Amanda Tanner of Spring, Texas, was woken up at 5 a.m. on August 26 by her 1-year-old border collie Axel. Amanda realized her dog was attempting to communicate with her by barking and jumping on the bed.”He was pawing me more than normal to get me to move,” Amanda explained to Today.When her husband stepped up to let the dog out, Axel remained standing outside the bedroom of the couple’s 17-year-old son, Gabriel.
When the couple opened the door to check on their son, they were astounded to find him having a stroke. Gabriel, a seemingly healthy high school senior, was slurring his words and couldn’t feel his right side.They rushed Gabriel to the hospital for treatment. Axel had detected that the teen was having a stroke and had gratefully warned the family before it was too late.
When someone has a stroke, they require rapid medical attention – it’s devastating to consider what may have occurred if Gabriel’s condition had gone undiscovered, but the smart dog amazingly saved the day.
“It’s very amazing that their dog alerted and started this whole process of getting everyone awake and going downstairs,” Dr. Sabih Effendi, neurosurgeon and medical director at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center, told Today. “When someone has a severe stroke, the neurons die….” If he hadn’t been found and another three or four hours had passed, there would have been even more brain damage.”
She went on to say that if he hadn’t been treated quickly enough, Gabriel could have been permanently paralyzed or unable to talk; being discovered by Axel “significantly improved his outcome.”Nobody expects their healthy adolescent to have a stroke out of the blue, and the experience has left the family frightened.
“Our entire lives stopped in time for a bit and basically exploded,” Amanda explained on Facebook. “I’d seen these things in movies and testimonials, but I never imagined I’d actually experience them.” Nobody wants to do this!”
“Life is so fragile and changes in a blink of an eye, just like that, over night but we see GOD has a plan through the most terrible times in life and we see His hand moving at every step, through every healing baby step, with every visit and encouragement that comes with the outpouring of love on Gabriel and our family.”Gabriel said he experienced no pain, just fuzzy and “zoomed in” vision, and a headache the night before. Doctors said the cause was a spontaneous dissection of an artery that delivers blood to the brain.
Gabriel has made excellent strides in the weeks since his stroke and wants to return to school and his usual life soon. Meanwhile, the family will be eternally thankful to the dog who saved his life: Axel is now Gabriel’s defender.
“He’s now tasked with following Gabriel everywhere,” Amanda said in an interview with Today. “He’s now sleeping with Gabriel more, and Gabriel’s doors are open so he can go in and out.”
Thank god Axel was there — he truly saved Gabriel’s life. It’s incredible how smart and protective dogs can be. We’re wishing Gabriel a full and fast recovery!