John Unger, from Wisconsin, United States, went into Lake Superior every night with his dog Schoep in his arms.
It was no ordinary walk: Schoep, a shepherd mix, had such severe arthritis that the pain kept him from sleeping. John discovered that the cold water soothed his joints, and so, night after night, he stood still in the lake holding his companion until he finally closed his eyes in peace.
In 2012, someone photographed that scene. The image traveled around the world and sparked something no one expected: a wave of donations that allowed Schoep to receive laser therapy. That money gave him an extra year of life without pain, something that had once seemed impossible.
Schoep died in 2013, at the age of 20, surrounded by the same love that supported him through every night in the cold water. His story continues to remind us that sometimes the best medicine is not in a bottle, but in the arms of someone who chooses not to let you go.
