One day in May I was part of a neighborhood yard sale. Danny decided to put his bright yellow 4 wheeler out to see if anyone wanted to offer him some money. Two young boys came by with great big googly eyes gawking at the four wheeler. We took one look at them and could tell they could not afford anything in our yard sale let alone the four wheeler. One boy was riding a bike and his brother behind him with a rope tied to his bike because he couldn't make it up the hill to his house. Danny started talking to the boys and asking them if they wanted a job to pay for the four wheeler. I told Danny it was not a good idea to talk to them that way. He said he wanted to help them out because he knew what it was like to be a kid and not have anything.

That was the start of Danny's friendship with Chris and Ed. The two names go hand in hand and we don't think of one without the other. Chris and Ed are two brothers from a Very low income family. They didn't have anything. So Danny did try to hire them and he put them to work. But it didn't work out so well. You see Chris he had a disease calle Brittle Bone Syndrome. He couldn't walk very well or very fast and he couldn't get into Danny's truck. Ed he was physically capable but he was young and was never taught how to work. So Danny would leave them to pick up leaves and trash and five minutes later they would call with some sort of problem or that they were hungry and, "Jones'en for a soda". They would call Danny on the phone relentlessly. If Danny didn't answer they would hang up and call right back until Danny would answer. One time they called our house no less than 20 times in five minutes! They began to wear on me but Danny was able to see something in them.

Danny was often called to come pick them up from across town because they were tired and couldn't ride their bikes any longer, or that they didn't have any bikes and need a ride somewhere. Or they would call Danny to ride along in the truck while he was snowplowing. Danny realized they loved the adventure but they also loved Danny to take them and get them a soda and a burger. They didn't have money for that kind of stuff because they lived off of food stamps and disability.

One time, the Monster Truck Rally came to town and they desperately wanted to go. Somehow they got the tickets but asked Danny if he could give them a ride and could they borrow a camera. So Danny graciously gave them a ride and borrowed our camera to my dismay! He also gave them a bunch of ear plugs and told them it would be loud and to take a bunch. Well they did and then turned around and sold enough ear plugs to get them some food at the show. They were also lucky enough to meet the man who drove the Big Foot monster truck and told them it was Chris's dream to be there. The man gave Chris the Steering wheel to the Big Foot truck. The highlight of their lives.

Chris was awarded an electric wheel chair because he was having an even harder time getting around. Oh Happy day! This truly meant freedom for Chris and Ed!! Chris drove that wheelchair from one end of town to the other and only stopped because the battery died! I know this because we had to go pick them up at Dairy Queen and take them home. Chris kept driving it in the gravel and getting stuck so the people at the home he was living at came to his rescue. He was recently looking up four wheel drive models!

Chris passed away last Thursday. He contracted H1N1 and it destroyed his lungs and was only staying alive because of a ventilator. He was at Primary Children's hospital when his uncle came from Idaho to tell him that was the only thing keeping him alive and that they wanted to remove the ventilator. He understood what was happening and then his family came from Idaho to say good bye. I read an article about Brittle Bone Syndrome (OI) that people with a certain type don't have good lung development and therefore die because of a lung infection.

Although Chris was limited by his body his mind had no boundaries. He was always telling Danny how he was moving to California to make lots of money. He was raised in the most dire of circumstances where his family didn't understand his disease nor did they know how to help him. However, Danny says he was always a positive person and always happy. Sometimes it seems like people with diseases that control their lives have incredible spirits, positive spirits. When we least expect it these people end up teaching us.

My husband continues to teach me about people and how to care for them. When he looks at someone he only sees good. He took this picture of Chris and Ed when Chris first got his wheelchair. I asked him once why he bothered taking pictures (I sounds so-o mean) of them and he said, "Chris isn't going to be around a long time." Which was true. Chris was only expected to live to age 14 but he made it to 24.

I guess if you want a moral to the story... You never know who you will affect or if someone else will affect you in a positive way in this life. So go, be nice to someone! :)