Few things make me have more feelings than a sweet video about a loving, devoted pet.
You don't even need the sound on, although I encourage it because the music ... oh, the music. (It's from the movie "Up," so you know it's likely to make you cry.)
In this video PSA, which was created by Fundación Argentina de Trasplante Hepático and produced by DBD Argentina, a dog and an elderly owner share the kind of bond that we humans often share with our beloved pets.
When the old man collapses suddenly, the dog follows the elderly companion to the hospital.
The dog waits for days and days, hoping to see the friend again.
Finally, the hospital doors open, and the dog's head perks up, excited.
Only, it's not the elderly man coming out the door, it's a woman in a wheelchair.
You see, the old man was an organ donor. And while he might not be coming back through those doors, the dog would recognize the friend anywhere.
And the man saved a new friend's life.
My heart breaks AND fills with joy every time.
Organ donation really does save lives.
In the United States alone, 123,000 people are on the organ transplant list.
The American Transplant Foundation says that 21 people die every day while waiting for an organ transplant. That's a downer statistic.
On the flip side, one person's decision to donate organs can save up to eight lives and positively affect up to 50 people (and their families and pets).
For that last bit of info, think: cornea transplants. Every year, 40,000 people receive one. That's a lot of saved eyesight thanks to organ donation.
