George Wilson the deaf palliative care dog, spent five years lending his paw and giving his heart to patients and their families. Jai was George Wilson’s owner. George Wilson was named after Jai’s father, George Wilson, who shared the same birthday on the 8th of May.
The irony, George Wilson, the bulldog, sadly passed away on Jai’s father anniversary of his death, on October 12.
This chubby boy changed the life of many patients and families, including the doctors, nurses and teams behind the wonderful care that face difficult days.
We met George Wilson, when he attended the palliative care conference at Kiama in 2018, where he gained many hearts and shared their lunch. We were blessed to meet him and witness his big heart and beautiful soul.
Jai remembers one day when two beautiful family members, who were sitting outside of a hospital ward, were trying to emotionally deal with the heart break of losing their father, so then, this chubby bulldog, climbed on the chair right in the middle of them and sat there until they were smiling and giggling with laughter. That was one of the kind of things George would do from love and compassion.
George would be off lead, so he chose who to go and visit, which often included the tearoom to check if scones were being served for morning tea.
You cannot train a dog to have a sixth sense for patients, or for people who were grieving or anxious; this is a special gift that this chubby boy had. He was able to create cancer awareness. Jai, his owner, has received many letters from patients and their families of how George Wilson had helped them. Even, through social media, a lovely lady thanked George, for encouraging her to have a breast check as she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
George Wilson had six years full of love from around the world and sadly passed with liver cancer on the 12th of October 2022.
His gift and legacy: a big heart and the ability to help families live in the moment.