Eight-year-old Tess overheard her parents talking about her little brother, Andrew. All she knew was that he was very sick, they were completely out of money and had no insurance. They were moving to an apartment complex next month because Dad didn’t have the money for both the medical bills and house payment. Evidently only a costly surgery could save her brother now. She heard her father say, “Only a miracle can save him.”
Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. She counted it three times. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes.
Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and walked to a drug store about six blocks away.
Tess waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too intently talking to another man to be bothered by an eight-year-old. She twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise.
Nothing. She cleared her throat with the loudest sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!
“And what do you want?” the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. “I’m talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven’t seen in ages.
“Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,” Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. “He’s really, really sick, and I want to buy a miracle”.
“I beg your pardon?” said the pharmacist.
“His name is Andrew, and he has something bad growing inside his head, and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So, how much does a miracle cost?”
“We don’t sell miracles here, little girl. I’m sorry but I can’t help you,” the pharmacist said, softening a little.
“Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn’t enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs?”
The pharmacist’s brother stooped down and asked the little girl, “What kind of a miracle does your brother need?”
“I don’t know,” Tess replied with her eyes welling up. “I just know he’s really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation, but my Daddy can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money.”
“How much do you have?” asked the pharmacist’s brother.
“One dollar and eleven cents,” Tess answered barely audible. “And it’s all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.”
“Well, what a coincidence,” smiled the man. “A dollar and eleven cents... the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.” Then he said “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”
The pharmacist’s brother was a surgeon from Chicago who specialized in neurosurgery. He performed the operation without charge. Before long Andrew was home again and doing well.
Later, mom and dad were talking about the chain of events that had led to this. “That surgery was a real miracle,” the mother commented. “I wonder how much it would have cost?”
Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost... one dollar and eleven cents!