Cathy Troyer, Constituent Relations Manager, reflects on a touching experience she shared with Mariah, a nurse at MBHOH, earlier this week.
On Tuesday night, one of the little ones on the 5th floor, the palliative care floor, passed away shortly before dinner. Mariah had been comforting Sophia all day as we anticipated her passing. She was held, cared for and made comfortable. In the end, she entered in to a peaceful sleep, and then went on to be made new with a body that was not broken.
As I was talking to Mariah today, she told me she was going to the rooftop and asked me to go along with her. As we stepped outside, she walked toward the wall at the perimeter of the roof. On this wall is painted a sweet landscape with yellow skies, high hills, and little trees. On the rolling hills are written the names of all the little ones who have come to MBHOH but didn’t make it. Mariah knelt down and found just the right spot and wrote “S o p h i a.” We both stood in silence for a few moments.
I asked Mariah how difficult it was for her to do this, since the children under her care at MBHOH are in hospice care. Her response was that when these kids come in here, no one knows their name; in relation to the world’s concerns, they don’t often register. When they pass, writing their names on this wall of remembrance reminds us that God has not forgotten them. He knows each of us by name. He knows these little ones by name. And for all the little ones that remain outside these walls, forgotten, He knows them by name as well. Sophia is part of this story and now, she also moves us to continue to press forward on behalf of these children.
