The 25-year-old young man had been initially diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2011 and has been fighting since then. His French Bulldog was his loyal companion who never left his side.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on August 21, 2019. It has since been updated.
The strength of a bond between a man and his dog will probably be never be understood completely by science and only the heart can fathom the depth of it. As much as humans grieve for their dogs, the lovely creatures do for their owners as well. The dog Hachiko's is one such story that can break hearts no matter how many times you read it. However, this latest incident where a man's loyal dog died almost 15 minutes after the owner breathed his last should also go down in history as the most heartbreaking one.
Stuart Hutchison of Scotland was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2011, according to AlloaAdvertiser. Initially, he was misdiagnosed with an ear infection when he had complained of severe headaches and dizziness. He had then undergone emergency surgery but the cancer returned in two years when he turned 19. The doctors had again misdiagnosed the condition.
Stuart had been going through chemotherapy but after he and his wife went for a holiday to Spain he returned to the hospital with a sore hand. He was then told that there was an aggressive tumor. The cancer had also spread to his bones and the chemotherapy couldn't keep cancer at bay.
Finally, at the age of 25, after spending eight years struggling with the disease, going through chemotherapy and surgery, his fight ended on August 11. The cancer had spread to his bones. His mother, Fiona Conaghan, 52, told Mirror UK, "Stuart died about 1.15pm that day, and Nero died roughly 15 minutes later. He had three dogs, but him and Nero were like one man and his dog. Nero was the dog which was always with him."
Despite the struggle, the 25-year-old reached the milestone of getting married to the woman he loved. On January 25 this year, Stuart and Danielle, 22, got married even though he relapsed in December 2018. Despite their attempts, he couldn't be healed and while they were prepared, it was still shocking and traumatic for the family.
"Danielle was heartbroken to have lost both of them, but she has been so strong. We got Stuart home four weeks ago because he wanted to die at home because that's where he was born. We cared for him at home. We expected it but it is still tough. It is still a shock and traumatic when it finally comes," Fiona told Mirror UK.
They discovered that Nero was unwell when Danielle’s dad went to their home after her glasses broke and she needed a spare pair. The couple had moved in with Fiona after Stuart returned from the hospital. Danielle's father found the three-year-old French Bulldog Nero severely ill. He was taken to the vet where he too passed away soon after Stuart, who loved his dogs. He had two more apart from Nero, one female dog called Nala and Amelia, a puppy of Nala and Nero.
While they deal with their personal tragedy, Fiona wants the world to remember Stuart for the loving and strong man he was.
“He was a really strong person who fought this for eight years," she told Alloa Advertiser. "He was such a loving person, too. So many people have been in touch who I don’t even know. They have all been saying a lot of nice things about him which is comforting for us.”
Stuart Hutchison doted on his two-year-old French bulldog, Nerohttps://t.co/04nRWdQ5DC
— The Daily Record (@Daily_Record) August 20, 2019
Stuart will be buried alongside his grandparents and Nero on August 21.
References:
