Time is of the essence in any medical emergency, and a family’s dog seemed to understand that.
Sensing something was wrong, the dog woke his owners up and seemingly tried to bring them to their son’s room.
To their surprise, they discovered their son had a stroke and needed immediate medical care.
Only a few people are up at 5 a.m. on Saturdays. At least in the Tanner household, Amanda and her husband were still asleep. However, their 1-year-old Border Collie, Axel, kept jumping on their bed as if to tell them something was wrong.
The couple refused to wake up, thinking their dog just wanted to play. When they realized the dog wouldn’t stop, they had no choice but to get up and attend to its needs
Finally, Amanda’s husband woke up and opened their door to let Axel out. He thought their dog was signaling to them that it was time to run free, but the dog didn’t move.
Instead, Axel stopped in front of the door of Gabriel’s room. Gabriel is their 17-year-old son. He stayed there until Amanda’s husband decided to check on his son.
To his surprise, Gabriel was having a stroke. Their healthy, athletic 17-year-old was not someone they ever thought would have a stroke, but it was happening. “Our entire lives stopped in time for a bit and basically exploded,” Amanda shared.
She saw these things happen in movies, but it was now her reality. Gabriel’s speech was slurred, and he was numb on his right side. They rushed him to the emergency room, hoping they had enough time to save him.
According to a doctor, Axel’s life-saving antics made a significant difference in Gabriel’s outcome. Dr. Sabih Effendi, the neurosurgeon and stroke medical director who worked on Gabriel’s case, explained:
“When somebody’s acutely having a stroke, the neurons are dying. If he was not found and another three or four hours went by, there would have been more and more and more brain injury.”
The night before having a stroke, Gabriel remembers having a headache. However, he thought nothing of it and continued playing video games before falling asleep.
The following morning, he wasn’t in pain, but his vision became blurred. He couldn’t lift his right arm or grip his dad’s hands. However, he wasn’t aware he was slurring his words.
Amanda and her husband wouldn’t have thought to check their son’s room until around noon if Axel hadn’t alerted them.
Amanda was troubled by what happened to her son. He was a high school senior, part of the soccer team, and had his college life planned out. They were afraid Gabriel wouldn’t be able to recover 100% and that he’d need round-the-clock care even if he made it through.
The family is forever grateful for their dog, Axel. Amanda and her husband wouldn’t have thought to check their son’s room until around noon if Axel hadn’t alerted them.
Thanks to Axel, Gabriel was found on time and significantly improved in less than two months since his stroke. He is currently homeschooled and is receiving therapy at a rehabilitation hospital in Houston.
“I feel like as I was before,” Gabriel admitted. He’s doing everything he can to return to his normal life and hopefully enjoy the rest of his senior year with his friends. As for Axel, the Tanners plan to give him his own little medal of honor, which they’ll be attaching to his collar.
He’s also more sensitive to everyone’s emotions at home and has followed Gabriel around the house. “We knew Axel was special but more than ever now it’s confirmed. God spoke through a donkey right? I am certain Axel was also sent to our home for such a time as this,” Amanda wrote on Facebook.
In the future, Axel is tasked to follow Gabriel everywhere to ensure he is safe. For now, sleeping in Gabriel’s room and constantly checking on him should suffice.