Stories
Stories of caring, simple acts of kindness, examples of great selflessness inspire and enrich us. Read some recent submissions.
"A Beautiful Lady to Have Known"
July 22, 2008On August 17th, 2006, my mother, my best friend in fact left me to go to my dad in heaven. It happened so suddenly and it was a surprise to all when we found she was diagnosed with lung cancer only 2 weeks before her death. You know the hardest thing is to see your parent or parents die and suffer. My dad died suddenly when I was 14 and my mother, over those years as I was growing up, became both a mother and father to me. It only brought us closer over the years and that why the death of my mom hit me so hard. Her dying words to me as I held her hand in Hospice was please remember I love you and I told her that back too but please take care of my baby, never let anything bad happen to her. That baby she was talking about was my daughter who she loved with every bit of her heart she could. Its almost 2 years now since my mom left me and my daughter but I feel her around me all the time and those strong words she said to me before she closed her eyes for good. This woman, my mother was truly a beautiful person inside and out and will never be forgotten by me, my daughter or anyone else whose life she touched over the years. I wish everyone knew her, she was an absolutely beautiful lady to have known.
Debra
Florida
"I Became Living Proof"
July 10, 2008Hi. My name is Tyler Danner I am 11 years old, and last year I was a survivor of an extremely aggressive cancer called Alveleolor Rhabdomyosarcoma, and this is my story. It started when my eye started to look swollen right around Christmas time, my family put it into little regard, until about New Year's day. My mom took me to the doctor, and they diagnosed it as a serious sinus infection that had drained into me eye. The doctor's had given me some meds, and sent me off. The medicine had given me no shown improvement. I was at my dad's house when my eye looked so swollen it was barley open. I sent a picture of it to my mom on my phone, and she called my dad asking if she could take me to the E.R. he said okay, even though he thought it was no big deal. The children's E.R. could not figure out what the problem was, so they sent me over to Phoenix Children's Hospital to get scans. We waited there for several hours, and finally I got my scans. The doctor could only see that there was a mass there, so they had my mom and I spend the night there, so I could have emergency surgery the next morning. I woke up from the surgery in a hospital room. The doctors still had no clue what the problem was. After several terrible weeks in the hospital they sent me off to get a biopsy done of my eye because they were clueless on what was growing on top of my eye. The doctor preformed the biopsy 99% sure it wasn't cancer. He called a few days later to tell my mom that he was wrong, and I had cancer. I had been sent to the Phoenix Children's hospital clinic to meet with the doctors there. They had given me 43 weeks of extreme chemotherapy, and 5 weeks of radiation. They assured me my hair would fall out. These were some of the best and worst moments in my life. December, 7th 2007 I became living proof that childhood cancer is defeatable.
Tyler
Arizona
"Her Story"
June 28, 2008This is my daughters story. It is her story of her journey to heaven. Her name was Catherine. She was 33 years old when she went with the Lord. She left us on October 10, 2006. Catherine had been sick right from birth. She had congenital heart problems and we really never expected her to live as long as she did. But, her story is one of courage and determination. She came to live with me seventeen months before she passed away. She was very open and upfront about what she wanted and how things needed to be. She went into hospice care while living with me just two months before passing. She wanted no intervention and made sure that everyone at hospice knew this. It was her way and that was that. Many times I watched as I knew she was in pain. I had a feeling that more than her heart was involved but she would not elaborate on it. The night that she passed away was a night that I will never forget. All day long I knew that something was different about her. But I couldn't put my finger on it. She kept looking at me as though there was something she wanted to say but couldn't. She was making memories to take with her. I made her dinner and then she said she was tired and wanted to lay down. So she did. After about ten minutes she came and sat in her chair. I could see she was not doing well and seemed very restless. She began to say she was in pain and that she was so very cold. I told her to come and lay on my bed and I would lay with her and we would pray. She couldn't get up. She tried and tried but could not do it. Finally, I told her to put her arms around my neck and I would dance her to the bed. She did and I was shocked at just how light she was. I laid her on the bed and then got behind her. She was on my chest and by this point she was very restless and as cold as ice. We were waiting for the nurse to come.. She begged me to help her. I told her she was okay and that in the blink of an eye she was going to be an angel. I told her I knew she was tired and that it was okay for her to go. With that said she seemed to relax. The nurse came and we took her to the hospice house. She went in the ambulance ahead of me and I came behind in the wheelchair van. I am disabled so that was how I was able to get there. When I wheeled myself into her room, she was sitting up and wanted to know what took me so long? I laughed. She seemed fine. All of this changed within twenty minutes. She said she wanted to go to sleep and I should sleep on the bed they had for me. She asked the nurse for her medication. Suddenly she said she was very cold and wanted another blanket. Her breathing changed. I asked the nurse what was wrong and she told me that my precious child was dying. I remember I said "what?"....Catherine sat up some...looked over at me....I told her I loved her and with that she was gone. God gave me a special gift that night. You see, for as long as Catherine lived, she was blue almost purple. But, when she left this earth....for the first time in her entire life...she was a beautiful pink. That was God's way of showing me the miracle he had just performed. I miss my daughter terribly and some days are really hard. But I have comfort and peace with knowing that she is now completely healed. God gave me a sneak peak and I thank him every night for that and for that very precious life I am now in the process of writing her story and I hope to have it finished within the next four months.
Ginny
California
"It Fills Your Heart"
June 25, 2008I'm a mother of 5 wonderful children. Three are mine and the other 2 are my stepsons but in my eyes an in my heart their all my children. OUR family spends all our time with eachother we love being together there our times when its rough but by praying to god an going to church helps everything or makes it feel so much better. Me and my husband was never able to go on a honey moon because, we used the money from what we made at our wedding to get our first apartment together and start our family. The memories we look back on our good and bad but loving each other and always being there for one another will get us through anything. We have been married for 10 years on September 9, 2008. It's very hard not getting any help from my family but we can say we did this on our own . My children complete me. I love them with every last beat of my heart. I am so thankful to be their mother. Being a mother of five is hard but in the longrun it fills your heart with so much love and happiness i really feel thankful for a wonderful family.
Cindy
Ohio
"Men Can Be Angels"
June 24, 2008My story is not about me, but about my dad. He is such a selfless person. He will and does do anything for everyone. My dad works two jobs, one of them full-time, 40 plus hours a week and the other is a 2 day part-time job. Everyone asks him questions from how to fix their toilet to making a grave for the neighbors dog. From the beginning of my life he has been my hero. He has given me strength throughout the hard times and the great times. He is a man that will lend things out and know he will not get them back. I've seen him work his butt off just so we could have food on the table. Like I said, my dad has 2 jobs and doesn't have much to show for it. He still has a mortgage to pay off, 2 vehicle payments and many many misc. bills, and to my knowledge not put back for retirement. I just feel my dad has given his all to everybody and has never gotten anything in return, and I know in my heart he deserves it. Now that I'm older I realize I'm just like him. No matter what I have to put myself through, as long as everyone else is taken care of. He is an angel without visible wings, and yes men can be angels. My dad is the best man in the whole world. In my eyes nobody can measure up to him.
Angie
Indiana