Exceedingly common Tuesday

2014-11-06

Tuesday´s visits to the hospital has become a part of our lives. 
An old familiar bag with treats, yellow vest, arrival through gate, parking, chasing local hospital cats and then common doors from Neurology. This path knows Brontes very good, he´s excited. In more than two years he became living hospital inventory. Together we visit two separated hospital departments for adults. His job is filled with various destinies of ill people. Our meetings are sad but also cheerful. A lot of people is returning to the hospital and the more we were happy about yesterday’s story from canistherapy. 
Two months ago we met in one room a man, who has been in serious health condition. He was not communicating and showing no interest in the outside world. nurse agreed and we let Brontes lie down to his bed. So Brontes jumped to his bed and carefully laid himself the closest to him as he could. The man was not responding at ll and was still staring to the ceiling. We carefully moved his hands on Brontes back. He was showing no reaction, no sign of interest or feeling , he did not move at all. Brontes has been lying by him for 15 minutes, several times he moved, got up, changed position he even touched him with his muzzle. Nurse and I spoke to the man, I was telling him that a dog named Brontes is lying by him and that the dog is canistherapist who is helping ill people. I also told him that he is collie with black and white colour, I was telling him what he likes, that he has a doggy friend at home, that he is an champion, I don´t even remember what else I have told him. Every time we put the man´s hands on to his back, but even when the nurse was talking to him, the man did not react. We all were leaving this room frustrated, Brontes was sometimes sleeping and this time he does not even want to leave the room. The time passed and each time when I was in the hospital I was asking about the man. He was transported to some specialized facility, we have no more info about him 
Until yesterday!! To my great surprise when we opened one room, Brontes ran inside and rushed straight to one man who was sitting on the bed by window. Every time he awaits on my command, if he can go on the bed, but this time he ran to the man and jumped on his bed by himself. I froze in fear, that the man will get frightened, but before I could say something to Brontes, I heard the man say: Is that you? You are Brontes! I know you! You laid on my leg. You sniffed me on the face! I heard how do you breath and how you wheezed into my face… but brother, I did not have the power to move but I wanted it so much… He turned to me and I realized that this is the man who was so sick before. Brontes was waving his tail on the bed and was laughing in his dog way . The man took my hand and told me, that Brontes was the only one who he could perceive, feel his heartbeat, his warmness, that he heard my voice, but he couldn´t do anything… You can´t even imagine, how I was feeling when you had to leave the room. I was trying to move but I couldn’t. I remember everything what have you said! He told us that when they took him back to this department he saw a picture of a dog on a board which was very familiar to him. He couldn´t remember from where he knows this dog, until he read his name. The name has stuck in his head so now he remembered the whole Brontes visit . 
Brontes was lying calmly by him and allowed the man to pet him. I was unbelievably staring at them , the same way as the man before. I even didn´t notice that the nurse has tears in the eyes like me. Yes, only one name, few minutes with silent being opened for a few seconds the gate between heaven and earth….