The day is over. You are driving home. you tune in the radio. You hear a little blurb about a village in India where some villagers have died suddenly, strangely, of a flu that has never been seen before. it's not influenza, but three or four people are dead, and it's kind of interesting, and they're sending some doctors in.
You don't think too much about it, but on Sunday, coming home from church, you hear another radio spot. only they say it's not 3 villagers it's 30,000 villagers in the back hills of India. CNN runs a little blurd, people are heading there from the CDC in Atlanta because this disease strain has never been seen before.
By Monday, when you get up, it's the lead story. For it's not just India, it's Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and before you know it, you're hearing this story everywhere, and they coined it the "mystery flu". The President has made some comments that he and everyone are praying and hoping that all will go well over there. But everyone is wondering, "How are we going to contain it?". That's when the President of France makes an announcement that shocks Europe. He is closing their borders, no flights from India or any of the affected countries.
That is the reason that tonight you are watching CNN before going to bed. Your jaw hits your chest when a weeping woman is translated from a French new program into English, "There's a young man lying in a hospital in Paris dying of the "mystery flu." It has come to Europe. Panic strikes. As best they can tell, once you get it you have it for a week and you don't even realize it. Then you have unbelieveable symptoms fro four days then you die.
Britain closes its borders, but it's too late. South Hampton, Liverpool and North Hampton have been affected. The President makes the following announcement, "Due to national security risks, all flights to and from Europe and Asia have been canceled. If your loved ones are overseas, I'm sorry they cannot come back till we have a cure for this thing."
Within four days our nation has been plunged into an unbelieveable fear. People are selling gas masks, talking about what if it comes here?, and preachers are saying "It's the scourge of God."
At Church someone runs in from the parking lot and says, "Turn on the radio!" And while the church listens to a little transistor radio, the announcement is made. Two women are lying in a Long Island hospital dying of the "mystery flu". Within hours this thing sweeps the accross the country. People are working around the clock to find an antidote. Nothing is working.
And then all of a sudden the news comes out. The code has been broken. A cure has been found. A vaccine can be made. It's going to take the blood of someone who hasn't been affected, and so all thru the midwest, everyone is asked to , "Go to nearest hospital and have your blood taken. That's all we ask of you. And when you hear the sirens go off in your towns make your way to the hospitals."
Sure enough, when you and your family get there, there is a long line. Doctors and nurses are pricking the fingers of all in line. Your wife and kids are there, and they take their blood. The doctor says, "Wait in the parking lot and if we call your name, you can go home."
you stand around scared with your neighbors, wondering what in the world is going on, and if this is the end of the world. Suddenly a young man comes running out of the hospital screaming. He's yelling a name and waving a clipboard. What? He yells it again. And your son tugs on your jacket and says, "Dad that's me."
Before you know it, they have taken your boy. "Wait a minute, hold on!" And they say, "It's ok, his blood is clean. His blood is pure. We want to make sure he doesn't have the disease. We think he has go the right type." Five minutes later out come the doctors and nurses, crying hugging and some are even laughing.
It's the first time you've seen someone laugh in a week and an old doctor walks up to you and says, "Thank you sir. your son's blood type is perfect. It's clean and pure, and we can make the vaccine." As the word begins to spread accross the parkign lot, people are screaming crying and praying.
But then the gray haired doctor pulls you and your wife aside and says. "May we see you for a moment? We didn't realize that the donor would be a minor and we need....we need you to sign a consent form." you begin to sign and then you see the number of pints of blood to be taken is empty.
"H-h-h-ow many pints?" And that is when the old doctor's smile fades and he says, "We had no idea it would be a small child. We weren't prepared. We ... need it all." "But, but...." "You don't understand. We are talkign about the world here. Please sign. We..need it all...we need it all!" But can't you give him a transfusion?" If we had clean blood we would, but we don't have any. Can you sign? Would you sign?"
In numb silence you do sign. Then they say, "Would you like to have a moment with him before we begin?" Can you walk back? Can you walk back to that room where he sits on a table saying, "Daddy? Mommy? What's going on?" Can you take his hands and say, "Son, your mommy and I love you very much and we would never let anything happen to you that didn't have to be...do you understand that?" And when the doctor comes back in and says, "I'm sorry we must get started, people all over the world are dying." Can you leave? Can you walk out while he is saying, "Dad, Mom, Dad? Why are you leaving me?"
And then next week, when they have the ceremony to honor your son, and some folks sleep thru it, and some folks don't even come becuase they were too busy, and some folks pretend to care. Would you want to jump up and say, "MY SON DIED! DON'T YOU CARE? HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR YOU!!!!"
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