A very large wreath hangs on the wall of Good Samaritan Clinic’s reception area. 
If you look closely, you might realize it was intended to be a Christmas wreath. However, it hangs year-round in the reception area as a tribute to the Clinic patient who created it as a gift to the Clinic a few years ago.
At about the same time that she gave the wreath to the Clinic, the woman (we’ll call her “Angel”) wrote a letter to the Clinic’s staff. The following excerpt is from that letter, in her own words:
To all my new friends,
I wanted to write and tell everyone how much everyone there has done for me… When I first came to the clinic, I really was without hope. I had given up on my life… I had lost a daughter, had cancer, an abusive husband, lost my job, had to give up my medicine because I had no insurance or the money for them and I really thought I was ready to die… Then a police officer talked me into going to the clinic. I first had to find a job, so I did – which surprised me the first place I went I was hired.
God blessed me with the gift of making pretty things… but my health was pretty bad – so I finally got up the courage to come and ask for help…
I came to the clinic three times before I finally came in. I would sit in the parking lot and watch people go in and out. Then I finally got the courage to go in and ask for help… I was treated with kindness and understanding – which made me feel like I was worth saving… everyone wanted to help me get my life back on track, mentally and physically… All of you, the nurses, the lady doctor today who spent so much time with me, I just wanted you all to know that I would probably have given up on my life if it wasn’t for all of your help… but I feel so much better… and I’m so thankful for each and everyone there… Y’all gave me so much and I just wanted to tell y’all that it’s made a big difference in my life… I feel guilty sometimes because I’m sure there are others who need my appointments and I know y’all are limited to who and how many you can help, but from the bottom of my heart I thank you all for giving me the chance to put my life back together… May God Bless you All. Sincerely, [Angel]
That letter was written in October, 2004. Angel gave the wreath, along with some other hand-crafted decorations, to the Clinic for Christmas that year. We found out later that she delayed some diagnostic tests and a hospital stay so that she could finish the wreath. She wanted to share her “gift of making pretty things” with others who came to the Clinic and needed hope. A large angel is attached to the vines of the wreath and appears to be hovering over the patients who sit in the chairs beneath it.
In April 2005, just 4 months after she gave the wreath to the Clinic’s staff, Angel died. Her cancer had returned. It was a type of cancer that was easily curable. Unfortunately, by the time Angel finally found help at the Clinic, it was too late to save her life. She was 50 years old.
I’m sharing this story with you not because the patient died, but because she lived. Thanks to the help of people in our local community, Angel’s final year of life was filled with much more support and friendship than she had previously experienced… and she shared her gifts with others who might need a little hope in their lives.
Pass it on.
