Nurse goes ‘above and beyond’ to help take care of hospitalized veteran’s guide dog
Even during a pandemic, people have to go to the hospital to get treatment. When Vietnam veteran Joe Tasby had to be admitted to Southern Hills Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada, in March, he had no idea of what was about to transpire. Initially, Tasby thought he would only be in the hospital for a few days, but his stay dragged on for weeks.
So, when the coronavirus hit, he had no one to care for his guide dog, Cupid, who was with him at the hospital. Fortunately, a hospital staff member was willing to step in and help Tasby out.
A crisis amid a pandemic
Once everything went into lockdown with the emergence of the coronavirus, Tasby was left with a conundrum. Tasby, who is blind, depended on his guide dog Cupid to help him get around and had him by his side, even while he was hospitalized.
His daughter usually walked and fed Cupid, but with the lockdown, she was no longer able to get into the hospital. Thankfully, nurse Barbara Borbeck stepped up to the plate to help him out. In addition to caring for Tasby, she took on the responsibility of caring for Cupid as well.
Borbeck takes care of Cupid
Over the next three weeks, Borbeck took Cupid for walks in the morning as she did her daily rounds. She also took the time to take him outside for some fresh air and exercise. Most importantly, she kept Cupid fed and gave him an occasional treat.
Cupid grows fond of the nurse
Over time, the dog grew to love Borbeck, waiting at the door for her to get to work each morning, always with a doggie smile and a wagging tail.
“He really took to her,” Tasby told CBS News. “Sometimes I would see him jumping up and down, and so excited and happy to see her. He can usually tell if people have [a] good spirit, and no doubt, Barbara has a great spirit.”
Borbeck goes out of her way to help Tasby
Even with all she had to do as the hospital’s medical-surgical and telemetry director, she still found time to care for Cupid, and even went above and beyond the call of duty in one instance. When Cupid ran out of the special food he required, Borbeck went to nine different stores in the area to find it, spending 40 minutes before coming into work one day to do so.
Cupid also paid the hospital back as well, cheering up the staff as he made the rounds with Borbeck. Everywhere he went, the staff made sure to give him plenty of love.
Tasby appreciates all that Borbeck did
After three weeks, Tasby was finally ready to go home. As he and Cupid left, Borbeck walked with them to the door and said her goodbyes.
“I left there thinking, ‘I have to find some kind of way to show this lady how much I appreciate what she’s done for us through a difficult time,’” Tasby told CBS News. “It’s fortunate when you meet somebody who is in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing. And that is Barbara.”
For more on this heartwarming story of a nurse and her devotion to her patient and his guide dog, watch the video below.
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