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Every Breath You Take
A former co-anchor for NBC's Weekend Today Show, Giselle Fernandez has also coanchored teh KTLA Morning News in Los Angeles and hosted her own talk show, Cafe Ole with Giselle Fernandez, on the SiTV network. Here she shares her story of how a volunteer experience changed her life.
In 2001 my husband, John Farrand, and I began volunteering at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where 70 percent of the patients are Hispanic, because we wanted to make our lives feel more meaningful outside of work. We had no idea that an 11-year-old patient would prfoundly change the way see the world.
We met Dutin Meraz because he wanted to tell people his story, about what it was like to be kid dying of cancer. His social worker knew I was a journalist, and asked if we could help him make a do***entary. During our first interview, I asked Dustin what he wanted to say. " I want to go on The Oprah Winfrey Show and tell everyone that life is so short, so don't be down about things; have a good time," he said. "[some] kids have it worse than you."
Dusty was known as "the little sage" at Childrens Hospital. Once, I asked him the meaning of life. "It's not clothes shopping, work, or money," he said. "It's about your family and your friends."
In the most bizarre twist of fate, my husbands' baby grandson was diagnosed with liver cancer. He was admitted right next door to Dustin, who held our handsthrough the shock of it, as if it were all meant to be saved. Dustin would not be so lucky.
I was there as he lay dying. He asked, "If I go to sleep, will I wake up?" His nurse gently whispered, "No, honey, but it's okay. You've done your best." Dusty cried, called for the Lord's Prayer, and soon afterward whispered his last words: "I'm coming." We had no idea that volunteering at a hospital could lead us to a little boy who would teach us more about life than most people do in a lifetime--especially that life is measured not by the breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away.
Dustin took our breath away.
Source: Fernandez, Giselle. "Every Breath You Take." Latina June 2004: 108
I just wanted to share this with you guys. I was flipping through old magazines and this just brought me to tears. I guess it really hit me bc he reminds me of my son. My son will probably look a bit like him as he gets older. Very scary things to think about as a parent. I've attached Dustin pic for comparison. Gio's(my son) is in the thumbnails.
A former co-anchor for NBC's Weekend Today Show, Giselle Fernandez has also coanchored teh KTLA Morning News in Los Angeles and hosted her own talk show, Cafe Ole with Giselle Fernandez, on the SiTV network. Here she shares her story of how a volunteer experience changed her life.
In 2001 my husband, John Farrand, and I began volunteering at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where 70 percent of the patients are Hispanic, because we wanted to make our lives feel more meaningful outside of work. We had no idea that an 11-year-old patient would prfoundly change the way see the world.
We met Dutin Meraz because he wanted to tell people his story, about what it was like to be kid dying of cancer. His social worker knew I was a journalist, and asked if we could help him make a do***entary. During our first interview, I asked Dustin what he wanted to say. " I want to go on The Oprah Winfrey Show and tell everyone that life is so short, so don't be down about things; have a good time," he said. "[some] kids have it worse than you."
Dusty was known as "the little sage" at Childrens Hospital. Once, I asked him the meaning of life. "It's not clothes shopping, work, or money," he said. "It's about your family and your friends."
In the most bizarre twist of fate, my husbands' baby grandson was diagnosed with liver cancer. He was admitted right next door to Dustin, who held our handsthrough the shock of it, as if it were all meant to be saved. Dustin would not be so lucky.
I was there as he lay dying. He asked, "If I go to sleep, will I wake up?" His nurse gently whispered, "No, honey, but it's okay. You've done your best." Dusty cried, called for the Lord's Prayer, and soon afterward whispered his last words: "I'm coming." We had no idea that volunteering at a hospital could lead us to a little boy who would teach us more about life than most people do in a lifetime--especially that life is measured not by the breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away.
Dustin took our breath away.
Source: Fernandez, Giselle. "Every Breath You Take." Latina June 2004: 108
I just wanted to share this with you guys. I was flipping through old magazines and this just brought me to tears. I guess it really hit me bc he reminds me of my son. My son will probably look a bit like him as he gets older. Very scary things to think about as a parent. I've attached Dustin pic for comparison. Gio's(my son) is in the thumbnails.
