No one loves us as much as our dogs do. They weren’t dubbed “man’s best friend” for nothing, after all. But a pair of basset hounds take the phrase to altogether different heights as they refused to leave the body of a dying baby girl.
According to a report by The Telegraph, Nora had suffered a devastating stroke, which left her in a medically induced coma with brain damage.
In a Facebook post, Nora’s mother Mary wrote, “My daughter had a stroke on April 6. We have been at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis since then. She is not going to survive.
“They allowed us to have our bassets here in the last couple of days because they are so attached to her.”
Mary also said that the dogs appeared “very stressed and sad” inside Nora’s room; she asked for advice from the members of the Wonderful World of Basset Hounds Facebook group.
“I was leaning towards sending them away [from her room] so they didn’t get stressed, but after reading so many comments saying to keep them, then I will (the nurses are head over heels with them anyhow.”
Despite the heartbreaking decision to turn off her daughter’s life support, Mary said that the longer Nora was on it, the higher the chance is that she will suffer an acute crisis such as another stroke, heart attack or organ failure that will take her life.
“We do not know when or how this would strike, but it is likely soon,” she wrote. “If this happens, the pain and palliative team cannot guarantee that she will pass comfortably and unafraid.”
“Our hearts are so completely broken. Our world is shattered. We are devastated and ache for our baby girl.
“We tried so very hard to save her, but it just wasn’t meant to be. We have been praying so hard for a miracle, that we hadn’t realised that it was right in front of us this whole time. Nora IS our miracle.”
What is paediatric stroke?
According to National Stroke Association, stroke can happen to anyone at any time, including teenagers, children, newborns, and unborn babies.
In fact, stroke remains among the top 10 causes of death in children.
The risk of stroke in children is greatest in the first year of life and during the period of right before birth to right after birth.
Risk factors include:
- Congenital heart defects
- Sickle-cell disease
- Immune disorders
- Diseases of the arteries
- Abnormal blood clotting
- Head or neck trauma
- Maternal history of infertility
- Maternal infection in the fluid surrounding an unborn baby
- Premature rupture of membrane during pregnancy
- Pregnancy related high blood pressure in the mother
If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them with us!