When a kind and caring man was dying in his hospital bed, his beloved dog was brought to him to say goodbye. What happened next will bring tears to your eyes and leave you feeling heartbroken.
Ryan Jessen was a man like any other. He lived an ordinary and unremarkable life in California, and he was happy with his job as a landscaper. He certainly enjoyed doing what he did for a living and found that not only did he relish in creating something new and beautiful, but he also loved the creativity and freedom that that line of work afforded him. He had met plenty of people, made all kinds of acquaintances, and even created some endearing friendships while working at that job.
One day, while he was on his way back from work, Ryan cut through a cemetery. It cut 15 minutes off of his walk, so it made absolute sense for him to take that shortcut. However, as he walked along the path through the middle of all the graves, he noticed something up ahead of him. It was some kind of animal. Ryan continued along his way, and as he got closer, he noticed it was a puppy. The tiny dog looked scared and hungry, and it was clear that he had not been cared for in quite some time.
Fashioning a leash out of his belt, Ryan decided to walk the dog back to his home. It might have been dirty, smelly, and covered in fleas, but the little puppy deserved love. It was clear that it had been abandoned, and Ryan saw it as his duty to help the poor animal out.
The little dog was a boxer, and Ryan decided to name it Molly. He cleaned her up, got rid of her fleas, made sure she was fed and watered, and he set about trying to find her owners. The only thing was that no one had reported a puppy missing.
No matter how hard Ryan looked, he couldn’t find Molly’s owners. It was as if she had just appeared or sprung up out of the ground or something. And so, being the kind-hearted guy that he was, Ryan decided that he would keep Molly for himself and give the beautiful little animal the life that she truly deserved. It was the least he could do, as he would have hated to see her go to a shelter or some other cold institution.
Over the next six years, Ryan and Molly formed as close a bond as any man and their dog ever had. The two of them seemed to be best friends, and they barely ever separated. Molly would even sometimes accompany Ryan to work and sit happily watching him landscaping all day long. One of their favorite things to do was to go for long walks through the nearby forest.
It was calm and quiet, and Ryan could just enjoy the silence and be at one with nature as Molly happily zoomed around, chasing sticks, barking at birds, and stretching her legs. They would eventually find a patch of grass to sit down on or maybe a log and relax and enjoy the small picnic that Ryan had packed for them. Despite only being around half an hour’s drive from their home, this kind of little break felt like they were a million miles away from the hassle and bustle of the ordinary, everyday world. Ryan and Molly loved it, and they truly valued their time together.
But one day, Ryan woke up with a headache. It was a very bad headache, and it felt like his head was splitting open. He had never suffered from migraines or anything like that before, so he assumed that he had suddenly got one of those for some reason. But over the course of the next few hours, the pain didn’t ease. In fact, it got much, much worse. He ended up nearly collapsing and taking himself to the hospital to be checked out. This was surely not something normal. Ryan was right to be concerned.
The doctors carried out several tests and checks and discovered that he was suffering from a ventricular brain hemorrhage. This is a severe and life-threatening condition where there is bleeding inside or around the ventricles in the brain. This kind of intracranial bleeding can put pressure on the all-important nerve cells and cause irreversible damage to them, resulting in brain injury or even death. The condition needs to be treated properly and decisively in order to fix it and maintain any hope of the person surviving and living a normal life. In many cases, it happens randomly and seems almost cruel and unfair.
Unfortunately, despite the doctors’ best efforts, Ryan fell into a coma where he remained for quite some time. This is both a bad thing and a good thing. Ideally, a person should not be in a coma at all, but on the other hand, it gives medical professionals a small opportunity to still treat them and the underlying cause while the body rests. That’s why doctors and surgeons endeavored to fix the bleeding and reverse any damage that Ryan might have suffered. They speculated that the sudden medical disaster may have been caused by Ryan’s blood pressure that, combined with the fact that he loved his energy drinks, could have been a recipe for disaster.
Yet, even though doctors tried everything that they could think of to help Ryan recover, there was still no change in his situation. Now, Ryan’s family were faced with the heartbreaking decision about whether to turn the life support systems off and let him die peacefully. It was the most difficult and soul-destroying of decisions to make. On one hand, Ryan might get better eventually if doctors were able to figure something out. But on the other hand, his brain would probably be far too damaged for him to have any quality of life. They weighed up the pros and cons for each decision, and ultimately decided it would be for the best for Ryan’s life support to be withdrawn. The family prepared to say their goodbyes, though they knew that the moment wouldn’t be complete without a certain someone who meant the world to Ryan: Molly.
It was clear that Molly had missed Ryan while he had been in hospital, so it only seemed right that she too should have the opportunity to see him one last time. Luckily, the hospital staff agreed to the family’s request. Usually, dogs are not allowed inside hospitals, but they understood the importance of Molly to Ryan and vice versa. So, the dog was brought to the hospital where she found Ryan’s mother, father, and sister waiting. They then sadly entered Ryan’s room to say their final goodbyes before the life support system was turned off.
Molly’s first reaction would usually be to run up and jump on Ryan, greeting him, licking him, and sniffing him. But that day, she seemed quite reserved, even a little shy and timid. This was not like Molly at all, as she was usually a very outgoing dog. But it seemed as if she understood the gravity of the situation and she could tell how sad and upset everyone was. She sniffed around Ryan and tucked her tail between her legs. Ryan’s mother lifted her up and gently placed her on the bed next to him.
Molly made herself comfortable, all the while softly sniffing at her owner’s face. She still seemed timid and worried, but it was clear she knew who Ryan was, despite him having all kinds of tubes and wires coming out of him. Molly softly licked his face and let out a soft whine, looking at Ryan’s family. It was as if she was pleading with them to help her beloved owner. Of course, there was nothing anyone could do, and it
was suddenly as if Molly understood that. Resigned and clearly saddened, Ryan’s sister lifted his hand to place it on her back, as if he was comforting her. It was a beautiful sight and one that broke everyone’s heart. It was obvious how much the two of them meant to each other, and to see how much Molly was grieving was enough to make everyone in the room cry.
Ryan’s family made her a promise that they would look after her from now on, and while Molly was going to go on and live a happy and full life, she would still always love and miss Ryan far more than she would ever be able to express.
So now it’s over to you. What did you think of this incredibly heartbreaking story? How would you have reacted if you’d have seen how sad poor Molly was? What do you think was going through the dog’s mind? As always, we love to hear from you, so be sure to leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section down below.
