08/21/2026
A seriously ill cancer patient in Poland wasn’t most worried about himself. He was worried about his two cats.
Dr. Tomasz Dzierżanowski, who works in palliative care in Warsaw, arranged for the cats to visit him in the hospital.
When they arrived, the patient broke down in tears of happiness. The reunion was so emotional that it stayed with the doctor and helped inspire a bigger idea.
Poland is now considering a law that would give hospice and palliative-care patients the right to see their own pets. Some hospitals already allow these visits, but there is no nationwide legal right yet, and the proposal has not become law.
For someone nearing the end of life, comfort does not always come from medicine. Sometimes it comes on four paws.