Father Who Lost His Life to Cancer Arranged the Perfect ‘Final Gift’ for His Teen Son

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A Michigan father of two, Joe Kavaluskis loved surprises and was known among the family for his unexpected gestures. However, when he lost his battle with cancer in January 2020, Joe’s youngest son was on the receiving end of the perfect goodbye with one last surprise gift.

Joe’s wife, Melanie, shared her husband’s story on a GoFundMe page created to help the family with their mounting medical bills and funeral costs. “[Joe] was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, similar to leukemia or lymphoma,” Melanie explained.

In the first year after his diagnosis, Joe underwent chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, buying three healthy years. “However, over the last few years, the battle has been a literal rollercoaster,” Melanie continued.

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Joe, the father to two sons, Ryan and Logan, battled cancer for nine long years. He passed away on Jan. 8, 2020, aged 47, just five days before Logan’s 13th birthday.

However, unbeknownst to his grieving son, Joe had planned to be there in spirit through a poignant gesture on his son’s special day. He was aware of how Logan had always wanted a puppy.

On Jan. 13, the Kavaluskis family drove to visit a litter of Boston terrier/French bulldog cross puppies under the pretense of adopting a puppy for Logan’s cousin, Jon. A tear-jerking video later shared on YouTube captured the emotional moment when the 12-week-old puppy was passed to Logan in the backseat of the car.

“That’s from your dad,” Jon says. “That’s your dog.”

Logan, overwhelmed, asks, “Really?” before being reassured, “Yes, he’s yours.”

The birthday boy asks for confirmation again, through tears, all the while holding the tiny puppy tightly, a parting gift from his loving father. “Dad wanted you to have a puppy,” Jon says.

Logan named the pup “Indy,” after a trick in snowboarding, the teen’s favorite sport. The bond between Logan and his new puppy was immediate.

As per WZZM 13, Logan had wanted a dog since he was just 3 years old, having been gifted a Boston terrier stuffed animal from a Silver Lake gift shop, naming it “Puppers,'' and taking it everywhere. Logan’s dream never came true, because his dad was severely allergic to dogs.

In the wake of losing their beloved husband and father, the Kavaluskis family banded together to enact Joe’s final wish for Logan: to get him the puppy he'd always wanted.

After collecting the puppy, the family pulled into a gas station on their drive home and asked Logan to hold him for a photo. That was the moment Jon chose to reveal to Logan that the little dog was his after all—a gift from his late father.

“You love him?” Jon asks in the video clip, which has amassed over 290,000 views to date. “He’s all yours!”

Logan later told Inside Edition that his father relished surprises, always keeping secrets until the last possible moment. “He turned everything into a good, happy thing,” Logan said.

The teen also told WZZM 13 that his new puppy, Indy, “fits to all of our needs.” The puppy cuddles happily with Melanie and his older brother, Ryan. He also plays with Logan unless instructed to “relax.”

“I think it’s probably the best gift I’ve ever gotten from [my dad],” Logan reflected, as per Fox 17.

“He’s the best dad that I could have asked for, for my boys,” Melanie further added.

Melanie shared that Indy has imbued the family home with love, comfort, and distraction since his arrival on Jan. 13. Her husband, Joe, the father of her sons, lives on through his last generous gift.

“I know he’s taught the boys [to] just keep pushing forward, don’t give up, and good things will come to you if you do good things for others,” Melanie told Inside Edition.