I will fully admit I am a coward when it comes to sick kids. One of the clients we had back in Venezuela was a government-run Oncology Hospital and it I just could not deal with the little ones all full of tubes and looking emaciated and still managing to come up with a smile and a hello wave. As I said, it was a government-run hospital and you knew their chances of survival were between zero and big fat chance and I simply could not deal with that.
Now this happened to me, it would take a team of Clydesdales to drag out of of whatever dark corner of the house I choose to polish a bottle of Jack Daniels* and a ton bandanas.
The respect I have for anybody working with sick and dying children cannot be measured. Sure as hell I cannot do it.
*For those who do not know, I have almost no tolerance for alcohol. I usually get tipsy by just reading the label.
Same here, no way could I handle that. Or being a vet and having to put down folks’ pets.
(no, folks, I am not equating kids and pets, don’t go there)
Decades ago when I was in college the students council did a welcome back bbq for students. After it was over we had hundreds of hot dogs and burgers cooked and left over plus bags and bags of buns. Rather than tossing it out one girl had the idea of taking it too a shelter and so she called them.and they told her too bring it down.
I was one of the three who hauled it all down. Being young I didn’t ask what kind of shelter and didn’t think much of it till we had to get buzzed through multiple doors and walk through a metal detector. Turns out it was a shelter for abused kids, there was some women with their kids as well, but a lot of kids.
Some stayed way back from us but some came close when they smelled the burgers. The injuries and scars on the kids was heart breaking; what kind of monster does that to a child? When the one kid came up to me and said thanks I lost it and started crying.
It still bothers me now, but it changed how I view the world. I look back at my life and I am thankful for they way it turned out.
Time for my allergy medicine.
I shouldn’t have watched that. I knew from the title i shouldn’t have watched that. I watched it against my better judgment. I can’t stop crying.
Damn you.
Indeed.
And, notice: Santa UNDERSTANDS the mission. It is not about him, or his feelings, or the pain he feels for this child.
It is about attempting to bring some joy to this child.
THAT is the mark of a MAN.
There is a special place in heaven for this guy and people like him who do things like this.
I’ve seen this interview. But it’s always chopped up.
It also made me think about when Caroll Spinney, he was the voice of big bird called up a kid with cancer. Just google “big bird is my friend”. It’s honesty still something that makes me tear up a little when I think about it. And I’ve known about it for years.