When Marine Corps veteran, Corporal Jeff DeYoung, learned that his service dog in Afghanistan got diagnosed with bone cancer, the veteran broke in tears. But more than feeling defeated, DeYoung vowed that he would fight the illness with his beloved pooch.
The service dog is named Cena. Cena has been with DeYoung when he got deployed in Afghanistan. The two quickly build a good relationship with each other because the veteran is a dog person. Cena, on the other hand, is a playful pooch who loves goofing around for attention.
From there, Cena and DeYoung became inseparable. This is the reason why the pain for DeYoung when he knew of Cena’s disease is unbearable. When they visited the veterinarian, DeYoung received advice that the pooch only has few weeks left to live.
This added to the stress level of DeYoung. He, though, could not show his frustrations in front of Cena because he does not want the dog to feel defeated. Instead of mourning the news, DeYoung used this as leverage to spend the remaining days with Cena. He listed down a bucket list of the activities Cena enjoys doing, and DeYoung vowed that they would do it often.
The first thing the two did was to ride a Jeep Wrangler. This is one of the activities Cena enjoys doing when both of them are still in Afghanistan. So, DeYoung thought it would be best for them to do the exercise again. DeYoung rented the largest Jeep Wrangler in California and let Cena rode it. During the trip, it can be seen in Cena’s eyes how happy the dog was.
While DeYoung is uncertain how much time left he has with Cena, the veteran said he does not care. What is essential for him is to live the present with the pooch and enjoy his time with Cena.
Credits to Funky Smile.
