She jumped up as soon as she saw
the surgeon come out of the
operating room. She said: "How is
my little boy? Is he going to be all
right? When can I see him?"
The surgeon said, "I'm
sorry. We
did all we could, but your boy
didn't make it."
Sally said, "Why do little children
get cancer? Doesn't God care any
more? Where were you, God, when
my son needed you?"
The surgeon
asked, "Would you like
alone with your son?
One of the nurses will be out in a
few minutes, before he's
transported to the university."
Sally asked the nurse to stay with
her while she said goodbye to son.
She ran her fingers lovingly
through his thick red curly hair.
"Would you like a lock of his hair?"
the nurse asked.
Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a
lock of the boy's hair, put it in a
plastic bag and handed it to Sally.
The mother said, "It was Jimmy's
idea to donate his body to the
University for Study. He said it
might help somebody else. "I said
no at first, but Jimmy said, 'Mom, I
won't be using it after I die. Maybe
it will help some other little boy
spend one more day with his
Mom." She went on,"My Jimmy
had a heart of gold. Always
thinking of someone else. Always
wanting to help others if he could."
Sally walked out of Children's
Mercy Hospital for the last time,
after spending most of the last six
months there. She put the bag with
Jimmy's belongings on the seat
beside her in the car. The drive
home was difficult. It was even
harder to enter the empty house.
She carried Jimmy's belongings, and
the plastic bag with the lock of his
hair to her son's room.
She started placing the model cars
and other personal things back in
his room exactly where he had
always kept them. She laid down
across his bed and, hugging his
pillow, cried herself to sleep. It
