Robert Coleman relates a story about a little boy whose sister
was desperately ill and in need of a blood transfusion. The
only possibility for her recovery was from a transfusion from
someone who had previously had the disease and recovered successfully.
The young boy had the disease and had made a full recovery two
years previously. Since the two children had the same rare blood
type, the boy was the ideal donor.
The doctor asked if he would be willing to give his blood to
his sister, Mary.
Johnny’s lower lip started to tremble and he hesitated
for a moment, but then smiled and said, “Sure, for my
sister.”
Soon the two children were wheeled into the hospital room. Neither
spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny grinned and waved at
this sister.
In a few moments the nurse came over to Johnny and inserted
the needle into his arm and his smile faded. He watched the
blood flow through the tube. The minutes ticked by and the ordeal
was almost over when with a slightly shaky voice little Johnny
asked, “Doctor, when do I die?”
Immediately the doctor realized why Johnny had hesitatingly
agreed, and why his lip trembled when he said yes to the donation
of his blood. Johnny had thought giving his blood to his sister
meant giving up his own life. In that brief moment, he had made
his momentous decision.
Someone wrote, “Johnny, fortunately, didn’t have
to die to save his sister. Each of us however, has a condition
more serious than Mary’s, and it required Jesus to give
not just his blood, but his life.”
