horse visits dying owner in hospital

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Horse Visits Hospice to Say Goodbye to His Cancer-Stricken Owner

When Lisa Beech checked into a hospice, her family knew there was one sure way to bring a smile to her face.

After three weeks apart, the 49-year-old was visited by her beloved horse Jake in a touching reunion caught on camera.

Speaking to INSIDE EDITION, Lisa's daughter Amanda Sturgill said the idea came to her when doctors at Saint Joseph Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky were giving her news she didn't want to hear.

Read: 92-Year-Old Husband Serenades Dying Wife With World War II Song

"I was like, 'We're doing this,'" she said. "I texted friends asking them to go to my farm with a trailer."

They managed to get Jake to the parking lot and Lisa - who had no idea what was in store - was taken downstairs in a wheelchair. When she spotted the horse , she couldn't believe it.

"As soon as she saw him, she had tears falling down her face," Amanda said.

Jake recognized his owner, too.

"He hadn't made a peep the whole time we were there until he heard her talking," Amanda said. "His ears went back and his eyes got bigger. Usually you have to drag him along because he's lazy but he started marching."

Only my Daughter and Lisa Beech's Daughter could pull this off. Posted by Greg Kays on Sunday, 20 September 2015

Lisa, who has overcome cancer five times since she was a teenager, adopted Jake 16 years ago as his previous owner battled a terminal illness .

She initially visited the owner just to buy Jake's saddle but as soon as she clasped eyes on the horse, she knew she had to have him, Amanda said.

"Ever since she was a child, she always wanted to have an Appaloosa horse and he was exactly what she'd wanted," Amanda, 23, said. "She put a lot of hard work into him."

Read: Dying Grandfather Gets Final Hospital Visit From His Favorite Pony

But Lisa got her sixth cancer diagnosis at the start of this year. Doctors gave her just months to live and she was placed into hospice care a few weeks ago.

Amanda says the visit from Jake improved her mother's spirits immensely.

For the first time in days, Lisa was able to swallow - and even requested wine and chocolate - and was well enough to have visitors all day. Amanda added that her mom is now barely waking up and cannot take visitors.

"We all believe that it helped her," Amanda said. "If it hasn't been for that horse, she would not have had that last good day."

Watch Below: Hospital Surprises 12-Year-Old Cancer Patient on Last Day

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Dying veteran says goodbye to his beloved horses one last time

SAN ANTONIO -- A VA hospital granted a Vietnam War veteran's last request to see his beloved horses before passing away.

Roberto Gonzalez, from Premont, Texas, was drafted in 1970 and shot within four months of serving in Vietnam. The resulting injuries left Gonzalez paralyzed.

"That did not stop Mr. Gonzalez from his passions, ranching and horses," Lupe Hernandez of the South Texas Veterans Health Care System told ABC News. "He was the only paralyzed race horse trainer in Texas. He trained and raced horses for 30 to 40 years."

Hernandez explained that because Gonzalez knew that the end was near, he requested to see his horses one last time.

His family brought two horses, "Sugar" and "Ringo", to the Spinal Cord Injury Center at the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital in San Antonio.

The horses brought comfort to Gonzalez, who remains in critical condition.

Gonzalez was one of the first patients at the VA Hospital when it first opened in 1974.

Get the full story on ABCNews.com.

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Horse Visits Hospice to Say Goodbye to His Cancer-Stricken Owner

Horse surprises owner dying of cancer at hospice to bid farewell, couple charged $143k for phone bill after switzerland trip, 2 dads barely escape death as tree crashes in backyard, reporter apologizes after awkward moment with caitlin clark, heart-stopping video shows married storm chasers driving through iowa tornado, brave shoppers confront alleged peeping tom inside target, bride-to-be gets advice from plane passengers, trump juror asked judge to remove her from hush money trial, man sentenced to 47 years to life for kidnapping girl, ‘the wiz’ returns to broadway nearly 50 years after debut, boyfriend proposes to girlfriend inside grand central station, inside deals: cookware set, diamond earrings, rolling duffel bag, ballerinas 'en pointe' set world record, $300,000 worth of legos recovered in larceny case: cops, 9-year-old boy's pet octopus lays 50 eggs, toll worker with gut feeling called out of work before crash, mom of slain rachel morin makes desperate plea in commercial, hero rescues neighbors from burning house, las vegas law office shooting survivor speaks out, is the so-called ‘roller coaster arms race’ going too far, trumps awaits approval to leave trial for son's graduation, after three weeks apart, lisa was visited by her beloved horse jake in a touching reunion caught on camera..

When Lisa Beech checked into a hospice, her family knew there was one sure way to bring a smile to her face.

After three weeks apart, the 49-year-old was visited by her beloved horse Jake in a touching reunion caught on camera.

Speaking to INSIDE EDITION, Lisa's daughter Amanda Sturgill said the idea came to her when doctors at Saint Joseph Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky were giving her news she didn't want to hear.

Read: 92-Year-Old Husband Serenades Dying Wife With World War II Song

"I was like, 'We're doing this,'" she said. "I texted friends asking them to go to my farm with a trailer."

They managed to get Jake to the parking lot and Lisa - who had no idea what was in store - was taken downstairs in a wheelchair. When she spotted the horse , she couldn't believe it.

"As soon as she saw him, she had tears falling down her face," Amanda said.

Jake recognized his owner, too.

"He hadn't made a peep the whole time we were there until he heard her talking," Amanda said. "His ears went back and his eyes got bigger. Usually you have to drag him along because he's lazy but he started marching."

Lisa, who has overcome cancer five times since she was a teenager, adopted Jake 16 years ago as his previous owner battled a terminal illness .

She initially visited the owner just to buy Jake's saddle but as soon as she clasped eyes on the horse, she knew she had to have him, Amanda said.

"Ever since she was a child, she always wanted to have an Appaloosa horse and he was exactly what she'd wanted," Amanda, 23, said. "She put a lot of hard work into him."

Read: Dying Grandfather Gets Final Hospital Visit From His Favorite Pony

But Lisa got her sixth cancer diagnosis at the start of this year. Doctors gave her just months to live and she was placed into hospice care a few weeks ago.

Amanda says the visit from Jake improved her mother's spirits immensely.

For the first time in days, Lisa was able to swallow - and even requested wine and chocolate - and was well enough to have visitors all day. Amanda added that her mom is now barely waking up and cannot take visitors.

"We all believe that it helped her," Amanda said. "If it hasn't been for that horse, she would not have had that last good day."

Watch Below: Hospital Surprises 12-Year-Old Cancer Patient on Last Day

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This Terminally Ill Woman's Horse Surprised Her With the Most Heartwarming Farewell

"If you give your heart to an animal, they'll give you theirs right back."

Doctors recently told 49-year-old horse lover Lisa Beech, who has been battling cancer since she was a teenager,  that she doesn't have much longer to live. Several weeks ago, she was placed in hospice care in Lexington, Kentucky,  according to The DoDo . 

While family and friends have been saying their goodbyes, Lisa's daughter Amanda Sturgill knew there was someone else who would want to see Lisa one more time—her beloved horse Jake. Working with the McConathy Farm Rescue team, Amanda arranged the surprise visit with her mother's caretakers. Jake was shuttled to the hospital, where he met Lisa out front for a farewell that will absolutely break your heart. 

[facebook ]https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153212184346313&set=a.443094051312.207436.550856312&type=3[/facebook]

"We had told her there was a big surprise for her," Amanda told The DoDo . "When we walked across the street with Jake and she saw what was going on, her face just lit up."

Of course, Lisa wasn't the only one happy to see a familiar face! When Jake saw his owner, he marched right up to her as if he knew it was the last moment they'd share together. 

"That's the happiest I've seen her in a very long time," Amanda told The DoDo . "This really shows that if you give your heart to an animal, they'll give you theirs right back."

Amanda plans to continue caring for Jake, so we know the strong bond he has with this family will only continue to grow.   

(h/t The DoDo )

Rebecca was the social media editor at CountryLiving.com and WomansDay.com. 

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‘Doctor Peyo’: the horse comforting cancer patients in Calais – in pictures

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Peyo and his owner once competed at dressage events. Now they spend their time doing rounds in a French hospital, often staying with sick people until the end. All photographs by Jeremy Lempin/Divergence

Fri 12 Mar 2021 08.15 GMT Last modified on Wed 19 Oct 2022 16.42 BST

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Hospital brings horse to visit elderly woman for final farewell (video).

A hospital in in Wigan, England granted Sheila Marsh’s dying wish to see her horse one more time.

The Royal Albert Edward Infirmary arranged transportation for Marsh’s favorite horse, whom she had looked after during the previous 25 years. Nurses wheeled her bed into the car park so she could say goodbye.

The hospital said the 77-year-old “gently called” for Bronwen, who walked toward her with purpose and nuzzled her cheek.

After Sheila died the next day her family shared the touching photos.

( WATCH the video below or READ more from the BBC )

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Horses Visit Hospital to Be With Their Dying Owner One Last Time

(INSIDE EDITION) A hospitalized Vietnam vet asked for one last visit with his beloved horses before he dies.

In heartbreaking photos, the horses nuzzle their owner, Roberto Gonzalez.

"He knew that the end was near, and he would not be going home again. He requested through his wife that he see his horses one last time," a spokeswoman for the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital, where Gonzalez is a patient, told InsideEdition.com.

Gonzalez is a patient at the hospital's Spinal Cord Injury Center, and was one of the hospital's first patients when it opened in 1974.

"He was drafted in 1970 [for] the Vietnam War. After four months in the country, he was wounded in action. He was paralyzed as the result of those wounds," the spokeswoman said.

Gonzalez's organs are now failing, according to NEWS4SA.

His wife, Rosario, wrote on the hospital's Facebook page, "A heartfelt thank you, to all at Audie L. Murphy VA Hospital. A special thank you to the spinal cord staff, all of you became a part of our family. The care you have been giving my husband .and to me, goes above and beyond. You are our angels God Bless you all."

Roberto wanted to be with his horses, Sugar and Ringo, one last time.

Rosario said that when one of the horses approached him, "he actually opened his eyes. They came up to him and I think they were actually kissing him," reports NEWS4SA.

"While he was in the hospital he ended up with a wound in his back and initially that was why we were here to treat his wound but he also had liver problems and then his kidneys started to shut down," said Rosario.

After the war, Roberto's injury didn't stop him from pursuing his passions, ranching and horses. "He was also an avid hunter....He is a rancher from Premont, Texas. And he was the only paralyzed race horse trainer in Texas. He trained and raced horses for 30-40 years," the hospital spokeswoman said.

Over the years, Roberto has participated in hospital events, and he dedicated their crosswalk between the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital and University Health Sciences Center Hospital, said the spokeswoman.

For more from INSIDE EDITION, please click here .

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All Frank Keat wanted was the chance to see his beloved horse, Early Morn, one more time.

The 80-year-old was in a U.K. hospital being treated for cancer – and had been regaling the staff with stories from his 65 years working at a horse stable.

Unfortunately, Keat was too sick to leave the hospital. So the nurses devised a plan to bring Keat and Early Morn – a 5-year-old thoroughbred – together for a final visit.

“I was contacted by the nurses who said he felt a little bit down and can we get the horse in,” Keat’s son, Tim, told the U.K.’s Daily Mail. “It was a really nice last gift and I was so delighted it happened.”

Early Morn was driven to the hospital by Keat’s relatives. When it was time, the nurses wheeled Keat out to a patio where his horse was waiting. The emotional goodbye the two shared touched everyone who saw it.

“Frank was just overwhelmed and speechless,” Staff nurse Samantha Russell told the Daily Mail. “I can honestly say that this is the most memorable day of my career.”

Keat and another one of his horses, Frankie’s Flutter, in 2000 (SWNS)

This isn’t the first time a horse has been brought in for an emotional goodbye with a dying owner – back in 2014, Sheila Marsh got the chance to say a farewell to her horse, Bowden, who came to the hospital to see her.

Keat passed away on Monday night, only days after saying goodbye to Early Morn. His horse is expected to attend his funeral on Saturday.

I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.

Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.

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Meet Peyo, the horse that detects cancer and takes care of sick people

Jeremy Lempin

Peyo (pronounced “peh-YOH”) is a 14-year-old horse that his owner, Hassen Bouchakour, used in dressage shows. After shows, the horse would seek out contact with specific individuals in the crowd. It was thanks to this that Bouchakour discovered something surprising: Peyo has the ability to detect if people are suffering from cancer or are otherwise weak or dying.

His extraordinary relationship with the sick has been covered in many media articles in recent years, including The Guardian and Nspirement . This year, moreover, Peyo is in the news for being the protagonist of an exceptional photo.

Peyo’s amazing ability not only serves to diagnose diseases that have not yet shown their face. It’s also been proven that his presence can help to improve the quality of life of patients in a hospital. In some cases, his visits have even made it possible to reduce the patients’ medication.

Bedside hospital visits

Peyo is in France, and he’s already known as “Dr. Peyo.” Specifically, he “works” at a hospital in Calais and four other hospitals in Dijon, Le Havre, Nice and Antibes.

The staff is familiar with the horse; he enters the building with Bouchakour and passes through a sanitary protocol, then gets on the elevator and decides which room to visit. Peyo is trained in such a way that he never soils the hospital floor (he indicates with his movements when he needs to go out) and he’s thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before and after each hospital visit.

He’s close and affectionate with the sick, nuzzling up to them and sometimes licking them. “He’s a horse that behaves differently with people in delicate condition,” Bouchakour explains.

Peyo in the World Press Photo awards

An image of Peyo taken by photographer Jeremy Lempin and titled “ Doctor Peyo and Mister Hassen ” was nominated for this year’s World Press Photo Story of the Year award in the Contemporary Issues category. It’s the photo at the top of this article.

The photograph shows Peyo with Marion, a young mother with metastatic cancer, and her 7-year-old son Ethan.

Patients improve with his presence

Equine therapy has been in use for many years. But Peyo’s gift for detecting illnesses and his ability to be part of the treatment of hospitalized patients have led to his being scientifically studied by experts in palliative care, geriatrics and pediatrics. In Calais, he participates in assisted therapy sessions at the Séléne Palliative Care Unit.

A visit from Peyo is a high point in the day-to-day life of patients at these French hospitals, while opening up hopeful horizons for medicine.

For the sick, Peyo provides companionship, reduces the feeling of loneliness, and relieves mental and physical pain. He also has ended up comforting the families of some patients, and The Guardian reports one case where Peyo and Bouchakour were asked to attend the funeral of a patient who had been particularly attached to his equine therapist.

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Does a Hospital in France Allow Terminal Patients to Meet With ‘Peyo the Horse’?

The story of a French hospital’s unusual relationship with a former dressage horse — and the horse’s relationship with terminal patients there — recirculated online in July 2021.

Interest in “Doctor Peyo” reignited following a popular  post by the Twitter account “All Things Interesting,” The tweet shows a photograph of Peyo standing next to a bedridden patient, alongside the caption:

In France, a beautiful 15-year-old stallion named Peyo often comes to comfort and soothe terminal patients at the Techer Hospital in Calais. The horse chooses which patient he wants to see, kicking his hoof outside the door.

As so often happens, the tweet resurfaced on Facebook , with text copied over from the Twitter variation:

Peyo’s story is legitimate; in truth he has been making his rounds, so to speak, at Calais Hospital alongside his owner Hassen Bouchakour since 2016. The non-profit organization Les Sabots Du Coeur (“The Hooves Of The Heart”) handles both Peyo’s excursions and research into Peyo’s apparent ability to detect when a person is living with cancer. The group further claims that researchers have studied more than 500 other horses — including foals sired by Peyo — and found that his instinct for knowing which patients to visit or spend time with is a singular activity.

Peyo’s story has circulated online intermittently since he began comforting patients, through blogs, Facebook groups, and YouTube videos:

But he and Bouchakour received more attention in March 2021, when The Guardian published a photo essay in March 2021 showing the duo during a normal working day.

According to the story:

At the hospital Peyo tells his trainer which room he wants to enter next by stopping or raising his leg. Peyo is 15 and seems able to detect when humans have cancers and tumours. He stayed nearly two hours here, watching over a dying woman. “I accompany him but I let him do what he wants, he’s the one who decides,” says Bouchakour. “What really pushed scientists to take an interest in him and open the health establishment doors to us, was this [seeming] ability to greatly reduce [the patients’ dosage of] all hard drugs and thus allow a more peaceful departure,” he says.

In one photo, Peyo is seen standing guard at the door to a patient’s room.

“When he decides, I cannot hold him back,” Bouchakour told the Guardian. “It’s a need, it’s visceral, it is in him, he needs to go and cling onto the specific person he has chosen.”

Les Sabots Du Coeur also has its own Facebook page, as well as a separate Instagram account devoted to Peyo.

• 'Doctor Peyo': The Horse Comforting Cancer Patients in Calais -- in Pictures
• Les Sabots Du Coeur
• Peyo The Horse Visits Sick People

The story behind the pictures: "Peyo stayed beside the bed of a dying patient for two hours"

"Peyo 'works' in the palliative center, with patients who know they don't have very long to live anymore," says his trainer Hassen Bouchakour. "We actually want to give patients, at the end of their lives, a life after all. We do this by creating, together with Peyo, a certain energy for the patients. We work with different psychologists to reduce anxiety in patients. In addition, he also comforts them, since they are in a lot of pain". 

"Peyo chooses which room he enters. He shows this by lifting his leg in front of the door of the room he wants to enter. Peyo is now 15 and he is very smart. It seems like he automatically senses which room has cancer patients in it. I remember when he insisted on going into a room. The woman who was in the room at the time was dying. Peyo did not leave her side until she closed her eyes and never opened them again.... I accompany him but in the end it is he who decides," Bouchakour continues. 

Originally, the duo competed in dressage: "That actually always went very well, until we rode our test. Then Peyo always went looking for people in the audience and refused to leave their side. That makes it very difficult when you want to leave the ring (laughs). He has a great need for human contact. I think during those competitions he was already picking out people who were not feeling well, individuals who were struggling with their mental health. After several studies, several veterinarians have determined that his brain works in a unique way". 

At the hospital, they are very happy with Peyo: "Peyo and his trainer have actually become and integral part of our team. They do wonders not only for the patients but also for us. When everything gets a little more difficult, we know that they are not only there to comfort the patients but also us," says Anne Sophie, a palliative care nurse. "Peyo has been assisting our team since 2016. During that time, I think he has already assisted more than 1,000 people at the end of their lives." 

The patients themselves have nothing but praise for the horse: "My son never wanted to go with me to the hospital to visit his mother. He found it difficult to be in her pain, which of course I understand. In the end, he's only seven years old," one father recounted. "Now Isaac associates the hospital with Peyo and likes to come along. That also does his mother good so you can speak of a real win-win situation in this case". 

Roger, a 64-year-old patient confirms: "Peyo is my favorite doctor. I know I will sleep well today because I saw Peyo". His wife smiles, "When he has seen Peyo, he sleeps like a rose".

Bouchakour says: "Hygiene is of course very important in a hospital. Peyo is therefore always washed and disinfected before he goes into the hospital. It takes about two hours. I always disinfect him with special wipes and that takes a lot of time. Fortunately, he enjoys being brushed. I think he secretly enjoys it. Peyo has also learned to clearly indicate when it is time for a 'sanitary stop' by moving his body from side to side." 

"Of course, Peyo doesn't work out every day," says his trainer. "We regularly take a walk on the beach in Calais. It's important to be able to clear our heads once in a while. Yet I notice that even in those moments Peyo only wants one thing most: to go back to the hospital."

Source: The Guardian

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