(This story appears in the sermon by yours truly posted below–KSH).
On Courage
“So you think I’m courageous?” she asked.
“Yes, I do.”
“Perhaps I am. But that’s because I’ve had some inspiring teachers. I’ll tell you about one of them….
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at Stanford Hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liza who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her five-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, ‘Yes, I’ll do it if it will save Liza.’
“As the transfusion progressed, he lay in a bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and
asked with a trembling voice, ‘Will I start to die right away?’
“Being young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give her all his blood.
“Yes, I’ve learned courage,” she added, “because I’ve had inspiring teachers.”
–Dan Millman
–Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen Chicken Soup for the Soul (Deerfield Beach, Florida: Health Communications, 1993), pp.26-27
Thank you so much for posting this. Not having read Chicken Soup For the Soul or checking the blog since Thursday, I am reading this for the first time and still cannot quite catch my breath or see clearly for the tears! For the heart and courage of a child…