If the title didn’t already have you reaching for the tissues, you’ve made a terrible mistake. Go get them now.

The good news is that there’s a heartwarming moment in this heartbreaking story.

More than a migraine

Ryan Jessen was just 33 years old when he developed a horrific headache. He assumed it was a migraine. After all, he was young and in relatively good health.

His main issue was high blood pressure, which his family thought was brought on by his copious consumption of energy drinks.

But it turns out that Jessen’s situation was far more dire. Lying in the hospital, he was diagnosed with a ventricular brain hemorrhage. He fell into a coma and his family was told he’d never come out.

It all happened so fast.

One last goodbye

As his loved ones gathered to say their goodbyes at the hospital, they realized one very important member of the family was missing – his dog, Mollie.

Jessen’s sister Michelle posted a heartwrenching video on her Facebook page with an explanation of what the hospital did for her brother and his best friend:

“Rideout Memorial Hospital did the sweetest thing for us and allowed us to bring my brother’s dog in to ‘say goodbye’ so she’d know why her human never came home. If you knew my brother, he really loved his sweet dog.”

And it looks like she loved him too.

In the 30-second clip from his bedside, Jessup’s beloved brown and white dog sniffed at her owner as he laid in a coma.

In just one week, it went viral with more than 12 million views.

“There he is, say goodbye to him,” a family member can be heard saying in the background. “There he is. Do you smell him?”

The emotional video includes a lot of tears and it’s hard not to get choked up while watching it.

Ryan’s mom and dad can be heard saying ‘Bye bye, daddy Ryan,” on behalf of the dog. And that’s when we lost it.

It’s a privilege to get to say goodbye to a loved one, but that certainly doesn’t make the moment any easier.

Closure

“We [released] him, with gratitude, to give the gift of life through the organ donor program to waiting recipients,” Michelle said. “We have personally, and prayerfully, received much support, for which we are gratefully indebted to each and every kindness. It happened so quickly.”

The outpouring of support from around the world also helped the family begin to heal – though such a wound never really goes away.

The good news is that Mollie isn’t going anywhere.

“We are sincerely touched and humbled by others’ stories, their sharing in our sadness and the kindness of so many people,” Michelle wrote later. ‘Don’t worry about the dog! We’re keeping her!!! She’s part of the family.'”

As one more act of healing, Jessen’s family found out that their devastating loss helped someone else that same December.

A 17-year-old boy in California, whose birthday is on Christmas, received Ryan’s heart, the family said.

“As sad as it is to lose Ryan,” Michelle Jessen wrote, “we know his heart is going to bring so much joy to the family of the recipient. I wish Ryan could know what a difference his heart will make for that young man.”

You can scroll down below if you’d like to see the video – but it’s a tough one.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Bored Panda, Facebook – Michelle Jessen, CBS News