Bill Rosener, Ph.D. Home CV Teaching Portfolio Woodturning Contact |
Author Unknown
The 26-year-old mother stared down at her 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 dreams 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 six-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 one - with 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 fire
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 video taped 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 just the fire
department coming to see one of it's finest members one more time. And
will you open the window to his room? Thanks."
About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the
hospital, extended its ladder up to Billy's third floor open
window and 16 firefighters 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," the chief said.
With those words, Billy smiled and closed his eyes one last time.
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