ONE
The International Magazine for CahnersBoston Worldwide
OUR GREAT
CONTRIBUTORS,
LEGENDS and FRIENDS (Past & Present)
Where are
They
Now?
In Brief
OUR NEXT
ONE
December 16, 2014
Founder and Group Leader at
Widmayer Group
Greater Chicago Area
CLICK HERE
Cindy Widmayer
I remembered another story I read from years ago.
I am reprinting so we all can get the true meaning of Christmas.
I hope you feel warm inside after you read it.
The NEW
Is Coming in January
A Boy's Last Wish
This touching story of a little boy's last wish is taken from the book Chicken Soup for the Soul. The book is filled with wonderfully inspirational stories, but this one is extra special. And best of all, it's true! Click on the link at the bottom of this page to verify the story and learn more about how this little boy became the very first recipient of the now famous Make-A-Wish Foundation. May we all remember how precious life is, and how special the moment of death can be.
The Littlest Firefighter
The 26-year-old mother stared down at her son who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible. The leukemia would see to that.
But she still wanted her son's dreams to come true. She took her son's hand and asked, "Bopsy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?"
"Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up." Mom smiled back and said, "Let's see if we can make your wish come true."
Later that day she went to her local fire department in Phoenix, Arizona, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix. She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her six-year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine.
Fireman Bob said, "Look, we can do better than that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make him an honorary fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards! "And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat -- not a toy one -- with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots. They're all manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast."
Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Bopsy, dressed him in his fire uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Bopsy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven.
There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Bopsy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the paramedic's van, and even the fire chief's car. He was also videotaped for the local news program.
Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Bopsy that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible.
One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Bopsy had spent as a fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Bopsy as he made his transition.
The chief replied, "We can do better than that. We'll be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire? It's just the fire department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room?"
About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital, extended its ladder up to Bopsy's third floor open window and five firefighters climbed up the ladder into Bopsy's room. With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they loved him. With his dying breath, Bopsy looked up at the fire chief and said, "Chief, am I really a fireman now?" "Yes, Bopsy, you are a fireman now," the chief said. With those words, Bopsy smiled and closed his eyes one last time. He passed away later that evening.
Martha Abdella
Greg Anatos
Mike Atkins
Susan Avery
Elizabeth Baatz
Jordan Backler
Andrea Baker
Todd Baker
Patty Bautz
Anne Benedetto
Ron Bondlow
Kathy Boyle
Peter Bradley
Roger Buckley
Vince Cavasino
Norman Cahners
Lori Romiza Celentano
Kasey Clark
Michelle Heanue Clarke
John Clemons
James Aaron Cooke
Jay Corriveau
John Crimmins
Jean Criss
Scott Cunningham
Tom DellaMaria
Martha DiMeo
John Dodge
Melissa Carmen Donnelly
Kathy Doyle
H. Victor Drumm
Mitch Duffy
Dave Dunbar
Nancy Finn
Michael Fisher
Martin Fleming
George Fodor
Roy Forsberg
George Fox
Allen Furst
James Fuss
John Galante
Mary-Anne Ganley
Joe Garbely
Saul Goldweitz
Paula Gordon
Greg Goulski
Andrew Curry Green
Dick Groth
Wayne Hulitsky
Gwendolyn Kennedy
Jack Keough
Lesle Koepp
Bob Krakoff
Steve Leibson
Jim Leonard
Kathy Leonard
Kathy ( Shea) Leonard
Chris Lewis
Eric Lundquist
Alison Ix Lutes
Joan Lynch
Cheryl Mantia
Patrica Marador
Charles Masi
Jerry McAullife Sr.
Terry McDermott
Tim Mead
John Mladenik
Karen Kraus Morris
Gilbert Munoz
J.R. Murphy II
Muriel Murphy
Nancy Null
Elaine O'Dell
Susan O'Dell
Mike O'Leary
Tom Pickett
Bill Platt
Naomi Price
Dan Prisble
Tim Purpura
Frank Quinn
Scott Raymond
Jane Rogers
Ellen Romanow
Gina Roos
Karen Ruesch
Carole Sacino
Len Scafidi
John Scheunemann
Tim Scannell
Jerry Segel
Ron Segel
J. Allen Sheehan
Doug Smock
Claire Gillen Stefan
Ira Siegel
Bill Stevens
Tom Stundza
Kelly Sullivan
Roz Jacoby Switalski
Dorothie Thompson
Steve Thompson
Julie Timbol
Jon Titus
Tim Tobeck
Bill Tomaselli
Steve Twombly
Carolyn VanCott
Paul Vinci
Linda Walsh
Cindy Widmayer
Pam Winch Wilson
Carolyn Wood
I'd like to thank all the legends,contributors and friends to ONE especially:
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ABOUT ONE:
The International Magazine Connection to CahnersBoston Worldwide
Is dedicated to the talented people who worked for Cahners Publishing.
The commitment to excellence that these people gave thoughout the history of the company is beyond the scope of most for over 50 years.
Although some have left us, a lot of us are still here in many different fields.
The "ONE" family we call Cahners is still here even though we are not sitting next to each other.
I hope through "ONE " we can exchange memories through pictures, words and videos.
God Bless all of us.
J.R. ( Bob) Murphy
Editor, "ONE "