Featured in the May 2017 handbook.

Grandad was watching the news on TV about all the terrible things happening in the world around us.

He saw stories of innocent people being killed, he saw stories about countries threatening nuclear war, he saw stories about all the hate some people and countries have for other people and countries.

He saw pictures about bombs blowing up Towns, Villages and People.

Then he remembered a magazine article he had read sometime ago. It was an article sent in by a retired nurse about the time she worked in a children’s ward, this is the article as best as Grandad can remember:

"A few years ago I worked in a Children’s ward in a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Karen who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. She was just 3 years old and her only chance of recovery and, indeed survival, was a blood transfusion from her 7-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The Doctor explained the situation to the parents, who both said "We can’t make that decision, it will have to be made by our son, her brother". So the Doctor asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the colour returning to her cheek.!

But then the little boy’s face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the Doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will it hurt when will I start to die?" The Doctor at first didn’t understand, but then the truth dawned on him. Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor. He thought he was going to have to give his sister ALL of his blood in order to save her. He thought he was going to have to give up his life for hers, something he was willing to do, so when the Doctor explained to the little boy, his tears came flooding out, but they were tears of joy and relief."

Grandad doesn’t know if this is a true story, maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, but if one little boy can make a life changing decision like that, surely all the powers that be around the world could realise that just one act of kindness can make a whole world of difference.