Older Man Refuses Vital Chemo, Sponsors Surgery for Boy He Met a Day Ago Instead - Story of the Day

A sixty-five-year-old man receives bad news from his doctor, but instead of choosing to save his own life, he decides that, for once, he's going to be selfless.

Simon scowled at the fire flickering in the fireplace. He crumpled the letter in his hands and threw it to the flames.

Forty-five years ago today, his wife and son had walked out on him. That letter, with its accusations of how selfish he was, was all he'd had left of them. Now, there was nothing to remind him of those turncoats.

"Serve them right," Simon muttered. "I should've burned that letter years ago."

He'd clung to the letter with the hope that his family would return one day. That hope had grown dimmer over the years, and now it was gone entirely.

If his wife and son hadn't returned when he developed cancer in his late forties, or when it returned in his fifties, they certainly wouldn't come crawling back now.

Simon's gaze drifted up to the mantel. Once, he'd placed photos of his family there, but now it was empty. Cousins and siblings had abandoned him, just like his wife and son. Nobody valued family anymore.

"Good riddance to the lot of them."

Simon rose from his armchair and shuffled to his bedroom.

He struggled to fall asleep as his thoughts returned to his absent family and how they all had accused him of being selfish. It chewed him up as he began wondering if there was any truth to the words.

The next day, Simon reported to his oncologist for his regular check-up. It was a lengthy process, and it took a few days before Simon received a call with the test results.

"Simon, I need you to come into the office," the doctor said over the phone.

"He deserves a chance to live."

Simon's heart skipped a beat. "This isn't my first rodeo, doc. It's bad, isn't it?"

"You really need to come in. I have an opening tomorrow."

"That means it's really bad." Simon lowered himself into his armchair. "It's come back, hasn't it? How soon do we start the chemo?"

"We need to start as soon as possible, Simon. I shouldn't be telling you this over the phone but I know you've been through this before. It's different this time." The oncologist sighed.

"This is a more aggressive form of cancer and the treatment is more aggressive too. It's also very expensive."

Simon hung his head. He'd already spent almost every cent he'd saved on treatments over the past few years. However expensive the treatment was, he doubted he could afford it.

"Simon, are you still there?"

"I'm here," he muttered.

"I know this is a shock, Simon, but the sooner we start treatment, the better your chances are. Think about it today, and we'll discuss everything in depth when I see you tomorrow."

Simon promised the doctor that he would think everything over, but he didn't have much choice. He would die if he didn't spend his last savings on treatment. The doctor hadn't said it in so many words, but Simon knew it was true.

He stared down at his phone. He had no family to call to share the news with, nobody to comfort him through this terrifying discovery.

There was one person, Simon remembered. He grabbed his car keys and hurried to the orphanage where he'd grown up.

When he reached the orphanage, he was directed to the garden. There, he found his girlfriend, Jenny, admiring the flowers with a young boy. He rushed toward her.

Jenny was happy to see him. She hugged him and kissed his cheek. Then, she turned to the young boy at her side.

"This is Dylan," she said. "Tomorrow is a very important day for Dylan and he wanted to admire the flowers."

"That's nice," Simon said inattentively. "Jenny, can I speak to you a moment?"

Jenny was about to answer, but Dylan interrupted.

"The doctor's going to tell me when I die tomorrow."

Simon felt a shock pass through him and stared at the child. Dylan's words eerily mirrored his current situation.

"Now, Dylan, I told you that you need to be positive. I'm sure the doctor will have good news."

The little boy hung his head. "The doctor never has good news. I'm tired of flowers. I want to go back inside."

Jenny sighed and let Dylan go. Once he was out of earshot, she turned to Simon.

"He has a heart condition," she said. "There's a surgical procedure that can help him, but it's costly. Do you want to know the best part?" Jenny looked at him grimly.

"What?"

"Dylan's father is rich. Well, he's not his biological father; that's why Simon's here. This man found out his wife cheated on him, and he divorced her and left Simon here." Jenny shook her head.

"That man could easily pay for Simon's surgery, but the orphanage can't."

Tears were forming in Jenny's eyes. "I can't bear the thought of Dylan slipping away from us because of this. He's only five years old."

Simon watched as the boy disappeared into the orphanage. The boy's words about death still rattled through his thoughts. He couldn't believe anyone would be so selfish as to refuse to help a child.

He recalled then how his family had always called him selfish, and now, he had to confess, he understood why they saw him that way. There were times when he could've helped them but didn't.

This was his chance to make up for that.

"I'll pay for his surgery," he said.

Jenny looked at him in shock.

"That boy has his whole life ahead of him," Simon continued. "He deserves a chance to live."

Simon missed his doctor's appointment the next day to accompany Jenny and Dylan to see the surgeon. Simon didn't tell Jenny about his health problems as he didn't want to worry her.

A few days later, Dylan's surgery was successful. Simon and Jenny both cried when they got the good news. Simon felt something was still missing and decided to do one more thing for Dylan.

The next day, Simon walked into a fancy office block to meet with Dylan's father.

"I'm here to tell you something important."

Simon sat opposite Dylan's father.

Simon then told the man how he'd refused to help his relatives in the past and focused on himself and what he wanted instead. Lastly, he told him about Dylan's health problems.

"That boy might not be your biological son," Simon said, "but didn't you hold him as a baby and feel love for him? Didn't you raise him as your own? Dylan needs you, and you're going to end up as lonely as I am if you don't help that boy."

Dylan's father hung his head. "You're right. I still love and miss Dylan, and it's not fair to punish him for what his mother did."

Dylan's father went to the orphanage the next day to take Dylan back to live with him. As thanks for everything Simon did for him and his son, he also paid for Simon's chemotherapy.

What can we learn from this story?

• Selfishness doesn't pay off. Simon spent his entire life caring only for himself, and all it earned him was loneliness.
• Children must be cherished. No child can be punished for their parent's mistakes, nor should they suffer due to spiteful behavior.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a boy who is punished for funding his classmate's surgery.

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.