Haley
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.When Haley and I first walked into Benjamin’s room on the 4th floor of Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, I thought to myself, “this might be a quick visit—17 year-old boys aren’t always that interested in fur and wet noses.” Good thing Haley was in the lead and not me! With her furry ears perked up, Haley determinedly dragged me around the corner of Benjamin’s bed; she had no doubt that this young man was going to be her new best friend. Benjamin’s big brown eyes quickly locked on Haley’s big brown eyes as she peeked up over the mattress and he smiled broadly, reaching out from under his blanket to scratch her ears. Within three minutes, Haley was stretched out alongside Benjamin, eagerly “shaking” his hand and searching for treats.
As Benjamin played with Haley on his bed, he told me how much she looked like and reminded him of his own dog back home, a four-year old pit bull mix named Buddy. In fact, the only thing on Benjamin’s wall at that point was an 8 x 12 picture of him and Buddy on a soccer field. I happened to notice that with her stocky build and short brown brindle coat, Buddy looked nothing like my slender little spaniel mix. But both dogs shared the same enormous warm brown eyes, and both dogs just wanted to snuggle right up into Benjamin’s neck. For 15 minutes that afternoon, Haley played with Benjamin in his bed while he regaled us with story after story of Buddy, his best friend back home. And when we saw Benjamin again the next week, Haley climbed back up beside him to show him a new “trick” while he had his blood drawn, Buddy looking down upon us from the wall the entire time.
I am happy to say that Benjamin went home to Buddy the very next day, having beaten cancer for a second time. Haley continues to visit the 4th floor almost every Monday, always in the lead, always ready to stretch out alongside someone who needs a little reminder of home, or just a “best friend” with whom to share some stories.
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