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Mom Is Anxious At The Children's Hospital. Then Something Unexpected Happens

June 2, 2016

Three years ago, Ali Cummins found herself in an unfamiliar environment - a children's hospital with her daughter, Cecilia, getting an ECHO done on her heart. Yesterday, she wrote this beautiful story on Facebook...

Photo via Facebook

"Three years ago, I was in unfamiliar territory. A small room. White walls. An exam table and a plethora of machines, none of which I knew the purpose of.

My oldest daughter --unaware of what we were facing -- was singing; her voice bounced off the stale walls. My husband quietly sat in the corner. My youngest daughter -- just 3 months old -- was pressed close against me, her warm skin resting next to mine. And although I was completely aware of my surroundings, I was a million miles away.

I was in a place where x-rays and lab work don't exist. A place where EKG's and karyotypes are foreign words. A different place, a safer, more comfortable and more peaceful spot.

I told myself this wasn't happening. I was not at a children's hospital. I was not preparing to meet with a cardiologist. This wasn't my life. This wasn't our life.

My thoughts were disrupted, and I was jolted back to reality by the sound of footsteps and a creaking door.

A man in blue stands in front of me. 'I'm here for Miss Cecilia,' he says with a smile as he motioned towards the baby in my arms. I took a deep breath and tried to prepare myself mentally and emotionally for whatever was to come next.

The man ushered us into the room where he would perform the ECHO. “I'm Mike,” he said with another smile. Half-heartedly, I introduced myself and my family.

As Mike took Ceci out of my arms, she began to whimper, and as he laid her on the table for her ultrasound, she began to cry. My heart raced while Ceci's cry continued to grow in intensity. Nothing I tried stopped her tears, and this just reminded me of the fact that there was nothing I could do to heal her either.

And then, something unexpected happened.

Mike, bent down next to Cecilia, and in a soft voice, he began to sing: 'The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round.' Ceci's cry stops. 'All through the town,' he cooed sweetly, and Ceci smiled. Her blue eyes were transfixed on him, and he looked lovingly back at her. While Mike sang, I cried.

This was my reality.

My child was at the cardiologist; my child was having an ECHO done on her heart. I was standing in a children's hospital. And amid all of these unhappy things, I was witnessing the most beautiful thing ever: someone loving my child. A complete stranger treating my child with unimaginable kindness.

For the rest of the procedure, Mike sang to Ceci. He talked softly to her. He treated her with the kindness that all people should experience, but rarely do.

What I saw that day wasn't just good bedside manner. It wasn't just good medicine. I saw compassion and empathy and love.

About halfway through the ultrasound, I glanced down at Ceci. Her tiny hand was wrapped tightly around one of Mike's fingers. As the ECHO came to an end, she didn't want to let go, and I understood why. Because people like Mike are one in a million.

Three years later, whenever we are at the hospital, Mike stops by to see Ceci and to sing a rather impressive rendition of "The Wheels on the Bus."

Mike, thank you for loving my child. Thank you for showing me that kindness is all around me. Thank you for teaching me that even in our darkest moments, there's beauty and comfort to be found."

Mike read the story, too, and he replied!

"To all of the wonderful people who read this story, I want to say thank you for the kind words and the love you have shown me," Mike Patterson wrote in a comment. "I am truly blessed and honored to do what I do. But I want to say this it is not by my own doing that this has happened it is only with GOD and by GOD'S grace that any of this is possible so I thank GOD for blessing me this way.I thank him for allowing me to meet all of the wonderful people who have said these things about me. I truly appreciate it and my heart belongs to you all. THANK YOU SO MUCH"