenever I grab the suitcase, (any suitcase), Bella thinks we are going to see her again.”
We’re so glad this man’s wife was able to see her beloved Bella one more time before she passed away. Everyone should be able to have their last wish — and they shouldn’t have to trick anyone to get it!
Please sharing this touching story with everyone you know who understands the importance of dogs in our lives!
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