Sally
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
anymore?
Where
were
you,
God,
when
my
son
needed
you?"
The
surgeon
asked,
"Would
you
like
some
time
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
good-bye
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
was
around
midnight
when
Sally
awoke.
Laying
beside
her
on
the
bed
was
a
folded
letter.
The
letter
said:
"Dear
Mom,
I
know
you're
going
to
miss
me;
but
don't
think
that
I
will
ever
forget
you,
or
stop
loving
you,
just
'cause
I'm
not
around
to
say
I
LOVE
YOU.
I
will
always
love
you,
Mom,
even
more
with
each
day.
Someday
we
will
see
each
other
again.
Until
then,
if
you
want
to
adopt
a
little
boy
so
you
won't
be
so
lonely,
that's
okay
with
me.
He
can
have
my
room
and
old
stuff
to
play
with.
But,
if
you
decide
to
get
a
girl
instead,
she
probably
wouldn't
like
the
same
things
us
boys
do.
You'll
have
to
buy
her
dolls
and
stuff
girls
like,
you
know.
Don't
be
sad
thinking
about
me.
This
really
is
a
neat
place.
Grandma
and
Grandpa
met
me
as
soon
as
I
got
here
and
showed
me
around
some,
but
it
will
take
a
long
time
to
see
everything.
The
angels
are
so
cool.
I
love
to
watch
them
fly.
And,
you
know
what?
Jesus
doesn't
look
like
any
of
his
pictures.
Yet,
when
I
saw
Him,
I
knew
it
was
Him.
Jesus
himself
took
me
to
see
GOD!
And
guess
what,
Mom?
I
got
to
sit
on
God's
knee
and
talk
to
Him,
like
I
was
somebody
important.
That's
when
I
told
Him
that
I
wanted
to
write
you
a
letter,
to
tell
you
good-bye
and
everything.
But
I
already
knew
that
wasn't
allowed.
Well,
you
know
what
Mom?
God
handed
me
some
paper
and
His
own
personal
pen
to
write
you
this
letter.
I
think
Gabriel
is
the
name
of
the
angel
who
is
going
to
drop
this
letter
off
to
you.
God
said
for
me
to
give
you
the
answer
to
one
of
the
questions
you
asked
Him
'Where
was
He
when
I
needed
him?'
"God
said
He
was
in
the
same
place
with
me,
as
when
His
son
Jesus
was
on
the
cross.
He
was
right
there,
as
He
always
is
with
all
His
children.
Oh,
by
the
way,
Mom,
no
one
else
can
see
what
I've
written
except
