Fair warning: if you don’t like a good cry, do not read this post. And for once it’s not just because my writing’s so painful.

Brendan Foster of Bothell, Washington was, to all appearances, an ordinary American kid, hanging out with his pals, playing videogames, grumbling about homework. You wouldn’t know he was about to become a hero.

But he was.

“I should be gone in a week or so,” he said calmly.

When I asked him what he thought were the best things in life, Brenden said, “Just having one.”

I didn’t understand how this child, who was a year younger than my own son, could be so courageous facing death.

“It happens. It’s natural,” Brenden told me.

Three years ago, doctors diagnosed Brenden with leukemia. The boy who once rushed through homework so he could play outside found himself confined to a bed. But there was no confining his spirit.

“I had a great time. And until my time comes, I’m going to keep having a great time,” he said.

Brenden’s selfless dying wish was to help the homeless.

And, more, his dying wish came true in time for him to watch. Moreover, the power of his inspiration spread, resulting in:

• 200 sandwiches for the homeless distributed by Emerald City Lights Bike Ride of Seattle
• a food drive by an LA television station
• Ohio schoolkids collected recycling and donated the proceeds
• people in Pensacola, Florida collected food and drygoods to give to the homeless
• KOMO tv viewers in Western Washington donated six and a half truckloads of food and goods and $60,000 to the Stuff the Truck drive for the Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline in Brenden’s honour.
• a network of pilots, flight attendants and friends is sprinkling wildflower seeds all over the world because Brenden heard that the bees were dying and wanted to help feed them as well.

“He had the joy of seeing all of the beautiful response to his last wish,” said his grandmother, Patricia McMorrow. “It gives him great peace and he knows that his life has meaning.”

“He’s left a legacy and he’s only 11,” said his mother, Wendy Foster. “He’s done more than most people dream of doing just by making a wish.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 27th, 2008 at 9:51 pm by raincoaster and is filed under Heroes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.