Death is something almost none of us want to think about, but if you knew your time was coming soon, would you have a last wish?
Perhaps you’d like to visit a special place, or meet someone? Or maybe you have a pet you’d want to cuddle one last time?
Most people who have pets know that the bonds between humans and animals can be every bit as strong as those between people.
Still, not many hospitals allow visits from animals.
For some who lie on their deathbed, a goodbye from their beloved pet can be very difficult, sometimes impossible, to organize.
Personally, I think it’s tragic. There must be some way for the patients to meet their furry friends without necessarily having to expose other patients to the animals themselves.
A few years ago, a husband shared his story on Reddit, where he told about his dying wife and her last wish.
It touched me so deeply that now I want to share it with you.
Here is the happy story of how he snuck his dog into the hospital to see his dying wife.
”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 twenty 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.
TL;DR: Sneaked dog in a suitcase into hospital to see dying wife…wife sadly died. Now whenever the dog sees a suitcase, she thinks we are going to see her.”
I am so glad she got the chance to see her beloved dog Bella one last time. Everyone should have their last wish fulfilled, and they should not have to be sneaky in order to achieve it.
Please share this sad but beautiful story with everyone you know who loves dogs and understands how important they are to us!
