A Ray of Hope
Umeed Ki Kiran
Over the last several years I have been running "Green Gulbarga" and I have been invited to speak at various events and I get to meet thousands of people each day.
A lot of people meet me to learn about the kind of work I do and a lot of them come to me to share their ideas and experiences in life.
One such day I was out meeting a bunch of people at a school and the President of the schools' trust was sharing some interesting stories about his students.
He was very proud of them and I could see that he was passionate about educating the students. I love listening to people and I was smiling as he narrated one of the most inspiring stories I have heard in recent times.
A sick child
A few years ago one of the students of the school was diagnosed with blood cancer. His parents called the school and informed them that the child was sick and they were going to Bangalore to consult some specialist. After a few weeks, the school called the kid's family and enquired about the kid's health.
Sad news
The parents told that their son has first stage Blood Cancer and he was getting treated at the Government hospital. It was a piece of very sad news for the friends and the teachers to know that a young child was suffering from Blood cancer. We all know that there is a cure for cancer but it is very difficult to cure it. The treatment is expensive and the whole treatment is painful for the patient and emotionally exhausting for those close to the patient.
Although there is a cure or a treatment for cancer not everyone can afford it. It is very expensive and not everyone can afford it. In India, cancer treatment can cost a few million Rupees.
Thankfully the Government hospitals are affordable and you just need to spend money on food, a few medicines, and other living expenses. And these costs can also be a lot on the family.
The father was the only earning member of the family and the doctors had told them that it will take at least a year for the kid to get well and fight cancer so that meant that the father couldn't work full-time and after a few weeks they started to face financial problems.
A friend in need is a friend indeed
The Head of the school called the family again and enquired about the health of the student and the father broke down and said that he is unable to handle the expenses. The President of the school trust told him that he will send him some money.
The school team had a meeting with the teachers and the students and they all discussed different ways they can help their dear friend.
A student came forward and asked the teachers if he can donate ₹ 2000 towards the medical costs? And soon many students came forward with similar requests.
One of the teachers was surprised that the students had such a big amount of money with them and asked the first student where did he get the money from and why is he saving money.
Sacrifice
The student replied that he was saving money to buy a leather jacket when he finished school in a year and goes to college. All those present there had tears in their eyes to see that these young kids had saved money to buy something special for themselves but now they were ready to sacrifice their desires for their friend.
Unity
The teachers were so happy with the way their students were showing empathy and a sense of responsibility that they decided to collect money from all those willing to donate and send it for the treatment.
Before they sent the money they registered a Non-Profit with the Government so that each and every transaction is tracked for transparency. The kids were asked to form a team and work together and within days they collected more than ₹200,000 and it was all used for the treatment.
Lessons from the students
What I learned from these students is that it is not important to have a leather jacket when your friend is sick. And another lesson that I learned was that if we really want to make some change in our country then we need to unite and start working together. There is no greater strength than a group working to help someone.
The Boy who lived!
It took more than a year for the kid to recover and he came back a year later healthy and happy. I was told that right now he is doing his intermediate studies and he wants to become a Doctor so that he can treat the sick for free and save lives.
My best wishes and prayers are with him always and I hope he will become a doctor one day.
Rewards, Recognition, and Respect from all over the world ( and a lot of leather Jackets!)
Well, the school management was so happy with the initiative taken by the students so they informed a local news guy and got it covered to appreciate the work done by the students. Everyone who saw the video was touched by it and the video got viral within days.
Now, you might be thinking if the Leather jacket kid finally managed to buy a jacket? Well, the video went viral and it was watched by many Indians living around the world.
Well, some guy from our city had moved to Canada for work watched this video and he sent a Leather jacket to the kid. Another lady who had moved to Germany also sent a jacket, someone from Dubai sent a bunch of gifts for the kids and a few jackets.
So, the kid got a few (4-5) jackets and respect from thousands of people for taking initiative and helping his friend.
Conclusion
Life is short but it is precious. The kind of love the kids showed has moved so many people. I was in tears when I heard this story and as I write this I have had to stop and wipe my tears.
Saving a life is one of the greatest deeds one can ever do and these kids taught us all a lesson that no matter how small you are or how little money you have you do not need to worry about it.
Unity multiplies love, money, and respect.
Do you have any such stories? Share them here. I would love to read them and learn from their experience.
Regards,
Imran Soudagar