Lesson In Giving

Many years ago, while volunteering in a hospital's transfusion center, I met a young three-year-old girl battling a severe illness. She required a blood transfusion from her five-year-old brother, who had miraculously recovered from the same disease. The boy had developed the necessary antibodies to fight the illness and was his sister's only chance for recovery.

The doctor explained the situation to the little brother and asked if the boy would give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate only for a moment before he took a deep breath and said, “Yes, I will do it if it saves my sister.”

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale, and his smile faded. Finally, he looked up at the nurse beside him and asked with a trembling voice, “When will I start to die?”

The young boy misunderstood the doctor and believed he had to sacrifice his own life to save his ailing sister.