{"id":14451,"date":"2026-03-10T09:33:51","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T09:33:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/the-hospital-friendship-he-will-cherish-forever\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T05:57:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T05:57:28","slug":"the-hospital-friendship-he-will-cherish-forever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/angels-and-miracles\/angels\/the-hospital-friendship-he-will-cherish-forever\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hospital Friendship He Will Cherish Forever"},"content":{"rendered":"

Steam filled the bathroom when I stepped out of the shower. I was still a little sleepy as I ran a hand over the mirror to wipe away the fog. My reflection looked back at me: wet hair sticking up, damp cheeks. Then my gaze dropped to the marks on my chest. My scars<\/a> had faded after all these years and hardly noticeable\u2014just two lines crossing in the middle of my chest. But the memory they brought back was as clear as ever: I had only really known the little girl for a few weeks. Didn\u2019t remember her name. But I carried her with me every day.<\/p>\n

We met in the Children\u2019s Hospital of Columbus. I was 11, one of the few kids in the children\u2019s ICU. I was born with a hole in my heart, a condition called tetralogy of Fallot. So was the five-year-old girl in the bed beside me. We were both recovering from the same surgery. Being older and wiser, I thought it was my job to look out for her. \u201cDo you want to hear a story?\u201d I recall asking her one afternoon. I held up a few picture books from the shelf. Parents often brought books for us all to read, and the nurses were always on the lookout for more to add to the collection.<\/p>\n

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