Single Nurse with Two Kids Reads Books to Blind Patient, Once Receives a Sculpture of Herself – Story of the Day

A widowed nurse who always served with a smile often read books to a blind patient to help him recover fast. A couple of months later, she was startled when she got a parcel with a marble figurine resembling her and a note from him.

They say big surprises come in small packages. For single mom Jessica Palmer, it just happened to be true.

The 32-year-old nurse often worked overtime to raise her kids, Matt and Brad, both 5. Widowed too early, Jessica found a ray of sunshine when she was hired as a nurse at Trinity Healthcare.

From day one, she always did her best to offer warm service with a smile to all her patients, regardless of age and background. But one of these patients, 62-year-old Alexander Sandler, stood out...

It had been a little over two months since Jessica heard from Alexander. She would pause and sink in memories whenever she passed by the ward he used to stay in. "I hope he's fine. But why hasn't he still reached out to me?" she thought as she drew the curtains in the ward. "I should have noted down his address."

"Jesus Christ! This is unbelievable...This marble statue looks just like me!" she shrieked and immediately drove to Alexander's place.

During her lunch break, Jessica again walked into the empty ward and sat on the bed, recalling the incident that was still fresh in her mind. Two months ago, she was on her extended shift when she heard fellow nurses shouting, "Out of the way!" Behind them, on a stretcher, lay Alexander.

He was unconscious after suffering a massive heart attack. It was a myocardial infarction, in precise medical terms. Although Jessica was not in charge of his ward, she was curious to know about his condition.

Due to the severity of his state, the older man had to undergo surgery immediately. Jessica impatiently waited outside the operating room, praying for the stranger's well-being.

Her prayers were instantly answered when the doctors came out sighing relief three hours later. "Doctor...is the patient okay?" Jessica curiously asked the chief doctor.

"Yes, he is out of danger now. Had he been admitted even two minutes late, we could've lost him," the doctor said. "By the way, Mrs. Palmer, I was wondering if you could attend to his ward. The nurse in charge had an emergency and had to take off for a few days."

Jessica agreed with a smile. She was relieved to know Alexander's operation went well. She went into the ward to examine him. He was in prolonged ventilatory support and still unconscious, so she constantly monitored him.

Around a couple of hours later, the older man regained his consciousness. Jessica smiled, looking at him, but he never responded. She thought it was weird.

She moved closer and looked at him, staring through his eyes. But her presence didn't make any difference to Alexander because he was blind, and Jessica didn't know it yet.

"Why is he staring at me?" she thought and again checked on him. The chief doctor returned moments later to examine Alexander and eventually informed Jessica about his blindness.

"Oh my God! That's terrible," she exclaimed after hearing this.

Gradually, Jessica was drawn toward the older man. He reminded her of her late blind father, so she decided to care for him more as long as he was there. But with each passing day, Jessica grew closer to him.

As time passed, Alexander managed to walk and gradually recovered, thanks to Jessica's prompt care. Considering the complexity of his surgery, he was advised to stay in the hospital for two months. During this time, he and Jessica became good friends. Besides monitoring his health, she always did her best to make him feel less lonely.

"...And then he said, "I will love you until my last breath" and stood on the edge of the cliff...." she read. It was a line from one of his favorite books.

Day by day, Jessica walked the extra mile to put a smile on old Alexander's face. But she was still baffled by the fact that nobody had come to visit him. Curious, she asked Alexander to tell her more about himself, and his recollection brought her to tears.

"I once had a wife and a beautiful daughter," Alexander said. "I loved them dearly, and they were all I had."

"Once had? What do you mean by that?" Jessica asked curiously. Tears gushed down Alexander's eyes as he recalled the tragic accident that took his wife and daughter from him.

"My wife was driving, and we were singing the song she and I danced to on our first date. There was a speeding truck that tried to avoid collision and slightly hit us. She lost control and rammed onto a tree. My wife and daughter died on the spot. But I survived since I was sitting in the back seat. I was hospitalized and woke up blind. Doctors said it was a tough take to remove the broken glass pieces from my eyes."

Alexander's past affected Jessica. She cried and hugged him. She took his hands and buried her face in them, assuring him that he wasn't alone.

At the time, the older man felt a new ray of hope piercing his heart. Jessica's words made him heartily smile for the first time in 10 years since he lost his family. But before they could continue their friendship, it was time for Alexander to be discharged.

"These two months were unforgettable. Please stay in touch," Jessica told Alexander, hugging her old friend before he left. "Here, this is my card. Please call me."

Teary-eyed, Jessica watched Alexander disappear into the busy street. She continued with her work but never heard from the older man again.

"It's been three weeks. I hope he's alright," she said, snapping back to reality.

Jessica decided she couldn't wait for him to call. She checked the patient registry and found Alexander's address. She was just about to leave to meet him at his place when a parcel was delivered to her.

"Ms. Jessica Palmer?" the delivery man asked.

"Yes, that's me."

"You have a parcel. Please sign here."

"A parcel? But I didn't order anything," she mumbled and took the medium-sized box from the man. She opened it and saw another gift-wrapped box inside. Curious, she unwrapped it and was astonished at what she held in her hands. A little note was attached with the item. It read, "From your father, Alexander Sandler."

"Jesus Christ! This is unbelievable...This marble statue looks just like me!" she shrieked and immediately drove to Alexander's place.

"Mr. Sandler!" she cried. "I love it!"

"Oh, hello, my dear. I'm sorry I didn't contact you sooner. I was busy making that. I wanted to call you today, but I'm glad you came," the old man said, walking toward his chair.

"You made this?" Jessica exclaimed in astonishment. "You never told me that you were a sculptor."

As it turned out, Alexander was a sculptor. But after losing his eyesight, he stopped making any sculptures because they reminded him of his wife and daughter, who loved his artwork.

After meeting Jessica, though, she reminded him so much of his late daughter, Maya, that he decided to honor the nurse with the marble figurine.

"But how did you make it so perfectly? It's flawless!" Jessica exclaimed.

"You remember I touched your face and cried while telling my story? I studied your facial features!" Alexander said. "I will reopen my little art gallery and get back to sculpting!"

Alexander's warm gesture moved Jessica. Even more heartwarming was when he offered her to move in with her kids. She couldn't say no because she wanted her two little boys to grow up with the love of a grandpa like Alexander. Without further thought, she agreed.

Ultimately, Jessica found a loving father in Alexander, and he found a caring daughter in her, all because they opened their hearts to each other.

What can we learn from this story?

• Kindness fetches rewards in surprising ways. Although it was not her duty, Jessica walked the extra mile to make Alexander feel less lonely while he recovered from his heart surgery. Her kindness fetched her a little figurine of herself and, more than that, the love of a father for her and grandfather for her children.
• When life shuts a door on you, just open it again. After losing his wife and daughter, Alexander lost hope in life. But after meeting the kind nurse, Jessica, he opened his heart to her and invited happiness in, and he returned to making sculptures.

Carl was a devoted husband who was not allowed to see his dying wife Doris in the hospital ward. Heartbroken and frustrated, he woke her up by talking to her on the radio one day. Click here to read the full story.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.