Faith in Humanity Restored
Faith in Humanity Restored
I was in America’s Best in Fort Collins, Colorado, last weekend, and I witnessed a fantastic act of kindness. I hear of things like this but never do I see it myself. I had an eye exam and was looking for new frames on the luxury frame wall. I overheard a woman and her adult daughter discussing price etc., for a new set of lenses and frames with the checkout staff. They were speaking loud enough to where I was not eves dropping. It seemed the young lady was a nurse at the University of Colorado Medical Center. Even with her insurance, she could not afford to get any of the several frames they were working on with her. I heard her say that her prescription had not changed, and all she wanted was an upgrade, but she had waited this long, and next year maybe. After a lot of talking and discussing, the mother left, and the young lady stood up and began apologizing to the staff, stating how thankful she was for their time and how sorry she was for wasting their time. The staff was friendly and assured her it was their pleasure. The young girl left, head down, defeated, it seemed. The next thing I see is this gentleman I had been standing next to, sit down in the same spot where the two women had just been sitting. He started to cry aloud, hand covering his face. I assume it was his wife and kids that came over to him, and he looked up at them, wiping tears from his eyes, and said, ” I remember when I was her.” He told his family, “we are going to buy that girl’s glasses for her.” I heard him ask the staff member who had been working with the young lady if she had picked out frames and lenses she wanted from the many sitting on the table. Did she have a favorite? He asked the staff member if she could call the young lady and tell her that her glasses had been paid for. I saw him hand his card to the staff, never asking the price. It was a selfless act of kindness. And that was it. I heard him say several times he was her when he was younger. His tears touched me. He remembered what it was like to need something and for no one to be there. I talked to this gentleman and his family after they had made their purchases. His name is Douglas Vandergraph. I had no idea who he was till I looked him up, and now I will never forget him. He told me no woman should struggle, and no healthcare worker should ever feel the need to forego a necessity. He said he himself would not have survived a life-ending accident at a young age if it were not for a caring team of healthcare workers. At the age of 16, Mr. Vandergraph was the longest clinically documented death case in America, but on this day, he was my hero and some young lady healthcare worker’s benefactor. Faith in Humanity Restored.
