Stranger Drives Dog Across Country After Little Boy Diagnosed with Cancer While on Vacation
When 8-year-old Perryn Miller was diagnosed with cancer while on vacation, all he wanted was the comfort of his dog.
When Perryn’s plight reached the ears of a former truck driver, the man drove the dog from North Carolina all the way to Utah, just to help a family he’d never even met.
Perryn, his mother and father, and his younger brother, left their home in Wilmington, North Carolina, to celebrate Christmas with family in Utah.
But days before Christmas, Perryn started to experience headaches so excruciating that his parents took him to the hospital.
To everyone’s shock, Perryn was diagnosed with Stage 4 glioblastoma multiforme, according to KUTV. He had emergency surgery two days before Christmas.
As Perryn started to recover from brain surgery, he was surrounded by loving family — but ached for his 8-month-old German shepherd, Frank.
Frank had been left behind in North Carolina for what was supposed to be a short duration. But now, it looks like the Miller family will be in Utah for quite some time as Perryn begins chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
When Perryn’s story circulated around on social media, it reached the eyes of former truck driver Bob Reynolds.
Reynolds had never met the Miller family, but he felt compelled to help.
Reynolds offered to drive Frank to Utah, a 2,300-mile journey, so he could reunite with young Perryn.
“I never questioned why I was doing it or anything like that. I just knew something had to be done and that I could do it,” Reynolds told CBS News.
The Miller family was overjoyed to see Frank again, and humbled that a man they’d never met would give them such a comforting gift.
“I felt really excited to see Frank. I just really like Frank and he’s a good dog,” Perryn said.
Perryn knows that Frank is happy to see him, too.
“One time when we were just laying down snuggling, a tear went down,” Perryn said. “He cried and I felt loved.”
Perryn’s father, Jacob Miller, is scarcely able to wrap his mind around all the events that have transpired so quickly.
“It’s been a whirlwind. It’s been hard,” Miller said. “But it’s been overwhelmingly awesome at the same time.”
Reynolds said he’s not quite through helping the Miller family just yet — when the time comes to drive back to North Carolina, he said he’d come to pick up Frank and bring him home, too.
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