CLEAN BLOOD > The day is over, you are driving home. You tune in your radio. You hear a > little blurb about a little village in India where some villagers have > died suddenly, > strangely, of a flu that has never been seen before. > It's not influenza, but three or four fellows are dead, and it's kind of > interesting. They're sending some doctors over there to investigate it. > You don't think much about it, but on Sunday, coming home from church, you > hear another radio spot. Only they say it's not three villagers, it's > 30,000 > villagers in the back hills of this particular area of India, and it's on > TV that night. CNN runs a little blurb; people are heading there from the > disease > center in Atlanta because this disease strain has never been seen before. > By Monday morning when you get up, it's the lead story. For it's not just > India; it's Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and before you know it, you're > hearing > this story everywhere and they have coined it now as "the mystery flu". > The President has made some comment that he and everyone are praying and > hoping that all will go well over there. But everyone is wondering, "How > are we > going to contain it?" > That's when the President of France makes an announcement that shocks > Europe. He is closing their borders. No flights from India, Pakistan, or > any of > the countries where this thing has been seen. > That night you are watching a little bit of CNN before going to bed. Your > jaw hits your chest when a weeping woman is translated from a French news > program > into English: "There's a man lying in a hospital in Paris dying of the > mystery flu." It has come to Europe. Panic strikes. > As best they can tell, once you get it, you have it for a week and you > don't know it. Then you have four days of unbelievable symptoms. > Then you die. Britain closes it's borders, but it's too late. South > Hampton, Liverpool, North Hampton, and it's Tuesday morning when the > President of the > United States makes the following announcement: > "Due to a national security risk, all flights to and from Europe and Asia > have been canceled. If your loved ones are overseas, I'm sorry. They > cannot > come back until we find a cure for this thing." > Within four days our nation has been plunged into an unbelievable fear. > People are selling little masks for your face. People are talking about > what if it comes to this country, and preachers on Tuesday are saying, > "It's the > scourge of God. > "It's Wednesday night and you are at a church prayer meeting when somebody > runs in from the parking lot and says, "Turn on a radio, turn on a radio." > While > the church listens to a little transistor radio with a microphone stuck up > to it, the announcement is made," > Two women are lying in a Long Island hospital dying from the mystery flu." > Within hours it seems, this thing just sweeps across the country. > People are working around the clock trying to find an antidote. > Nothing is working. California, Oregon, Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts. > It's as though it's just sweeping in from the borders. Then, all of a > sudden the news comes out. The code has been broken. A cure can be found. > A vaccine > can be made. > It's going to take the blood of somebody who hasn't been infected, and so, > sure enough, all through the Midwest, through all those channels of > emergency > broadcasting, everyone is asked to do one simple thing: > "Go to your downtown hospital and have your blood type taken. That's all > we ask of you. When you hear the sirens go off in your neighborhood, > please make > your way quickly, quietly, and safely to the hospitals." > Sure enough, when you and your family get down there late on that Friday > night, there is a long line, and they've got nurses and doctors coming out > and > pricking fingers and taking blood and putting labels on it. > Your wife and your kids are out there, and they take your blood type and > they say, "Wait here in the parking lot and if we call your name, you can > be dismissed > and go home." > You stand around scared with your neighbors, wondering what in the world > is going on, and that this is the end of the world. > Suddenly a young man comes running out of the hospital screaming. He's > yelling a name and waving a clipboard. What? He yells it again! And your > son tugs > on your jacket and says, "Daddy, that's me." > Before you know it, they have grabbed your boy. "Wait a minute, hold it!" > And they say, "It's okay, his blood is clean. His blood is pure. We want > to > make sure he doesn't have the disease. We think he has got the right > type." > Five tense minutes later, out come the doctors and nurses, crying and > hugging one another some are even laughing. It's the first time you have > seen anybody > laugh in a week, and an old doctor walks up to you and says, > "Thank you, sir. Your son's blood type is perfect. It's clean, it is pure, > and we can make the vaccine." > As the word begins to spread all across that parking lot full of folks, > people are screaming and praying and laughing and crying. > But then the gray-haired doctor pulls you and your wife aside and says, > "May we see you for a moment? We didn't realize that the donor would be a > minor > and we need. . . we need you to sign a consent form." > You begin to sign and then you see that the number of pints of blood to be > taken is empty. > "H-h-h-how many pints?" And that is when the old doctor's smile fades and > he says, "We had no idea it would be a little child. > We weren't prepared. We need it all!" > "But but..." > "You don't understand. We are talking about the world here. Please sign. > We - we need it all, we need it all!" > "But can't you give him a transfusion?" "If we had clean blood we would. > Can you sign? Would you sign?" In numb silence you do. Then they say, > "Would > you like to have a moment with him before we begin?" > Can you walk back? Can you walk back to that room where he sits on a > table saying, "Daddy? Mommy? What's going on?" Can you take his hands > and say, "Son, > your mommy and I love you, and we would never ever let anything happen to > you that didn't just have to be. Do you understand that?" > And when that old doctor comes back in and says, "I'm sorry, we've - we've > got to get started. People all over the world are dying." Can you leave? > Can > you walk out while he is saying, > "Dad? Mom? Dad? Why - why have you forsaken me?" > And then next week, when they have the ceremony to honor your son, and > some folks sleep through it, and some folks don't even come because they > go to the > lake, and some folks come with a pretentious smile and just pretend to > care. Would you want to jump up and say, "MY SON DIED! DON'T YOU CARE?" > Is that what God is saying? "MY SON DIED. DON'T YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I > CARE?" > "Father, seeing it from your eyes breaks our hearts. Maybe now we begin > to comprehend the great love you have for us. Amen " >