Crutches, kindness and angels among us
It was one of those days in which you remind yourself to put one foot in front o
f the other. One of those days in which you are too overwhelmed but you force yourself into autopilot so you don’t lose it in front of your kids. A few days ago I had torn some tendons in my left foot and the pain, just like all my real life responsibilities, hasn’t stopped. Then my daughter fractured her ankle at a playdate while my son came down with a bad cold.
It was taking everything I had to not burst into tears as I hobbled next to my daughter at Memorial Hospital’s office building, as she tried to maneuver her crutches and complained of how sore her underarms felt.
Suddenly a young man who was on the phone in the hall, hung up his call and told us he would adjust her crutches because they were set up incorrectly. With the utmost care, he readjusted pins, changed the height settings and taught my daughter to bear her weight on her arms and hands instead of under her arms. I was so tightly wired my eyes started watering but I managed to swallow the tears. I only managed to read his last name from his badge, Misha. And then I almost lost it. That was my late grandfather’s name.
My daughter’s smile once this amazing man fixed and taught her to use her crutches, was almost blinding. I was so thankful yet overcome with emotion that all I said was thank you but didn’t speak more with this man that with his time and caring impressed me beyond words.
It was time to get my daughter to the doctor to get her a definite cast so we entered the office and waved goodbye. But this act of kindness has stayed with my for the past few hours, reminding me not only of the amazing human beings that still exist and go out of their way to help others, but also of my grandfather who perhaps sent an angel to help us when he sensed I really could use one.
