"The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when someone asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer."
~Henry David Thoreau


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Michael stole our readers' hearts with his very first story of his
recovery from a paralyzing gunshot wound. His spirit, strength and
determination have made him an incredible person and writer today. Here is another memory from Mike's recovery time.



EVEN CARTOON CHARACTERS CAN COMMUNICATE
By Michael Segal

 

Rushing into the hospital Saturday morning, the physician passed his patient standing in the corridor.  As he hurriedly walked passed him on his way to check another patient's charts, he turned his neck, smiled to the elderly man and said, "How are you doing?"

The doctor could not have heard the patient's response as he was
already ten feet beyond him, sitting at the nurses station, and
looking at yet another charts.  Nonetheless, the patient
replied, "Terrible," to which the physician, looking over the other
patient's chart, replied, "That's nice."

Obviously, the doctor was not communicating, nor was he listening.  The doctor was just trying to be polite.  He definitely was expecting an answer that said, "Fine," as usually is the response, I would imagine, 95 percent of the time.
 
I have learned many things about successful communication.  Firstly, one should not ask a question if one does not want to hear the answer.

Secondly, and most importantly, successful communication requires good listening skills.  That is why I imagine God gave human beings two ears and only one mouth.  Truly listening to someone is just as important as verbally communicating to that individual.  

A perfect example of attentive listening is when I sustained a very
serious head injury.  I could not speak a single word for seven weeks.  Afterwards, for a long period of time I could only utter one or two words.  It was an extremely difficult time for me.

One day, a nurse came into my room and said to my mother and me that the doctor had ordered a daily vitamin.  I looked at the nurse as she opened her hand displaying what I considered to be a "horse pill."  I thought to myself, "Do you expect me to take that?"  It's so big."
 
"Here, take it," she ordered.  

What could I do?  What could I say?  Therefore, I took that "horse pill" and attempted to swallow it.  Unfortunately, it became lodged
in my throat.  I was right - the vitamin was just too big.

Thinking that I had swallowed the vitamin without any problems, the nurse thanked us and began to turn and leave my room.  However, I quickly grabbed her and I began crying and gasping for air.  The vitamin was still stuck in my throat.

The nurse did not know why I was crying.  She thought the vitamin had gone down with no problem.  She was totally confused by my reaction.

But my mother knew that something was not right.  I started
swallowing, gulping, and crying - all at once.  Finally, thank God, I
quickly breathed a hugh sigh of relief as the vitamin disolved and
passed through my throat.

The nurse turned one more time to leave.  Again I quickly grabbed
her. This time she certainly did not know what the problem was.

The problem was that I did not want to take that "horse pill". 
Rather, I wanted to take a chewable vitamin.  However, I could not physically say, "I want to take a chewable vitamin."  My
rehabilitation and therapy had, as yet, not progressed that far.

Still hanging onto the nurse I tried desperately to think of a way to communicate that idea.  Finally, it hit me.  I screamed out "Yabba,
Dabba, Do!"

Hearing me scream that phrase, the nurse must have thought I was crazy as she looked even more perplexed.  However, my mother chuckled and said, "I think he wants to take Flintstone chewable vitamins."  I smiled and nodded, and the next morning I had a "Purple Dino Flintsone" chewable vitamin.

Yes, there are many ways of communicating and one should always be aware of all forms of communication - both verbal and non-verbal. That day in the hospital I learned a vital lesson: There are many ways to say "chewable vitamins" and how  important communication really is.  Thank God someone was truly listening!



©2001 by Michael Segal, all rights reserved
MsegalHope@aol.com


Mike is an inspiring person and writer, whose kindness is matched by very few that this editor know! His story "My Miraculous Family," was published in "Chicken Soup for the Christian Family Soul."  Mike has written an autobiography entitled "Never Say Quit" and is currently looking for a publisher.  He lives in Houston with his highschool sweetheart, Sharon, and their daughter, Shawn.  He can be reached through his web page at: http://www.allworld.net/segal/
Read his stories "The Chosen Few", "A Giving Heart", "Crossroads of
Life", and others in our archives! www.2theheart.com/archives


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2THEHEART BIRTHDAY CLUB!

Happy Birthday to:

Karen DeLoach   March 8   kdeloach@frontiernet.net

Send Karen tons of Birthday wishes!

**********************


The Letter Box:



Dear Zachary,
I was really impressed with your aunt's story about you. I know you will grow up to be a fine young man. You are already strong and want to always take care of others and yourself. You are someone to be proud of! I will always think of you and your courage.
~Mary



Dear Melodie,
Zach is certainly an amazing young man! If you weren't already a
writer of the month, I would vote this story the best I have ever
read! thank you for sharing zach with us and thank Zach for being
such a hero!
~Geena



Melodie,
Your story about Zach showed that there are some amazing children today! Such courage and integrity in such a young person really impressed me. Thankyou.
~Michael



Susan,

I have a favor to ask.  Would you and your family pray for a young boy named William?  William is three years old and has several brain aneurisms.  He has had the problem almost since birth.  about 18
months ago, an aneurism burst and we almost lost William.  The
doctors have closed his right carotid artery, due to anneurisms, and now they are developing on his left carotid.  

William is in Childrens' Hospital of Iowa.  According to his father,
they are doing a case study on William as there is no other child
known to have this type of aneurism in such a large number, and at such a young age.  He has the best doctor in the country working on him.  But, the doctors told his parents that it may be two weeks, if lucky, it may be a year or two.  The only problem I see with that diagnosis is that is comes from the doctors.  

I know that God is the only one who can say when William will be
taken home to be with our Lord.  And I know that God hears our
prayers.  Whatever God's will may be, the parents will accept it. 
William's maternal grandfather is a minister, and his parents, John
and Pam, have a strong faith.  There have been several times when William should not have survived in the past few years.  But we have prayed, and God has answered.  Now, we are left to wonder what God has in store for young William and whose lives will be touched by him and his condition.

William's dad, John, works with me at WalMart, and his mom is working and going to school.  She was going to quit her job, to stay home with William, but his doctors said not to.  They have encouraged his parents to keep living as normal a life as possible.  The danger to William isn't from a fall or bumping his head.  The danger is from the inside, his blood pressure, things like that.  He's on blood pressure medication now.

The best thing, through all of this, is that William has not lost
anything he has gained in the past year.  He now says words, is in
preschool, and enjoys trips to the store and to visit people.  It's
such a change from a year ago, when he was not speaking, unable to walk at all, and just laying in his stroller, rather than looking
around and telling people, "Hi" and smiling and laughing.  With God's wonderful Loving Grace, we will have William around for a long time, but whatever God's plans for this young man are, I feel lucky to have been blessed with knowing him.  I hope many others are touched by his smile and inspired by him.

Thank you, Susan, for letting me go on about young William.  And
thank you, in advance, for praying for him and his family.  God Bless You!
love, Lucy


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