A Story to Warm the Cockles of Your Heart

I saw this story on the news last night and I must share. It just illustrates perfectly that in this world of consumerism, the focus on material wealth and the acquisition of power at any cost that there are still people out there - and more importantly children - who will think of others first even when it means giving up a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Sam Jordan is a 12-year-old boy from Massachusetts. His father, Fred, recently won an item at an auction for the Hope Lodge Foundation - an organization that provides temporary housing for the families of children with cancer who are receiving treatment in Boston. The auction was held to raise money to build another Hope Lodge closer to the Boston area so that families could be closer to the hospitals.

Sam's father won the auction for the chance to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Red Sox-Twins game the other night. Now both father and son are big Red Sox fans and young Sam was ecstatic when his father came home and gave the gift to his son. Then something amazing happened.

The very next day, Sam began asking questions about what the Hope Lodge was and who it benefited and Sam told his father that he would like to donate his gift to one of the children with cancer instead of keeping the experience for himself. Sam said he realized that he has a great life and that these kids with cancer had been through so much, "They deserved it more than I did."

Father and son teamed up with the American Cancer Society and they find eight-year-old Cameron Brown from Philadelphia. Cameron has been fighting brain cancer. He developed a very large, disfiguring tumor on his brain when he was just four years old and his family had been recent residents of Hope Lodge while he was undergoing treatment in Boston. Through the wonders of medical science and a lot of hope and prayers, I'm sure, little Cameron's tumor was removed, he has endured chemotherapy and is currently in remission. Sam knew what he wanted to do.

So Sam made the donation to Cameron through the ACS and the two had never met until last night. And when the Red Sox heard the story they thought that Sam deserved to be at the game as well, so they welcomed Cameron and his family, along with Sam and his family as their guests at Fenway Park. And finally, with photographers and TV cameras surrounding them, Sam and Cameron met.

"I think he's a really nice boy," Cameron said of his new friend Sam. Sam returned the sentiment with a playful rub of Cameron's Red Sox cap.

And as if making a new friend and feeling his heart fill up with pride and happiness wasn't enough, the Red Sox decided to give Sam one more reward by allowing him to throw out the "first" pitch in tandem with his new friend Cameron.

Life is truly beautiful, isn't it?