Inspirational
This Sad Boy Ran Into a Pharmacy, but What He Asked of the Chemist Will Seriously Break Your Heart
Joel ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. He needed to get to the pharmacy in time, or else he would lose someone who meant the world to him. As he ran, thousands of questions prowled through his disturbed mind. When he finally got there, he threw the door open and walked over to the pharmacist, who immediately flared up and scolded him for flinging the door.
“Can’t you see we’re closed? Just go away already!” she screamed, unrelenting.
Joelle moved closer to her, brought out a dollar note, and with an innocent look, said something heart-wrenching. Hearing those words, the pharmacist’s cheeks trembled, and a flood of tears gushed down her cheeks. What this little boy asked of the pharmacist will seriously break your heart.
Joelle, a 12-year-old boy, was the eldest son of a happily married couple, Laura and David. The two were childhood friends. They had met when they were both 14 at an orphanage after losing their loved ones. David grew up with his grandmother, and after she passed away, he was taken to an orphanage. As for Laura, her parents died in an accident.
When Laura and David turned 18, they moved out of the orphanage, got jobs, and started living together. Laura worked as a hair stylist, while David worked as a delivery man. Although they only earned a little, life wasn’t so hard because they cut their coats according to their cloth. Some years later, they managed to save enough to start a street food business. The business boomed, and with time, they started making deliveries online.
A little while later, the couple decided they were ready to start a family. So, they got married, and a few years later, they had their son, Joelle. Sadly, shortly after his birth, their business started to go bad, and they suffered financial setbacks. It took a long time before they finally got back on their feet. And when they did, they decided it was time to have another child. So, in due time, they welcomed their beautiful daughter, Ella.
The little girl was full of life and she brought so much joy into her family’s life. No one could have suspected that in just a few years, she would cause them so much grief and sorrow. Joelle had always wanted a younger sister, so Ella was a dream come true. He helped his mother care for her and he enjoyed feeding her and singing for her. He even made up a special song for her that he would often sing whenever she was crying. Ella recognized her brother’s voice and would immediately stop crying and start laughing whenever she heard him singing.
David and Laura were so proud of the bond between Joel and his young sister. Even though there was a wide age gap between them, Laura would dress them up in matching outfits. Time flew past, and Ella’s third birthday was fast approaching. The family wanted to throw her a big party. They started making all the necessary preparations; they planned the princess-themed party. Joel even designed handmade invitation cards that they sent out to the neighbors and family members.
Little did they know that the party wouldn’t even take place. Two weeks before the birthday, Ella mindlessly mentioned to Joelle that she was having chest pains. Joelle, who didn’t think it was much of a big deal, told her that he was a magician and he would heal her. So, he placed his hands on her chest and said some words he’d heard in a movie. Afterwards, he asked Ella if she could still feel the pain. The little girl winced and said no, perhaps to make her brother feel better. Since then, even though she was still having pains, she didn’t mention it.
Sadly, something tragic would happen soon. The night before Ella’s birthday, Ella and Joelle were supposed to entertain the guests with a choreographed dance. Even though they had practiced a lot during the day, Ella started crying by 10 pm, asking Joelle for another round of rehearsals. And the boy, who was already sleepy, got up from the sofa, flashed a weak smile at his sister, and started teaching her the whole choreography again.
They had only rehearsed for a few minutes when something frightening happened. Ella suddenly stopped dancing, clenched her chest, and started gasping. “Ella, what’s wrong? How do you feel?” Joelle said, as a spasm of fear crossed his face.
“I don’t know, I just feel sick,” little Ella said feebly.
Just then, Joelle bolted into his parents’ room. But by the time they all came back to the living room, Ella had already collapsed on the floor, and her skin had turned blue. Wasting no time, Ella was taken to the hospital, where the test results showed that she had a coronary artery disease. The little girl was admitted to the hospital right away and was placed on medication. All of this took a toll on the family’s finances. They had to move out of their three-bedroom apartment into a two-bedroom apartment. David took up more jobs, and all the money he made was put towards Ella’s treatment.
The situation got so bad that they eventually exhausted all their savings and even went into debt. It was at this crucial point in their lives that the doctor called the couple into his office and told them that Ella wasn’t responding to treatment, and the only way to save her was to have a bypass surgery, which would cost a whopping 120 thousand dollars.
That day, when the couple got home, Laura broke down in tears. Joelle heard his mom crying, and he rushed to their room. But when he got to the doorstep, he heard something that made him stop in his tracks.
“Our daughter is dying, David. What’s going to happen to Joelle? How would he cope without her? Our daughter is dying, and there’s nothing we can do. Why would we get 120 thousand dollars? We need a miracle,” David Laura said. She squeezed her eyelids shut, hoping that the tears would stop, but they just kept streaming down.
David, who was supposed to be strong, could no longer stop himself from doing the same, and the tears he was trying so hard to hold back finally started flowing down his face. Joelle
placed his hands on the doorknob, but on second thought, he pulled his hand back, his heart pounding. He rushed to his room, changed his clothes, and headed straight to the nearest pharmacy. It was around 9 pm, and Joelle had never been out alone at this time, but he didn’t care. He kept running and muttering, “Ella, your brother loves you. I will get what you need, Ella. I will save you.”
10 minutes later, Joelle arrived at the pharmacy and he rushed in without noticing the closed sign just outside the door.
“Hello, ma’am,” the boy said to the pharmacist, who was on a phone call and probably angry with whoever she was speaking with, so she took out her anger on the little boy. “Can’t you see we’re closed? Just go away already!” she said, turning her face away and getting back to the conversations she was having on the phone.
That was when Joelle said something that immediately turned the young woman’s world upside down. Goosebumps immediately covered her skin. Then she faced Joelle and, with trembling lips, she asked the little boy, “What did you just say?”
Mastering the courage, Joelle swallowed hard, brought out a dollar note from his pocket, and in a quivering voice, he said, “Please, I want to buy a miracle. My mom said the only thing that can save my sister is a miracle. Do you have one? I want to buy it from you.”
Overcome with emotions, the young woman pulled Joelle into her arms and hugged him. Then she said, “Everything will be fine. But I don’t sell miracles.”
Hearing those words, Joelle broke the embrace and went down on his knee. “I have money, just give me a miracle, please,” he pleaded.
The young woman was about to explain to the boy that no one sells miracles, but her best friend Clara, who was listening to the conversation, intervened and asked her to give the little boy the phone. Clara took pity on Joelle, and she could tell that he loved his sister so much. “How much do you have to buy a miracle?” she asked.
“A dollar, will it be enough?” he asked innocently.
“Yes, but I won’t take any money from you. I will give you one for free because you love your sister,” Clara said, and Joelle thanked her numerous times. Clara asked the boy for his mom’s phone number, and she promised to send a miracle to his parents.
Filled with relief, Joelle went back home and met his parents, who were already panicking after searching the whole house when they couldn’t find him. He ran into their open arms.
“Ella will live. Clara will give us a miracle, she promised,” Joelle said happily.
His parents were still trying to figure out what was going on when Laura’s phone rang. It was Clara, and she explained how she heard Joelle saying he wanted to buy a miracle to save his sister. And guess what this woman did? She promised to cover the cost of the surgery, and yes, she fulfilled her promise.
After the payment was made, Ella was scheduled for bypass surgery, and on the D-Day, she was wheeled into the operating room, where the doctor successfully operated on her. Who could have thought that a little boy’s active innocence would save his beloved sister’s life?
What a beautiful story.