In
Phoenix,
Arizona, a
26-year-old
mother stared
down at
her son who was
dying of
terminal
leukemia.
titlehough
her heart was
filled with
sadness, she
also
had a
strong feeling
of
determination.
Like any
parent,
she wanted her
son to grow up
and fulfill
all his
dreams. Now that
was no longer
possible.
The
leukemia would
see to that.
But
she still wanted
her son's
dreams to come
true. She took
her son's
hand and
asked,
"Billy, did
you ever think
about what
you
wanted to be
once you grew
up? Did you ever
dream and
wish what you
would do with
your life?"
Mommy,
"I always
wanted to be a
fireman when I
grew
up."
Mom
smiled back and
said,
"Let's see
if we can make
your wish
come true."
Later
that day she
went to her
local fire
department
in
Phoenix,
Arizona, where
she met Fireman
Bob, who
had a
heart as big as
Phoenix. She
explained
her son's
final wish and
asked if it
might be
possible
to give
her six-year-old
son a ride
around the block
on a fire
engine.
Fireman
Bob said,
"Look, we
can do better
than that.
If you'll
have your son
ready at seven
o'clock
Wednesday
morning, we'll
make him an
honorary
fireman
for the whole
day. He can come
down to the
fire
station, eat
with us, go out
on all the fire
calls,
the whole
nine yards!
And
if you'll give
us his sizes,
we'll get
a real fire
uniform for him,
with a real fire
hat-not a
toy one-with the
emblem of the
Phoenix
Fire
Department on
it, a yellow
slicker like we
wear
and
rubber boots.
They're all
manufactured
right
here in
Phoenix, so we
can get them
fast."
Three
days later
Fireman Bob
picked up Billy,
dressed
him in his fire
uniform and
escorted him
from his
hospital bed to
the waiting hook
and
ladder
truck. Billy got
to sit on the
back of the
truck and
help steer it
back to the fire
station.
He was in
heaven. There
were three fire
calls in
Phoenix
that day and
Billy got to go
out on all
three
calls. He rode
in the different
fire engines,
the
paramedic's van,
and even the
fire chief's
car.
He was
also videotaped
for the local
news program.
Having
his dream come
true, with all
the love and
attention
that was
lavished upon
him, so deeply
touched
Billy that he
lived three
months longer
than
any
doctor thought
possible.
One night
all of his vital
signs began to
drop
dramatically and
the head nurse,
who believed in
the
hospice concept
that no one
should die
alone,
began to
call the family
members to the
hospital.
Then she
remembered the
day Billy had
spent as
a
fireman, so she
called the Fire
Chief and asked
if it
would be
possible to send
a fireman in
uniform
to the
hospital to be
with Billy as he
made his
transition.
The
chief replied,
"We can do
better than
that.
We'll be there
in five minutes.
Will you please
do me a
favor? When you
hear the sirens
screaming
and see
the lights
flashing, will
you announce
over
the PA
system that
there is not a
fire? It's just
the
fire
department
coming to see
one of its
finest
members
one more time.
And will you
open the
window to
his room?"
About
five minutes
later a hook and
ladder truck
arrived
at the hospital
and extended its
ladder up
to
Billy's third
floor open
window. 16
firefighters
climbed
up the ladder
into Billy's
room. With his
mother's
permission, they
hugged him and
held
him and
told him how
much they loved
him.
With his
dying breath,
Billy looked up
at the fire
chief and
said,
"Chief, am
I really a
fireman
now?"
"Billy, you
are, and the
Head Chief,
Jesus, is
holding
your hand,"
the chief said.
With those
words,
Billy
smiled and said,
"I
know, He's been
holding my hand
all day, and the
angels
have been
singing."
He closed his
eyes one
last
time.
The
Truth:
"Billy"
is actually
7-year-old Frank
Salazar (his
family called
him "Bopsy")
and he
was the
first child to
be helped by the
Make-A-Wish
Foundation, an
organization
that fulfills
the wishes of
children with
life-threatening
illness.
The story is
from 1981.
It was
Make-A-Wish that
made the contact
with the Phoenix
Fire Department
as a part
of one
of three wishes
that Bopsy had.
The other two
were to visit
Disneyland and
ride
in a
hot-air balloon.
All his wishes
were fulfilled.
Make-A-Wish
contacted
firefighter Bob
Walp who was
well known to
children in
Phoenix as
"Fireman
Bob" on the
popular
"Wallace
and Ladmo"
television
program.
Bopsy was
welcomed to a
fire station
where a
custom-made
uniform was
waiting
for him
complete with a
yellow helmet
and coat.
He did not go to
any fire scenes
that
day,
but
did ride in the
fire truck and
got to use a
fire hose.
The day ended
with his being
given a
firefighter
badge.
Later, when
Bopsy's
condition
worsened and he
was in the
hospital, it is
true that
some
of his
firefighter
friends came
through his
hospital window
for a visit.
It was five
firefighters,
not 16.
They prompted
some smiles from
Bopsy then left.
He died later
that evening.
Often
we receive chain
emails stating
to donate a
monetary amount
or
buy this or that
and a certain
amount is
donated to a
child though the
Make-A-Wish
Foundation.
You may visit
their web site
for the truth. This
is a wonderful
site that has
fulfilled the
wishes and
dreams of many
a child and
families.
God Bless them
and what they
do.
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