I was in a hospital to visit a neighbor who just suddenly collapsed a few days ago. I was in the waiting area, sitting and watching people come and go. The place smelled of fear and hope mixed together. You could literally touch the pain on people’s faces.
I noticed a man standing near the nurses’ desk begging. I watched him wipe his tears a couple of times. His voice was low, but fear enveloped him. His wife lay on the waiting couch, weak.
I watched him step aside and sit down. He buried his face in his palms. I walked up to him and asked what the problem was. At first, he did not want to talk. Shame held his mouth. But a man who is desperately in need couldn't hold his pride.
Their daughter, a 12 year old, had medical complications. The hospital had tried to stabilize her but without money, they wouldn't go further. But the bill was beyond them. They have been there for 2 days with no treatment. Everyone they called promised to call back but no one did. He had tried everything. He had nothing left.
The wife was lying beside him, holding her small phone tightly, staring at the floor. You could tell life had pressed her very hard. She kept whispering prayers under her breath.
At this point, I was moved in tears. I have had a similar experience in the past where I watched a loved one giving up because we couldn't pay the hospital bill. Everything started playing back into my head.
I stared at him for a while and I asked him a simple question: "Do you believe in miracles?" I watched him mutter words. He couldn't reply to me. Then he began to cry. This time loudly. I held his hand and said, "let's go and see the nurse." He had thought I wanted to join him to beg.
I cleared the bill.
And then he announced to the wife what just happened. It was a delight to see her screamed for joy. She ran to me, held my hand and cried like a child. She kept saying "God bless you" in a voice that was almost gone.
I got a call from them last night to inform me their daughter has been discharged from the hospital, hale and fine. Now imagine what joy has filled my soul.
Dear readers, as I type this, my mind is still running through what I saw in that hospital. This family was just one case out of many. If you can, visit the hospitals around you once in a while. There are patients dying because they can't afford as little as the money you spend on frivolities in a day. If you're able to save one person, you save a family.