24 Aug A 9 Year Old Hero!

It was a very interesting day when I met Billy. He had been diagnosed with a terminal disease and his parents found me through a word of mouth referral. We worked together to make arrangements for Billy to take a cruise around town with Batmo in the Batmobile.

When he arrived at the Batmobile he was pale, but full of excitement about riding with Batmo in the Batmobile! We had a wonderful conversation as we cruised around Carmel. Billy was intelligent and very insightful. At the tender age of nine he had been struggling with health issues all of his life. I had such respect for his courage and intrinsic kindness.

Billy was watching his favorite Batman movie as we crusaded along the beach. Suddenly, he looked over at me as a large smile spread across his face. He said: “I feel better.” It was a deeply moving moment.

Then he shared the most interesting and insightful observation with me – one I will never forget. He looked at me and said: “Dying is not hard, it is like being born backwards.”

I was so moved I pulled over to the curb as we shared that beautiful moment together in silence. It was quite humbling and my deepest honor to witness such heartfelt bravery from a person so young. It remains one of the most beautiful moments of my life. Through the years since, I have shared Billy’s story with many people during my service at Hospice and as a counselor. And now…I share it with you.