An Open Heart

    My aunt Edith was a widow of 50, working as a secretary. When dotors discovered what was then thought to be a very serious heart ailment, Aunt Edith didn’t accept defeat easily. She began studying medical reports in the bibrary and found an article in a magazine about a well-known heart surgeon, Dr. Michael DeBakey, of Houston, Texas. He had saved the life of someone with the same ailment. The article said Dr. Michael DeBakey’s fees were very high; Aunt Edith couldn’t possibly pay them but could he tell her of someone whose fees she could pay?
So Aunt Edith wrote to himi. She simply listed her reasons for wanting to live: her 3 children, who would be on their own in 3 or 4 more years, and her little-girl dream of traveling and seeing the world. There wasn’t a word of self-pity –only warmth and humor and the joy of living. She mailed the letter, not really expecting an answer.
A few days later, my doorbell rang. Aunt Edith didn’t wait to come in; she sttod in the hall and read alouc: “your beautifyl letter moved me very ddply. If you  can come to Houston, there will be no charge for either the hospital or the operation. Signed_ Michael DeBakey.”
That was 7 years ago. Since then, Aunt Edith has been around the world. Her 3 children are hpappily married, for her age, she is one of the youngest, mos alive people I know—all because of an open heart surgeon who know how to honor his progession, and how to open his own heart.