Give What You Have

No man is so poor as to have nothing worth giving. Give what you have...To someone it may be better than you dare to think. ~H.W. Longfellow~

Watching Hopkins 24/7 this morning and the medical students were expressing their profound thanks for the people whose bodies had been donated to their program. They said there was no way to learn all they needed to learn without hands-on experience these bodies give them. And they took a moment to remember these were a human beings, not just anonymous remains. One student team even said a prayer for their "person" and his family and friends. Made me think of Byron's brother, Bruce. Being a teaching tool in a medical university was his final contribution to the world!

Bruce was the third of the seven Robinson boys. From the beginning it would appear that he always marched to his own drum. Mom reported he was often sad and moody. He seemed to prefer his solitude. Difficulty in school caused him to be retained a year. After one of his outbursts of anger, he could be found "camping out" in an old car . In later years, as the adult brothers would fondly recall childhood adventures and mischievious deeds at the old family homestead, Bruce would claim no such happy memories.

He had some good qualities: He was a hard worker and was willing to teach his skills to others. He loved his children. He was a true horseman and loved everything about ranch living. He started a lot of enterprises that had great potential.

But his life was troubled: He married and divorced twice. He had three children whom he abandoned before they reached adulthood. He started the family business, but walked away before it was a success. He struggled greatly with financial matters and was convinced the world was out to defeat him. Bruce always seemed to be chasing that golden carrot that was dangling just out of his grasp...and wasn't too happy about it either!

Bruce's last few years left his family puzzled and sad. He and his female companion drifted from place to place in the Northwest. They never had anything of their own and ran from a few brushes with the legal system. There were a number of people looking for them to settle money and business matters. And his poor mother worried constantly about him. She once said, "Bruce starts up the river of life, and then not only quits rowing, but throws the paddles overboard!"

Then Bruce called with the news of bone cancer. Without any money or medical insurance he depended on the state hospital for treatment. The end was painful and involved. When it was over, the hospital told Bruce's companion that because he was "a ward of the state" his body would be donated to the medical program there for study. She has no legal standing to protest...and Bruce made his final contribution to the world.

His final years may have been fruitless in so many other ways, but it is comforting to think that final gift has made a difference in the lives of the medical students and in the lives of the future patients they went on to serve.

And it would be nice to think those students said a little prayer for Bruce and for his family....

R.I.P. Bruce!