The Day I met Dennis

"In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us"

Flora Edwards

I'd like to talk about the benefits of helping others during your own difficult times, and how doing this can provide true satisfaction. Just like on my favorite television show Lost, where time-traveling is about as common now as seeing a tree on the island, I'm going to jump ahead in my story to talk about a very meaningful encounter that happened to me in the summer of 2008. If you refer back to my timeline of events, you will see that I was receiving chemotherapy treatment at St. Jude Hospital in Fullerton at this time.

One day I went into the cancer clinic to get a booster shot. I would receive these shots often to help counteract the effects of the chemo on my blood counts. The shots didn't take very long, so I usually tried to get in and out as quickly as possible and get on with my day.

As I was waiting for the nurse to call me in, I noticed an older gentleman sitting on the couch across from me in the waiting room. I had never seen him before at the clinic, but it looked like he came in often. We began making small talk, me telling him about why I was there and relaying to him the story of what had happened to me. His name was Dennis. He listened, occasionally asking me a question. He could tell I was stressed out by what I was going through.

We sat silently for a moment, and then he asked me if I was religious. I told him that I was, and he began telling me a story about the Apostle Paul. He told me that once, God allowed for a thorn to be placed in Paul's flesh. Paul prayed to God three times asking for this thorn to be removed. God heard the prayer, but did not remove the thorn, instead saying "My grace is sufficient for you, as my power is made perfect in weakness".

I listened to the story and was fascinated, but I told him that I didn't understand. He explained to me that nobody knows exactly what the thorn was, but God was saying that if you believe in Him, then everything will be ok. I still didn't quite understand, but it didn't matter really. For some reason, his story really put me at ease. The confidence and kindness with which he relayed this story completely relaxed me, and for a minute, I wasn't worried.

I then began to ask him about his own situation. He told that he had a serious problem where his bone marrow wasn't properly producing blood cells. Right now he was getting transfusions to make up for it, but that could only be done for so long before it wouldn't work anymore. I felt sorry for Dennis, but was amazed at how calm and cool he looked sitting there relaying his story to me.

The nurse called my name and I stood up to head back for my shot. Dennis asked me my name and I told him. He then said something that has left a lasting impression on me to this day. He said, "I'll pray for you everyday." I was very moved, and nearly started crying right then and there. For this man to think about praying for me, a random kid he's never met or spoken to before that day, especially considering what he is going through, was an amazing gesture. I thanked him, wished him the best of luck, and went in to have my shot.

To this day I still think about Dennis and what he said to me that day. I don't know what happened to him as I never saw him again, but his words inspired me.

Here is what I learned from Dennis. Regardless of what you're going through in life, helping others is always the best medicine. Making a positive difference in another person's life helps you forget about your own problems. It can be a very satisfying and rewarding experience. Even if it's just something small like saying a prayer, as Dennis did for me, it goes a long way. Since that day I've tried my hardest to think about my friends and family and help those who are going through difficult times. I can always do more, but nothing provides more satisfaction than feeling like I brightened someone's day.