’You Paid for This Surgery 20 Years Ago’ Poor Man Reads Note from Doctor Who Saved His Daughter – Story of the Day

A man is left weeping at the hospital after receiving a note from the doctor who saved his daughter's life. It turns out they had encountered one another twenty years ago, and the doctor had remembered the man's good deeds.

Eric raised his daughter Riley alone after his wife Rebecca abandoned them. She was tired of living in poverty and wanted more out of her life. "We'll find our way, it won't be this difficult forever," Eric said, begging her to stay.

Rebecca refused to listen and insisted on getting a divorce. "We're never going to escape poverty if all you have is a small street food business. I'm sick of it!" she told him before leaving the house with her bags packed.

That day, Eric wept as he cradled Riley, who was only 3 years old at the time. "Don't worry, sweetheart, daddy is here. I will never leave you, and I will always be here for you. It's going to be you and me forever," he vowed.

Surely enough, Riley was always by Eric's side while he managed his street food cart. She would assist customers and take orders, something she initially found fun and exciting. However, as she grew older, she started to have more questions for her dad.

"Daddy, where's mom?" she'd ask.

"Mom is on a business trip," Eric would lie. "She's working hard so you can have a bright future."

While Riley used to be content with that answer, there came a time when she no longer believed it, particularly when she turned seven. "If mom's working so hard, why are we still living in such bad conditions? We barely have anything to eat except for the leftover street food we don't sell, and we live in such a small apartment," she questioned.

It was then that Eric finally told her the truth: that Rebecca left them because she felt they would never become rich. A part of Riley wanted to agree with her mom, but she knew that her dad was trying her best, so she remained quiet.

"Well, if she doesn't want to be a part of our life, that's fine, dad. We have each other. We don't need her," Riley replied coldly.

Although Riley said that, learning the truth about her mom changed her. She was always so harsh towards the world, as if she expected no good to come from it.

One day, Eric noticed a young teenage boy who was arrested in front of a pharmacy. He decided to approach the scene, and he found out that the boy had stolen medicine for his sick mother. "I'm sorry," the boy cried out to the police. "If I don't bring home medicine, my mom will die. Please don't let her die. I won't be able to handle it," he sobbed.

Upon hearing this, Eric didn't hesitate to pay for the medicine. "Please don't arrest him. He only meant to save his mom," he said to the cops. "I'll pay for the medicine on his behalf. Please just let him go," he said, handing the pharmacist a couple of bills from his pocket.

The boy looked at Eric with grateful eyes. "Thank you, sir," he cried. "Thank you so much. You are heaven-sent."

"There will always be people willing to help you, son. Don't resort to stealing next time. Promise me that, okay?" Eric told him before handing him two portions of food. "Here, take this to your mom and have a hot meal with her," he said before letting the boy go.

Riley saw the whole scene and complained. "Dad, we barely have enough extra money. Why did you pay for the medicine? He did something wrong. He deserved to go to jail," she asked, irritated.

"Riley, the good you put out into the world will eventually find its way back to you. Just believe and keep doing good. Trust me on this," Eric told his daughter.

While quietly staying beside Riley, Eric suddenly noticed an envelope on the nightstand addressed to him. He decided to open it and was surprised to find a check inside for the amount they needed to pay at the hospital.

Twenty years passed, and Riley gave up on what her dad said. "The world will never be kind to those who have nothing!" she would tell herself.

Despite this, Eric still tried to instill kindness in his daughter. He continued to do good deeds and believed that one day, someone would repay his kindness one way or another.

When Riley turned thirty, she suddenly needed an emergency operation after a routine checkup found a blocked artery in her heart. After having difficulty breathing, Eric rushed her to the hospital in an ambulance to have her treated.

"You'll be alright, Riley," he cried. "Don't worry, daddy is here. We'll get through this together," he assured her.

"We don't have money to pay for my surgery, dad," Riley said sadly. "I'm not going to make it."

"You will make it. Don't worry about that, and just recover well, okay? I'll handle everything," Eric told her.

Staying true to his promise, Eric did try his best to find the money for his daughter's operation. He asked all of his friends, but nobody was willing to lend him money.

Desperate to save Riley, Eric sold their house. It was enough to pay off her surgery, but they would be left with nothing. "It's okay," he told himself. "I will be able to earn money again, but if I lose my daughter, nothing will ever bring her back."

By the time Eric made it back to the hospital, Riley was recovering in her hospital room after the operation. He sat beside her bed and held her hand. "You're okay, my sweet daughter," he assured her.

While quietly staying beside Riley, Eric suddenly noticed an envelope on the nightstand addressed to him. He decided to open it and was surprised to find a check inside for the amount they needed to pay at the hospital and a note that read:

"You paid for your daughter's surgery twenty years ago. It cost you three packs of medicine, a painkiller, and two portions of food. Thank you."

Immediately, Eric remembered the boy he had helped a long time ago. He ran to the doctor's office and hugged him. "Thank you," Eric sobbed. "Thank you, son."

"No, sir," the doctor told him as they embraced. "Thank you. That day, you didn't only save me from prison, but you also saved my mother's life. Since that day, I promised myself that I would work hard to help my mom, and to help others, too. I studied hard and got a scholarship to medical school," he revealed.

"I am so proud of you," Eric told him. "Your mom must be so proud of you, too."

The doctor smiled. He promised to take care of Riley until she fully recovered, and they told her about who the boy was. Riley was amazed and realized that what her dad said was true – the good you put out in the world will find its way back to you.

Since that day, Riley, Eric, and the doctor became friends and would always meet up. Riley no longer saw the world as a cruel place, and she started imitating her father by doing good deeds whenever she could.

What can we learn from this story?

• Don't let your tough circumstances harden your heart. Riley started seeing the world as a cruel place after finding out that her mom had abandoned her and her dad. However, Eric always tried to show her the positive side of life and never got tired of reminding her that there was still some good left in the world.
• The good you put out into the world will eventually find its way back to you. Eric believed in karma and eventually experienced it for himself. It was through Eric's experience that Riley finally believed him, and she started believing in karma, too.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about kids who decide to put up a lemonade stand to pay for their mom's medical bills, only for cops to show up in front of their home to talk to them about it.

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.