A kind man at the gift store
It was another long hospital stay, the kind that felt like it would never end. The hospital had a great playroom where we would read or play games, but there were times when my son was experiencing the effects of chemo (nausea, fatigue, etc.) and he just didn’t feel like doing anything. Many times I would put him in his stroller and take a walk around the hospital, just for a change of scenery.
The hospital store was a great distraction, for both me and my son. The volunteer workers recognized my son as a patient and always went out of their way to try to cheer him up. Many times they would give him a book to read, without charge, making him feel special. But one day a special angel was in the store and my son recieved a very special gift.
He was someone who worked at the hospital but not someone I had ever seen before. A total stranger who came to purchase something for himself. He saw my son, in the stroller, hooked up to the IV, smiled and tried to make him laugh. But it was one of those days, my son was miserable and he wasn’t about to participate. I don’t remember exactly how it happened, but suddenly, there was this big, soft, beautiful (and very expensive) teddy bear in my son’s lap. There was also a smile on my son’s face. The man purchased the bear at the gift shop and just gave it to my son. I never saw him again; don’t know that I ever will. But this is one memory that I will always hold dear to me; making the journey a little easier for me and my son.