Please Dress Me in Red
In my profession, I have
worked with children who have the virus that causes AIDS. The relationships
that I have had with these special kids have been gifts in my life. Let
me tell you about the courage of Tyler.
Tyler was born infected
with HIV; his mother was also infected. From the very beginning of his
life, he was dependent on medications to enable him to survive. At times,
he also needed supplemental oxygen to support his breathing. Tyler
wasn't willing to give up one single moment of his childhood to this deadly
disease. It was not unusual to find him playing and racing around his backyard,
wearing his medicine-laden backpack and
dragging his tank of oxygen behind him in his little wagon. Tyler's
pure joy in being alive gave him energy that caused all of us who knew
him to marvel. Tyler's mom often teased him by telling him that he moved
so fast, she needed to dress him in red. That way, when she peered out
the window to check on him playing in the yard, she could quickly spot
him.
This dreaded disease eventually
wore down even the likes of a little dynamo like Tyler. He became quite
ill and, unfortunately, so did his mother. When it became apparent that
he wasn't going to survive, Tyler's mom talked to him and she comforted
him by telling
Tyler that she was dying, too, and that she would be with him soon
in heaven.
A few days before his death,
Tyler beckoned me over to his hospital bed and whispered, "I might die
soon. I'm not scared. When I die, please dress me in red. Mom promised
she's coming to heaven, too. I'll be playing when she gets there, and I
want to make sure she can find me."
By Cindy D. Holms
from Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul
Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor
Hansen & Patty Hansen