This
Friday was just like a couple of the Friday afternoons before.
Someone told the hospital nurses the parade in Pediatrics was just
about to start. It looked like every staffer on break wanted to watch
this contagious parade among the children. Anyone who didn’t bring
a camera was sorely disappointed.
The
first float going between the excited children was 9-yr-old Marty
pulling his wagon. It bumped every foot or so, because of the
home-made wooden wheel replacement. In his wagon was an old beat up
computer keyboard with some of its keys missing. Also in his wagon
was a cardboard box cut out so you could see a junk piece of computer
and a couple signs inside. It really looked like a load on its way to
the landfill.
Marty
was even getting more excited, himself. He’d see the hurting boys
and girls sitting up in their beds to take in this contagious parade.
The favorite wagon in today’s parade though, was his little sister,
Dede. She was a sight to never forget. Marty put a Mickey Mouse hat
on her and painted a few whiskers on her rosy little cheeks. As she
pulled her little wagon behind Marty, her waddle walk evidenced
diapers were still part of her daily dress code.
In
her small wagon was a computer mouse in about the same shape her
brother’s computer keyboard. Right in front of Dede’s mouse was a
piece of cheese. On the sides of her small wagon were two signs that
said, “JerryKo Computer Mouse.”
What
a parade it was to see. But that’s just how it started out. And you
didn’t see any adults that were managing the parade, either. It was
just a brother and little sister spreading simple smiles in the midst
of suffering and loneliness.
In
the middle of the beds of watchful children the parade stopped. Dede
sat in the middle of the floor and patted her head to make sure the
big black ears where still there. Just like a professional, Marty
picked up his cardboard display and walked up to each child and
showed them some of the wee tiny parts so important to make a
computer work.
Of
course, he didn’t know the names of the parts. He didn’t need to.
His visit to the next bed taught the freckle-faced patient that each
and every part in a computer is important. They each have to do their
job. Who cares if no one knows their name? Just do what you’re
supposed to do best. No slackers in a computer machine.
No
one told her to, but Dede picked up her computer mouse and took it
over to share with a little girl not having a good day. The bandages
on her ear were just not what a wanna-be beauty queen ought to have
to contend with. As Dede held the broken mouse up as high as she
could, the little beauty queen reached down to take it. The mouse was
a sad sight. One of the buttons was missing and it looked like it had
been run over with a truck.
As
she held the broken mouse the other children were watching to see
what would happen next. Small fingers with beauty queen nail polish
caressed the ugly mouse, as though it had pains of its own. All the
children were watching as though she were on stage. The mouse was
pulled open, like a little compact to powder a shiny nose. Inside
were all colors of wires all dressed neat and tidy. There were
strange markings that gave meaning to the people putting it together.
The
beauty queen looked down at the toddler standing by her bed, “It’s
beautiful on the inside. Your computer mouse may be ugly on the
outside, but it’s beautiful on the inside, where it counts.” Dede
nodded her head in agreement with a big-eyed smile that would melt
the heart of any football player.
The
computer mouse was returned to its parade wagon and the parade
continued around the corner to another group of children. The break
period was over so the many staffers headed back to their tasks.
Later
that day, the details were learned about the parade commotion. It
seems that when the parade started going through a couple wards for
older youth, the parade now included two wheel chairs. The problem
was that Marty only had one computer keyboard. Well, see, everyone in
the parade wanted to carry a computer part, you know, sort of like
they were part of this machine that made sick people smile.
As
the parade headed toward the elevator, the first wheelchair carried
the keyboard. The second wheel chair pulled the computer mouse float
(wagon). Dede giggled as she rode on the lap of her tow truck
(chair).
That
evening, one of the nurses recalled all her training and the tough
tests that had to be passed. But never had she been taught, until
today, that many times the strongest medicine is oh so simple. But
how could she ever have envisioned freckles and beauty queen healing
with junk…Jericho computer junk?