Paxton Williams has managed to demonstrate his true personality, thanks to the company of his dog Marvel, who curiously suffers from a problem similar to him in one of his limbs.
Little Paxton was born at 24 weeks gestation, and was the size of the palm of your hand; he also had trouble breathing. Before being transferred to the neonatal care unit he had to be resuscitated, but a week later he developed a terrible bone infection.
This directly affected his right leg, so he had to undergo surgery several times to try to control the disease.
Boy with limb difference gets a dog
However, the infection caused damage and affected the growth of his leg, hip joint and knee socket.
Blaine Williams, the boy’s father, told Today:
“The lower leg, the foot, the ankle and the heel, it was fine. He was a little slower at crawling and things like that, but he had his own style of movement.”
For a long time, Paxton helped himself with shoe lifts so that his legs were roughly the same length and he could walk easily. But as the days passed, his right leg began to develop so slowly that shoe lifts were no longer a useful solution.
Paxton tried a brace for a while, but his family realized that he would need a prosthetic leg and a mechanical knee.
For this reason, the boy underwent an amputation when he was only 4 years old and a special device was placed in order to be able to move around.
Blaine commented:
“He was very excited to get a wheelchair so he could walk around. That state of mind explains a bit of his personality.”
When he is old enough, he will have a microprocessor knee to help him. Paxton knows that he is different, but he adapted quickly.
On the other hand, Marvel was born at the end of February, his caregiver, Barb Felt, who belongs to Rolling Oaks Goldens, quickly noticed that she was missing a front leg.
Barb said:
“He wasn’t bleeding, there just wasn’t a leg. I immediately sent a photo to my vet and said: What do you think happened?”
The vet said that perhaps the umbilical cord wrapped around his leg and cut off circulation, stunting normal limb development.
Marvel did not care much about his physical deformity, as he is easily mobilized and performs all the activities of a normal dog without problems.
Barb added:
“He has great coordination, so he may never need any type of prosthesis, although that has yet to be determined.”
As her caregiver, Barb wanted to make sure Marvel could find a special home like her, that loved her with her needs.
The woman had seen a touching story on social media about a girl with a deformity in her limbs that she had a dog with the same condition. So she wanted her sweet Marvel to have a home where she could find a special little person and help each other move forward.
Fortunately, Paxton’s therapist told his family about Marvel, and at the time, they didn’t know if they had room for a pet.
After thinking about it, they realized that it would not be bad to have a company for Paxton, especially since they suffered from the same problem. Blaine arranged a meeting with Barb, with the goal that the boy and Marvel meet, although they already knew that they were the perfect couple.
Blaine commented:
“They fell in love immediately… They were simply soul mates. It was amazing to see that connection.”
According to Barb, Paxton fell to the ground and Marvel gave him a little puppy attack, it was a very moving moment that made everyone cry.
Since she arrived in her new home, the two of them have consolidated their friendship, and Marvel has become an important token for the boy’s progress.
Now Paxton feels more secure, because he knows that his best friend is also like him and will always be by his side to help him.
Blaine added:
“People will say: What’s wrong with his leg? and then Paxton steps in and says, Oh, she’s just like me! She has three legs and I am missing one too”.
The beautiful story of Paxton and Marvel demonstrates the importance of supporting people with special needs, in the end, we are all the same.
Images: Blaine Williams // Instagram/ adventures_with_marvel
Follow Pets Feed on Google News!