Therapet: Animal Assisted Therapy

Donor Impact: A story fromTherapet Stormy

While we were waiting in the hospital lobby to get started one Sunday at UT Health Tyler, a nurse came up to our hospital escort and asked if the Therapets could stop by the trauma ICU.

We had a very full day, visiting many patients before we headed to the ICU. Stormy and I visited about 4 ICU rooms and I thought we were done when the hospital escort came and asked me to do one more room: the room of an 18-year-old young woman who had suffered a traumatic brain injury. Up until that morning, this woman had been non-responsive, but earlier she had responded to a command to take something from her mom. Since that time, she was back to non-responsiveness and our escort told me not to expect much.

I put Stormy in the chair next to the bed and the nurse who had asked us to visit was on the opposite side and she shifted the patient so that the patient could see Stormy. I asked if I could help the patient pet Stormy and both the nurse and the patient's mom said yes. I lifted the young woman's hand and put it on Stormy's head and moved it to stroke Stormy. After a couple of pets, the patient began to smile and I said that Stormy liked to have her head scratched. I let go of the patient's hand and very slowly her fingers contracted and extended as she scratched. I then said Stormy also liked to have her ears scratched and slowly, the patient's hand slid down to Stormy's ear and continued scratching.

Throughout this entire visit, Stormy sat like a stone statue, not moving a muscle. If you know Stormy, stillness is not her best quality. It was as if she knew this was a very different visit and that she had to be extremely quiet.

As I looked up, there were teary smiles on the faces of all in the room and as I was leaving, I heard the mom reading the back of Stormy's trading card to her daughter. Our hospital escort met me outside the room with tears in her eyes. She said it was the smile on the patient's face that choked her up and at that moment, the depth of what had just happened hit me. I couldn't be prouder of Stormy and the therapy she offered.

Stormy is a 6 year old Labrador, certified on 1/26/24. She travels all over doing Obedience and Rally competitions and when not doing Therapet visits, loves to play ball and tug, swim and eat. Because of her small cuddly size, we like to think of her as a LAPrador.