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For Fozzie the dachshund, it didn't look like it was going to be a merry Christmas last month. His owner was being admitted to the hospital experiencing heart problems, and with everything happening so quickly, there was a big question about who would be available to take care of Fozzie until he could be reunited with his friend.
Little did Fozzie know that a kind and compassionate employee of UPMC Williamsport would go above and beyond her job description to make sure that Fozzie and his owner had a good outcome both mentally and physically from the hospital stay.
Chad Losell, of DuBoistown, Fozzie's owner, had been scheduled for a visit with his cardiologist because of swelling in his leg.
"I knew that was out of the ordinary for me," Losell said.
It was Nov. 28 when the doctor's office called to say the appointment would have to be rescheduled for Dec. 11 because the cardiologist had fallen down and broken their hand.
"I agreed to that initially, but then about an hour or so later I realized that my symptoms were getting worse. I really didn't think it was in my best interest to wait," Losell said.
In conversations with his physician, he was told that the tests needed to diagnose the problem couldn't be done for weeks, possibly months, so the best thing that he could do was go to the emergency room.
"That's exactly what I did," Losell said.
"When I arrived, they did some blood work and told me that I actually had a heart attack at some point and they wanted to admit me right away," he said.
Amazingly, Losell refused at that point to be admitted to the hospital because he needed to find somewhere for Fozzie to stay.
"I was actually gone for about an hour. I thought that I had someone who would be able to watch him for the next few weeks, but unfortunately that didn't work out. I found that out later on," he said.
After he returned to the ER, the process started for his care and he was admitted to the hospital. He thought at this point that Fozzie was going to be cared for.
"Because I thought I had all the arrangements made for Fozzie, I thought I'd be able to take care of myself and whatever the process was he would be there during the entire thing," he said.
The next day Losell found out those plans had fallen through.
"That's when I actually thought, 'What do I do?'" he said
He spoke with Doug Williams, a nurse in the cardiac unit, and told him that he was actually considering signing himself out of the hospital against medical orders.
"I can't abandon my dog and, without having arrangements, I couldn't go ahead with the procedure," Losell shared.
Fozzie had been just six weeks old when Losell got the puppy and, after 14 years, the bond they had was strong. Abandoning Fozzie would have been like abandoning a member of the family.
And, yes, Losell's daughter had named him after the lovable Muppet, Fozzie Bear. Originally he had a younger brother, Grover, who passed away.
Although Fozzie has had some stomach issues over the past year, mostly related to old age, he is otherwise healthy, Losell said. But still, being separated from the only owner you have known could be traumatic for the elderly dog.
When she heard about Losell's situation, Jordyn Nichols, a patient care technician at the hospital, who is also a nursing student at Penn College, volunteered to take care of Fozzie.
"I didn't know what to think. I thought it was the most generous thing that has ever been offered to me. I was really shocked at that point," Losell said when he learned what she had agreed to do.
Nichols experience with dogs as a dog sitter drove her decision, especially after she saw how stressed Losell was about Fozzie. He was what she termed "a hot mess" about the situation.
"(He was) at the point where he was going to leave when he needed heart surgery to save him. So he was gonna give that all up to go see his dog. It obviously was causing tremendous stress on him and I just wanted to take care of that completely," Nichols said.
"I know it probably wasn't easy, trusting a complete stranger to watch his dog. I sent him pictures to try to make sure he knew that I was trying my hardest to keep Fozzie safe and healthy," she said.
In between working and going to school she was able to take care of Fozzie and when he developed some health issues, related to stress, she took him to the veterinarian.
She also pampered him, buying -- among other things, a dog bed, a coat, a new collar, toys and miniature tennis balls to chase at the dog park. And she gave him a bath.
While Losell was still a patient at the hospital, Nichols was able to schedule a visit between him and Fozzie.
"It was so heartwarming. Chad was so happy to see Fozzie. There were actually other dogs in there when we went in because I guess they brought dogs that day. Chad was with the other dogs when I walked in with Fozzie. Immediately he was so happy to see him," Nichols said.
According to Losell, seeing his furry friend was "better than I ever could have imagined."
"I still get a little emotional, but seeing him, knowing that he was well cared for, that he was being taken care of...it was emotionally almost too much. It was just a fantastic experience," he said.
Just knowing that his dog was taken care of gave Losell the peace of mind to face the triple bypass surgery that he ended up having. Without Nichols stepping in and taking care of Fozzie, Losell said that he doesn't know if he would have recovered.
"I was worried about him. Up until the point that Jordan came into my room, that was my No. 1 concern. I was scared to death. I didn't know what to do," Losell said.
"Once she offered to take care of him, that pressure just faded away. I felt safe. From the first moment that I met Jordan, I trusted her. She just had such a quiet demeanor I knew that he was going to be fine with her. I could focus on my own health and getting better at that point," he said.
As someone entering the medical profession, Nichols said she feels this might be a service the hospital considers offering patients in situations similar to Losell's.
"I was actually talking about that. I think it'd be really cool. I know that I would volunteer for it. And I'm sure (other) people would if the hospital put something together kind of like an on-call system kind of deal. If a patient comes in and they need someone to watch a dog, whoever's available that week can do it. I think that'd be something that'd be really cool," she said.
Losell, who is now at home, wants people to know that what Nichols did was really special.
"I would like people to know that when most people would have turned away, she stepped up and made a difference in someone's life. She needs to be recognized for that and she should be very proud of the person that she's become," he said.