I received this email from a friend of mine. I had seen it before but this time I decided to share the story on the blog. Sometimes stories like this put things in perspective. We must be thankful for what we have and acts of kindness we perform can go a very long way.
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In Phoenix , Arizona , a
26-year-old mother stared down at her 6 year old son, who
was dying of terminal leukemia.
Although her heart
was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of
determination.
Like any parent, she wanted her son to
grow up and fulfill all
his dreams. Now that was no
longer possible.
The leukemia would see to that. But
she still wanted her son's
dream to come true.
She
took her son's hand and asked, 'Billy, did you ever
think about what you wanted to be once you grew up
? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with
your life ?'
Mommy, 'I always wanted to be a fireman
when I grew up.'
Mom smiled back and said, 'Let's see
if we can make your wish
come true.'
Later that
day she went to her local fire Department in Phoenix,
Arizona, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big
as Phoenix .
She explained her son's final wish and
asked if it might be possible to give her 6 year-old son
a ride around the block on a fire engine.
Fireman Bob
said, 'Look, we can do better than that. If you'll
have
your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning,
we'll
make him an honorary Fireman for the
whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with
us, go out on all the fire calls, the
whole nine yards !
And if you'll give us his sizes,
we'll get a real fire uniform
for him, with a real fire
hat - not a toy onewith the emblem of the
Phoenix
Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear
and
rubber boots.'
'They're all manufactured right here
in Phoenix , so we can get them fast.'
Three days later Fireman Bob
picked up Billy, dressed him in his uniform and
escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook
and ladder truck.
Billy got to sit on the back of the
truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was
in heaven.
There were three fire calls in Phoenix
that day and Billy
got to go out on all three
calls.
He rode in the different fire engines, the
Paramedic's' van, and even the fire chief's
car. He was also videotaped for the local
news program.
Having his dream come true, with all
the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply
touched Billy, that he lived three months longer than any
doctor thought possible.
One night all of his vital
signs began to drop dramatically and
the head nurse, who
believed in the hospice concept - that no one should die
alone, began to call the family members to the
hospital.
Then she remembered the day Billy had spent
as a Fireman, so
she called the Fire Chief and asked if
it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the
hospital to be with Billy as he made his
transition..
The chief replied, 'We can do better
than that. We'll be there in five minutes. Will you please
do me a favor ?
When you hear the sirens screaming
and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA
system that there is not a fire? 'It's the department coming
to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you
open the window to his room?
About five minutes later
a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended
its ladder up to Billy's third floor open window
-------- 16 fire-fighters climbed up the
ladder into Billy's room!
With his mother's
permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how
much they LOVED him.
With his dying breath, Billy
looked up at the fire chief and
said, 'Chief, am I really
a fireman now?'
'Billy, you are, and The Head Chief,
Jesus, is holding your hand,' the chief
said.
With those words, Billy smiled and said, 'I
know, He's been
holding my hand all day, and the angels
have been singing.'
He closed his eyes
one last time.
Please pass this along to people you want
to be touched & blessed.
This story is powerful
and there is nothing attached.
Uplifting stories are one of the best gifts
we receive. There is no cost, but a lot of rewards, so
let's
continue to uplift one another ~
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