Being around animals can be so therapeutic, and make even the darkest times so much brighter. When a 78-year-old woman was in hospice care, her only wish was to see her favorite animal again — and it led to an incredibly beautiful moment.
Jackie Stalter, 78, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma kidney failure last October and is now in hospice care, according to
As she neared the end, her daughter Jaime wanted to make her mom’s final days as special as possible. And she knew Jackie wanted nothing more than to see a horse one last time.
Horses are Jackie’s favorite animal, and she has been around them her whole life. “The first time I ever sat on a horse I was three,” she told 9 News. “Horses are very much like people… they love the way people love, they care the way people care.”
Jaime said that horses have gotten through her mother through some difficult times, and she knew they could help her now. “They helped my mom through a lot of things, a lot of deaths in our family and things like that,” Jaime said. “They were always my mom’s go-to to feel better.”
She said she had been trying to arrange a horse visit since her mom first got sick. And recently, the nonprofit Praying Hands Ranch came through: they brought a mustang named Salida to AdventHealth Porter Hospice just for Jackie.
It’s an incredibly moving moment as Jackie greets the beautiful horse: “Oh, baby… hi pretty! Good girl,” she tells the horse.
“If I could, I’d get on him,” she says. “I’d get on him, and I’d go.”
Jaime was moved to tears to finally see her mother get one final walk with the animal she has always loved so much. “For my mom, this is probably the last time she’ll get to see a horse,” Jaime told 9 News. “And that’s really special that we were able to share that with her.”
“I think it just really shows my family that there are kind people out there that care and like to see other people happy.”
What a beautiful moment — thank you to everyone who helped make this possible. We know it meant the world for Jackie to get to see a horse one last time 🥹❤️
Please share this story if you love animals.
