Non NF2 Sharing

[Guest guest]

Just wanted to share this story. This man ownes Ezpost my mail server. He

is never to busy to answer questions. He posted this story today. ACH

stands for Alberta Childrens Hospital.

I have learned a lot …

When I was seven, having been diagnosed with Perthes, I was confined to the

men's ward at a public hospital in Jamaica for over three months. During

that time, mostly in the evenings, my visitors were my immediate family,

some relatives and very few friends (who had friends with cars at seven?).

There were no other kids in that ward, as the doctors feared that the

children might interfere with the brace and weight contraption that was

needed to correct my hip disorder. The days were very long, the time went

slowly and I was a very bored kid. This memory stuck with me over the years

and that is why I decided to start visiting the kids at the Childrens

Hospital.

As a rookie volunteer in 1997, I had no idea what to expect, but soon

realized that I would learn more life lessons at ACH than I could ever

imagine. I learned from the kids about real courage and from their parents

about dedication, dogged determination and love. I learned compassion and

devotion from the ACH staff and all about unselfishness from the other

volunteers.

At the hospital, I take a laptop computer to the kids. With the younger

ones, I have learned to play Cat in the Hat, Magic School Bus, Disney Art

Studios and other games. With the older kids, I have learned to lose

gracefully at Nintendo, NHL hockey, Golf, Monopoly and a host of other

games, too numerous to mention. With the older kids, I also " surf the net "

and teach some how to send e-mail back to their family, friends and

schoolteachers.

I have learned to stay in the moment, not to project or " awfulize " . I

learned when to be goofy (Patch move over) and when to just read a

story to a kid who just isn't up to a whole lot that day. I work for and

hold precious a smile from a little treasure who may be in deep trouble

with not a lot to smile about that day.

But I have also had to learn to say goodbye to some angels who, in the

course of my volunteer work, climbed into my heart and took up residence

there. They left earlier than we would have wanted them to but for a better

place. I have cried with their moms, dads and siblings, with the ACH staff

and with other volunteers. I know that if love could have saved them, they

never would have died.

I have also witnessed the miracle of cure and the celebration of victory

over illness. I have seen what just a " day pass " can mean. I have even seen

a mom take a sick child home to another Province just to visit a cat and

buy some hope with that rekindled memory of a pet waiting at home.

I have learned a lot at ACH. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and

I am the better man for it.

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