提要

明知極度險惡，消防員仍勇赴火場捨己救人，大仁大勇令人敬佩；六歲的小男孩，志向是長大當一名消防員，雖然造化弄人，但他在有限的生命中，還是參與了嚮往的志業，也讓與他「共事」的消防員，體認自己擔任的角色多麼重要。





In Phoenix, Arizona, a mother stared down at her six-year-old son who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she still wanted her son Billy 's dreams to come true.

"Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up." Billy once said, the mom smiled back and said, "Let's see if we can make your wish come true."

Later that day she went to her local fire department, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix. She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her son a ride around the block on a fire engine.

Fireman Bob said, "Look, we can do better than that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make him an honorary fireman for the whole day.

Three days later, Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his fire uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck.

Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station, he was like in heaven.

There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the paramedic's van and even the fire chief's car. He was also video taped for the local news program.

Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible.

One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital. Then Billy 's mom called the fire chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition.

The chief replied, " We can do better than that, We'll be there in five. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire? It's just the fire department coming to see one of it's finest members one more time. And please open the window to his room."

Five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital, extended its ladder up to Billy's third floor open window and 16 firefighters climbed up the ladder into Billy's room. With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they loved him. With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, "Chief, am I really a fireman now?"

"Yes you are," the chief said. With those words, Billy smiled and closed his eyes one last time.



解說

在美國亞利桑那州鳳凰城，一位母親低頭凝視著她得了末期白血病的六歲兒子，儘管心裡充滿了悲傷，她還是想盡辦法，希望讓她的兒子比利的夢想成真。

「媽媽，當我長大，我想成為一名消防員。」比利曾經說過，媽媽笑著回答，「讓我們來看看，如何讓你的願望成真。」

當天稍晚，她拜訪住家附近的消防隊，她對接待她的消防隊員鮑伯解釋，她兒子的最後的願望和要求，如果可能，希望能讓比利坐一回消防車，在附近兜圈子就行了。

心胸寬大的消防員鮑勃說，「我們可以做的不只這樣，如果妳能幫他在周三早上七時準備好，我們可以讓他當「榮譽消防隊員」一整天。

三天後，消防員鮑伯到醫院接比利，幫他穿上消防員制服，從他的病床一直護送他坐上雲梯消防車。

比利坐在消防車後座，幫助引導它回到消防站，他覺得像身在天堂。

那一天，鳳凰城有三個火災警報，比利三個任務都參加了。他還乘坐了不同的消防車、救護車，甚至消防隊長的座車，當地的新聞節目，還錄下他參與救火的實況。

比利的夢想成真，大量的愛與關注，讓他比醫生預估的時間，多活了三個月。

一天晚上，比利的生命跡象開始急劇下降，他的護士長認為，任何臨終的人都不該孤獨地走，開始通知家屬到醫院。比利的媽媽聯繫消防隊長，詢問是否可能請一位穿制服的消防員到醫院陪伴比利。

消防隊長回答說，「我們可以做的比這更多，我們五分鐘就會趕到。當你聽到警笛聲的時候，請幫忙廣播這並非火警，只是消防隊來見它最優秀的一名成員；另外，也請打開比利房間的窗子。

五分鐘以後，消防隊雲梯車架在比利三樓開著的窗口，十六名消防員爬梯子進到比利的房間。經由他母親的同意，他們輪流擁抱他，告訴他，他們都非常愛他。比利奄奄一息地看著消防隊長說，「隊長，我算是一名消防員了嗎？」

「是的，你是，」這位消防隊負責人說。聽到這句話，比利笑著，最後一次 闔上了眼。