It was just another quiet, early Saturday morning at the Tanner household in Spring, Texas, when everything changed in an instant.
Gabriel Silva, a high school senior, lay asleep in his room, completely unaware that his life was about to take a dramatic turn.
But while the rest of the house remained oblivious, the family dog, Axel, was wide awake, sensing something was terribly wrong.
At just a year old, the playful border collie they’d rescued wasn’t known for being particularly calm. Yet, around 5 a.m. that morning, the pup was acting out of character.
He jumped onto Amanda Tanner and her husband’s bed and urgently tried to wake them up. At first, Amanda thought it was just his usual morning routine, but Axel wasn’t taking no for an answer, as Amanda shared in an interview:
“He was pawing me more than normal to get me to move.”
He nudged and nudged with determined paws, refusing to leave the couple’s bed. Confused and groggy, Amanda’s husband eventually got out of bed and went downstairs, assuming Axel needed to go outside.
But the dog ignored the open door, stopping in front of Gabriel’s bedroom door. He stared at the door as if he was guarding something precious inside.
Worried, Gabriel’s dad decided to open the door. That’s when he found Gabriel lying in bed, struggling to speak and unable to move his right side. Gabriel was having a stroke which was almost unheard of for someone so young and healthy.
Just a few hours earlier, they were taking senior photos and looking forward to graduation. Now, they were racing against time, rushing Gabriel to the emergency room.
Dr. Sabih Effendi diagnosed the young man with a spontaneous arterial dissection, explaining that there was a tear in one of the arteries that supply blood to the brain.
The stroke affected the left side of his brain, which explained the weakness on his right side and the difficulty with speech. There was a tense moment when Dr. Effendi feared that Gabriel might need around-the-clock care, even if he pulled through.
Amanda’s heart sank as she watched her son struggle to speak, sharing:
“He’s senior year. He’s (in) varsity soccer. And I’m like, what just happened? A whole life of planning and it all looks different now.”
Most people think of strokes as something that happens to the elderly, but kids and teens can be affected too, though it’s rare.
Gabriel hadn’t shown any warning signs – just a blurry vision and a sense of losing control, but no pain. No one would have guessed that the dull headache he had the night before was a precursor to such a devastating event.
Doctors marveled at Axel’s instincts, noting how his alertness made all the difference in Gabriel’s outcome, as Dr. Effendi shared:
“It’s very amazing that their dog alerted and started this whole process of getting everyone awake and going downstairs… If he was not found and another three or four hours went by, there would have been more and more and more brain injury.”
Axel was just a young dog, but that morning, he became something more – a hero. Somehow, the pup knew Gabriel was in danger and did the only thing he could: he used his instincts and loyalty to raise the alarm.
Thankfully, with immediate treatment, Gabriel’s condition started to improve. Less than two months after the stroke, he’s already made remarkable progress. He shared:
“I feel like as I was before.”
He’s taking classes from home and working hard with therapists to regain his strength. His doctor is optimistic, calling his recovery “amazing.”
And Axel? He’s now become Gabriel’s guardian, never straying far from his side, as Amanda shared:
“He’s now tasked with following Gabriel everywhere. He’s now sleeping with Gabriel more, and Gabriel’s doors are open so he can go in and out. He’s always been very sensitive to everything and everybody’s emotions at home.”
It’s amazing to think the Tanner family rescued Axel, not knowing he’d end up rescuing them right back. If not for his persistence, those precious hours could have slipped away, and Gabriel’s condition might have been much worse.
Axel gave Gabriel a second chance and although the road to recovery is still ongoing, the family knows they have a true guardian by their side.