Baby’s Best Friends: Family’s Basset Hounds Refuse To Leave Dying Infant’s Bedside


A family’s two Basset hounds refused to leave the hospital bedside of tiny Nora Hall after she suffered a massive stroke, which shut down both sides of her brain.

The stroke happened when Nora was just four months old, and now, after weeks of intensive care, doctors at the Minneapolis Children’s Hospital have concluded the little girl will not survive her injuries.

According to a report in the Mirror Online, the longer the Nora stays alive in a medically induced coma, the more likely she is to suffer a traumatic and fatal heart attack. Now her parents, Mary and John Hall, have had to make the painful decision to unplug the baby’s life support.

However, throughout the ordeal of the last few weeks, the Halls have been amazed by a beautiful show of support from their two Basset hounds. Mary shared photos on Facebook, showing the two dogs with Nora, saying she can sense the dogs are both “stressed and sad” over Nora’s condition. Doctors have been lenient in allowing the family to keep the two Basset hounds in the room with their baby girl, and the dogs themselves refuse to leave her.

In a post on the social media platform on Friday, the Halls posted their latest update, letting everyone know they would be taking Nora off life support over the weekend. Mary said they were trying to decide whether to leave the two dogs with her brother, “in case they get more stressed seeing everyone upset, or if I should let them stay in the room for when she passes, so they aren’t left wondering where she is when we go home.”

However, hundreds of Facebook users responded, telling them to let the dogs stay with Nora during her final moments. After the response, the Halls decided to keep the Basset hounds in the ward as emotional support both for Nora and themselves.

According to the Australian Women’s Weekly, Mary said in a post on the The Wonderful World of Basset Hounds Facebook page, “They have been our babies for eight years before Nora.”

It was after Nora suffered the massive stroke, which shut down both sides of her brain and crippled her nervous system, that the Halls found out that their baby had been born with pulmonary hypertension, a rare, incurable condition with a low life expectancy.

The couple spent the four weeks since it happened researching pediatric cardiologists across the U.S. who could treat Nora’s condition, but they have finally concluded that no one can help.

Regrettably while most stroke sufferers lose the function of one side of the brain, Nora’s stroke hit both sides. This means, among other effects, that she cannot breathe naturally.

Reportedly, in the four weeks since she was admitted to hospital, Nora’s brain has shrunk to half its normal size, and she is severely brain-damaged.

In Friday’s Facebook post, Mary wrote that their hearts are so completely broken, “Our world is shattered,” as she revealed they are taking Nora off life support.

“We are devastated and ache for our baby girl. We tried so very hard to save her, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Mary went on to explain that the longer they keep Nora on life support, the higher the chance of another acute crisis, such as another stroke, organ failure, or a heart attack.

“We do not know when or how this would strike, but it is likely soon.”

Mary said, if this should happen, the pain and palliative team at the hospital cannot guarantee their baby girl will pass comfortably and unafraid.

While updating everyone who is supporting the family both at home and online, Mary said she is trying to appreciate the time they had with Nora. She said they have been praying so hard for a miracle, they didn’t realize the miracle was in front of them the whole time.

Mary added that Nora is their miracle and that, after reviewing everything, her medical team has told them they were amazed the baby had made it this far without suffering serious complications.

“That it was a miracle that she even hit milestones such as tracking with her eyes, chewing on her little hands, smiling and laughing.”

[Photo via Nora Hall Miracle Baby Facebook page]

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