The Healing Journey

June 14, 2024

“Over the years I have felt the truest, purest love—the love of God, really, I imagine that’s what God’s love feels like—is the love that comes from your dog.”
— Oprah Winfrey

The most painful loss that Silvana and Franco suffered in their lives, a loss that has never left, was the death of their 7-year-old son Michael from a neuromuscular disorder. It had been a painful journey for the family since the time he was born and during the years of anxiety and disappointment while they tried to find a cure. Throughout his young life, he had a faithful companion in their dog, Lola. She sensed the young boy was ill and was always there for him throughout his short journey on Earth.

And she was there for him after he passed. Silvana still recalls how every time they went to visit his grave on a hillside above the Housatonic River, as soon as they got out of the car, Lola would dash through the door and race to the little boy’s grave ahead of everybody. No matter where Franco parked the car, Lola knew where Michael had been laid to rest. That was many years ago.

Decades later, the parents still visit their son’s grave several times a week. Lola died a few years after Michael, but the family finds consolation in knowing that the dog who stayed beside their young son throughout his illness is now with the little boy, who could not run while he was on Earth … but is now running with his dog in Heaven.

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