With all the political insanity plaguing the news cycle, it’s nice to get an inspirational palate cleanser every once in while. There’s so much negativity in the air, that it can become difficult to give folks the benefit of the doubt or even think of them in a respectable way.
But no matter how much doom and gloom fills the airwaves, at the end of the day, most people are just trying to live their lives as best they can and are looking for any semblance of happiness they can find. This is especially true for Owen Mahan, who’s suffered more in his short life than most will in a lifetime.
As reported at the Daily Mail, a 10-year-old boy who suffered burns on 98 percent of his body and as a result had both legs amputated, had his dreams come true when he met the source of his inspiration–a quadruple-amputee therapy dog named Chi Chi.
Owen Mahan from Pittsboro, Indiana, flew to Arizona on Friday to meet Chi Chi. But until his furry friend was right in front of him wagging her tail, he had no idea what the trip was for him to meet his idol.
Owen’s mother, Susan Mahan, solicited the help of hundreds of people to make her son’s wish a reality.
“He saw a video about Chi Chi and said he wanted to meet Chi Chi…‘ she said to 12News. “Hundreds of people got together and just contributed to make this happen.”
“He had no clue what we were doing,” Susan said. “He had no idea Chi Chi was going to be here.”
Owen’s injuries resulted from him falling into hot bath water when he was only two-years old. He had burns on 98 percent of his body and doctors thought he had little chance of survival. However, the courageous young man defied expectations, but at a very steep price. He’s had numerous surgeries over the years and the latest ones in February and June this year saw him lose both his legs.
Susan, who’s not his biological mother, met Owen when he was three and took him in as a foster child and later adopted him. He was inspired to meet Chi Chi after one of his teachers showed him a video of the dog to lift his spirits after losing his own limbs.
Chi Chi’s story is also an impressive tale. The three-year old Golden Retriever came to the US to live with Elizabeth Howell and her family after she was found in a trash bin in South Korea in 2016.
“Every picture I see of her she looks like she’s smiling,” Susan said. “Owen is the same way. He comes out of surgery smiling, so they’re both smiling and they’re both like so something bad happened to me, let’s just move on.”
When Howell learned that Owen was one of the people following the dog online, she began looking for ways to help the family meet Chi Chi. It wouldn’t have been possible if NASCAR driver Tony Howard hadn’t stepped in and loaned the family his private jet to make the journey. Owen and Chi Chi were guests at a NASCAR event and even played sports together thanks to Howard’s invitation.
“Owen is an amazing young man and has persevered and overcome challenges like Chi Chi has,” Howell said. “That really spoke to us and we wanted to do something special to celebrate him.”
Next time you start getting down and think you’ve got it tough, just remember everyone’s facing their own trial and tribulations, some more serious than others. It’s about our attitude and how we handle them that ultimately defines us.
Source: Daily Mail