Vicente & Baci
Please Note: The dog in the accompanying photograph is the subject of the story, but the child or teenager pictured is probably not the patient in the story.Vicente was a teenager, who was brought to Shriner’s Hospital after a horrible accident. He had been electrocuted and had lost both legs and one arm. When Baci, my chocolate Labrador and I met him for the first time he was withdrawn and obviously in incredible pain. The language barrier we had didn’t help the situation. While I was scrambling to find the right words in Spanish, Baci got busy pulling her tug toy out of my volunteer bag. She actually tossed it on the patient’s bed and pushed it into Vicente’s hand. I demonstrated to the teenager how strong Baci is and how much she enjoys tugging. Vicente and Baci had a tug of war for probably 10 solid minutes. The ice was broken and the language barrier had disappeared.
Baci worked with Vicente in physical therapy and became his true friend for the long months in the hospital. She always managed to put a smile on his face, and one day he told her that someday he would walk out the door with her at his side. And that’s exactly what he did. His new orthopedic legs were hidden under his baggy pants, and he walked down the brick stairs with Baci at his side. If we as adults could only see the world through the eyes of these kids and our dogs, we would understand better what is really important in life.
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