Dog's bite saves owner's life in unexpected twist

Dog bite saves owner's life in unexpected twist

Tiger Coffman, diagnosed with a rare disease, faces another life-changing event. His dog, Nolan, bit off his toes while he was sleeping. Despite the incident, Tiger fought to keep his dog, Nolan, by his side. Doctors believe Nolan's final actions ultimately saved Tiger's life.

HOUSTON - Tiger Coffman, diagnosed with neurofibromatosis at age 13, eventually became paralyzed due to the condition.

Recently, his dog Nolan likely instinctively started licking an infection on Tiger's feet. Since Tiger couldn't feel it and didn't stop him, that led to nibbling, then biting his toes off.

Despite the incident, Tiger fought to keep his dog by his side.

The backstory:

Tiger's journey began with a baseball injury at age 13, leading to his diagnosis. Neurofibromatosis is a rare condition causing benign tumors on nerve endings.

Tiger's positivity and resilience have been evident throughout his journey, supported by his family and beloved dog, Nolan. He saved Nolan's life from a shelter a year ago and says it's Nolan who is saving his life, through lots of love.

The incident with Nolan occurred just weeks ago, resulting in emergency surgery and then rehabilitation.

Tiger recounts dog bite

What they're saying:

"I don't care what happens to me from here down, as long as I'm here upwards. I'm going to stay positive. I'm going to stay smiling and tell people that God has got a plan for us," says Tiger Coffman.

His loving dad, Thomas "Pops" describes the gruesome scene.

"I looked and saw blood everywhere. I walked over there, and he had no toes. Nolan had blood all over his face and had to tell Tiger that Nolan ate his toes off," Thomas explained. 

"I woke up to my dad in a full-on panic, but I didn’t believe him because he's a big prankster. I gave him my phone and made him take a picture - and I said, ‘Whoa he ate my toes,’" recalls Tiger.

Tiger stays resilient

Tiger didn’t let it get him down! 

Dig deeper:

This is the fifth time that Tiger has sought help at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Cypress. He says they always help strengthen him.

"This place is amazing because they not only increase my physical strength but my emotional strength," Tiger said about his rehabilitation center.

"He's always coming with the most positive attitude, big Astros fan, always looking forward to improving his strength," said Saint Molly Martinez, his case manager at Encompass. 

Local perspective:

In Cypress, Tiger's journey inspires those around him, with his rehabilitation team praising his positive attitude.