FORT LUPTON, Colo. (KDVR) — A man’s best friend: A perfect way to describe Hank Ford and his service dog Tommy. It was never truer than back in February when Tommy saved Ford’s life.
Whether it’s volunteering five hours a week at the golf course, going to the supermarket, or getting tours of his favorite stadium, Hank Ford is never without his service dog Tommy.
“We’re one, you know. I mean we’re we’re kind of like the same being, you know, that we’re that connected,” Ford said.
Ford, a veteran, suffers from ptsd and depression. That is what led him to reach out and get Tommy. A bond that would forever change Ford’s life.
A life he almost lost, if Ford hadn’t felt Tommy nudging his chest, waking him up earlier than their usual time.
“It was just a matter of ‘you need to get up, you need to get up’, and so that I did finally get up and when I stood up I was just I could just tell I wasn’t feeling right,” Ford said.
Doctors told Ford he was experiencing atrial fibrillation or AFib, an irregular heartbeat that could lead to a medical emergency.
“The doctor said that had he not woken me up that I could have had a massive stroke or maybe not woken up,” Ford said.
Ford says every day he is thankful for his furry friend. Thankful he made the call to get the help he needed.
“I was in a really dark place and Tommy wasn’t the light at the end of the tunnel. Tommy turned the lights on,” Ford said.
Ford says he hopes by sharing his story, other veterans will step up and get service dogs of their own.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
