Bill Hogencamp wasn't supposed to make it to 2015, but he has – and he says a stray dog is responsible for his miraculous recovery!
In May, 84-year-old Bill was diagnosed with cancer "of the gall bladder, liver, colon and the lining of his abdomen." Being the age his was, Bill said he accepted his fate. "I have seven children and I've traveled all around the world," Hogencamp told news outlets. "I thought, if this is it, then this is it."
Bill did decide to get surgery to remove the tumors, and while he was recovering, Kathy, his wife, came across a stray dog on the side of the road. Kathy pulled over, says the stray walked right up to her "and put his paws up on her door." She opened the door and the dog jumped in.
At first Bill insisted that he didn't have the time or energy to take care of a dog, but as their new pet settled in, he began to follow Bill everywhere. Every chance he got, Mahjong (as they named him) sat next to Bill, providing love and support through an intense, post-surgery round of chemotherapy.
Today, Bill is cancer free, a diagnosis he never thought he'd hear. And the main reason he says he was cured? Mahjong.
"The dog seemed to know right away that Bill was sick and it was his job to take care of him," Bill's wife says. And Bill agrees, adding, "My life has been a miracle, and now Mahjong is part of that miracle."
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Bill Hogencamp says his dog Mahjong took care of him while he was recovering from cancer, and is the main reason he is now cancer free.
After walking on the side of the road, Mahjong - a Maltese that had been fixed but not microchipped - came up to Bill's wife's car and put his paws on the door, almost like he was asking to be adopted.
