We had a young patient that had been in our ICU for an extended period of time. This young man’s physical body was healing but his emotional well-being was not; he seemed depressed. At the request of J. Gulliland, ARNP, Mary Miller and Kellie Fowke placed him on a Stryker chair along with his 02 tank and his portable suction. They transported him to the rehab deck along with his brother.

The patient's father and his dog met them on the rehab deck on this beautiful February Sunday Morning. His aunt later joined them for this first time outing in months. The young man recognized his dog and the dog was so happy to see his owner. The young man was using hand signals with his dog just as he did prior to being hospitalized. The dog knew just what to do and got in the chair beside his owner and just loved on him.

This patient had a very poor prognosis when he came in and to see how much he has improved is a blessing. There are many people praying for him. At one point, it looked like he would never wake up, let alone, go outside to the rehab deck to see his dog. Thanks to Mary and Kellie this was possible.