Adapted from an anecdote attributed to Dan Millman
“So, you think I’m courageous?” she asked.
“Yes, I do.”
“Perhaps I am. But I think courage is something we learn from others. I’ve had some inspiring teachers. Let me tell you about one of them.
“Many years ago, while volunteering at Stanford Hospital, I came to know a little girl named Liza who was suffering from a rare and serious illness.
“Her only apparent chance of recovery was a blood transfusion from her five-year-old brother, who had survived the same illness and developed the antibodies needed to help her.
“The doctor explained the situation to the little boy and asked if he would be willing to give some of his blood to his sister.
“I watched him hesitate for a moment. Then he took a deep breath and said, ‘Yes, I’ll do it if it will help Liza.’
“As the transfusion progressed, he lay in a bed beside his sister. We watched as colour slowly returned to her cheeks. The boy smiled, and so did the rest of us.
“Then his face grew pale, and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked in a trembling voice, ‘Will I start to die right away?’
“He had misunderstood what the doctor had told him. He believed that saving his sister meant giving her all of his blood.
“I am still learning how to show up in life like that brave boy did”