Evan’s Blog

She took her son’s
hand and asked, "Billy, did you ever think about
what you wanted to be
once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your
life?"
Mommy, "I always
wanted to be a fireman when I grew up."
Mom smiled back and
said, "Let’s see if we can make your wish come true."

Later that day she
went to her local fire department in

Phoenix

,

Arizona

, where she met Fireman Bob,
who had a heart as big as

Phoenix

.
She explained her son’s final wish and asked if it might be possible to give
her 6 year old son a ride around the block on a fire engine.

Fireman Bob said,
"Look, we can do better than that. If you’ll have
your son ready at
seven o’clock Wednesday morning, we’ll make him an honorary fireman for the
whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the
fire calls, the whole nine yards! And if you’ll give us his sizes, we’ll get a
real fire uniform
for him, with a real
fire hat - not a toy — one-with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on
it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots. They’re all manufactured
right here in

Phoenix

,
so we can get them fast."

Three days later
Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his uniform and escorted him from
his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Billy got to sit on the
back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven.
There were three fire calls in

Phoenix

that day and Billy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different
fire engines, the paramedic’s van, and even the fire chief’s car. He was also
videotaped for the local news program. Having his dream come true, with all the
Love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy that he
lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible.

One night all of his
vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the
hospice concept - that no one should die alone, began to call the family
members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a
fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send
a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made is transition.
The chief replied, "We can do better than that.

We’ll be there in five
minutes. Will you please do me a favour? When you hear the sirens screaming and
see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system, that there is
not
a fire? It’s the
department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you
open the window to his room?
About five minutes
later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended its ladder
up to Billy’s third floor open window——–16 fire-fighters climbed up the
ladder into Billy’s room. With his mother’s permission, they hugged him and
held him and told him how much they LOVED him.

With his dying breath,
Billy looked up at the fire chief and said,
"Chief, am I
really a fireman now?" "Billy, you are, and the Head Chief, Jesus, is
holding your hand," the chief said.