APRIL 22 "THE GOOD COMFORTER"
Douglas Maurer, 15, of Creve Coeur , Missouri ,
had been feeling bad for several days. His temperature was ranging between 103
and 105 degrees, and he was suffering from severe flu-like symptoms. Finally,
his mother took him to the hospital in St. Louis .
Douglas Maurer was diagnosed as having leukemia. The doctors told him in frank
terms about his disease. They said that for the next three years, he would have
to undergo chemotherapy. They didn't sugarcoat the side effects. They told Douglas he would go bald and that his body would most
likely bloat. Upon learning this, he went into a deep depression. His aunt
called a floral shop to send Douglas an
arrangement of flowers. She told the clerk that it was for her teenage nephew
who has leukemia. When the flowers arrived at the hospital, they were
beautiful. Douglas read the card from his
aunt. Then he saw a second card. It said: "Douglas --I
took your order. I work at Brix florist. I had leukemia when I was 7 years old.
I'm 22 years old now. Good luck. My heart goes out to you. Sincerely, Laura
Bradley." His face lit up. He said, "Oh!"
It's funny: Douglas Maurer was in a hospital
filled with millions of dollars of the most sophisticated medical equipment. He
was being treated by expert doctors and nurses with medical training totaling
in the hundreds of years. But it was a salesclerk in a flower shop, a woman
making $170 a week, who--by taking the time to care, and by being willing to go
with what her heart told her to do-gave Douglas
hope and the will to carry on.
Comments
Post a Comment