If you believe that pets have the power to change our lives, and rescues save us in return for saving them, the story below is sure to pull at your heartstrings.
When veteran and Purple Heart recipient Joshua Marnio was serving in Iraq, he heard an explosion nearby and was showered with debris. Although he survived the attack with no visual injuries, he suffered from multiple concussions and a traumatic brain injury, according to a story by 11 Alive.
Marnio was eventually relocated to Ft. Riley in Kansas, and although he was back on US soil, the residual effects of the ordeal in Iraq began to take their toll.
“I was waking up and going to sleep with headaches,” he said in the story. “It really tests your metal when nobody believes you. It gets to the point where it felt like no one understands.”
When life felt too tough to bear, the soldier typed up a suicide note and stood outside his barracks, in the rain, to smoke his last cigarette.
That’s when he met a stray tuxedo cat … and everything changed.
Watch the remarkable story below:
It’s amazing that Scout first appeared in Marnio’s life at the exact right time, and even more incredible that they were reunited a second time.
This story is a beautiful testament to the powerful impact that pets can have on our lives – including saving them.
Share this story if it touched your heart.
(h/t: 11 Alive)