Barney is a very normal man, and he leads a very quiet life at home. But not long ago, unfortunately, that tranquility ended. He was a very famous singer, who managed to take his talent to many parts of the world. He spent much of his youth on tour and got to know very well what a life of luxury is like. Now he is a man of over 40 years old with a good career as a singer behind him. He often took several months off from work or singing to dedicate them to his family, which he could not see very often because of the continuous tours he did. That is why when he was at home he dedicated all his time to his wife and children.
Although that life was hectic, he felt calm every time he was at home with them. But as I already told you, that tranquility ended suddenly one day. Everything happened so fast that there was not much time to assimilate it because it was a hard blow for him. When he came back from one of those tours and went to see his family, he noticed that something was bothering him. It was his throat, it wasn't painful, but it did bother him, it was like a slight pain, as if you had hit yourself. As expected, he ignored it and didn't give it the attention it deserved. You know, he thought he had forced his voice too much. That week that he was at home, the pain came and went, so he was more and more aware of it. But he didn't want to tell his family anything yet.
After that he went on tour again, he was going to give a concert in several cities in the United States. He was able to do several concerts, but in the middle of one of them the pain was much stronger than usual, it was so much that they had to cancel the concert. Backstage he spoke with the paramedics they had hired in case there was an emergency to take him to the hospital, because he could no longer bear the pain. He was practically forced to because he had refused that medical appointment since he had left his family's house a few weeks ago. The paramedics told him that they would take him immediately to do a thorough examination of his throat.
When they arrived in the ambulance there was already a doctor waiting to consult him. So he did not have to wait in line for his turn, so the process was actually quite fast. So after several tests they did, and even x-rays, the doctor was thoughtful. Apparently he did not want to rush to give a diagnosis. So he called several of his colleagues to look at the x-rays together to come to a decision and be able to tell him the result of the diagnosis. At first the wait was quick because he didn't have to wait in line, but then the wait went from minutes to hours, as several doctors continued to do tests and meet to give him the diagnosis.
Finally, after so many hours, they called him into a private room to give him the results of what he really had. The doctors informed him that the discomfort he had felt in the last few weeks was due to the fact that he had a tumor that was causing a degenerative disease that would affect his vocal cords over time in a definite way, but that was not the worst. The worst thing was that there was only one possible cure for this strange disease, and that was the removal of the tumor. By doing so he could save his life because if this tumor was not treated it could kill him over time. Therefore it was a matter of life or death for him to have this operation. Barney only asked them one question: Will I be able to sing again? This question was followed by an answer that was the one that changed everything and ended the peace of mind he once had.
They told him that he would never be able to sing again once the tumor was removed, because doing so would irreversibly damage his vocal cords. This affected him greatly because now he was faced with 2 decisions that would change his life. On the one hand, he could continue singing without surgery, but this would end his life over the years, and on the other hand, he could have the tumor removed and live, although he would no longer be able to sing. He told the doctors to give him a few days to think about it, and they agreed. After leaving the consultation, he immediately took a plane back home. He had to give his wife the hard news, which left her devastated because she knew how difficult it would be for him to live without being able to sing again, since he had spent his entire life in that career.
His wife told him that she preferred him to stay with her than to lose him forever in death if he didn't undergo the treatments. So in the end they decided as a family that the best thing for him would be for him to undergo surgery. The next day he called the doctors to tell them that he was going to undergo the operation. They congratulated him on his decision because they knew it was the right one to save his life. They told him that the operation would be in a month, because before that he had to take several antibiotics to reduce the swelling in the area and they could apply anesthesia. After the call he faced the harsh reality, now he only had one month left with you, after that he would lose you forever. It was a very bad experience for the whole family.
After that he began to be increasingly sad because he knew what his life would be like from now on. That is why he and his wife often went out to the park or to go fishing to clear their minds and not think so much about what was coming in that last week. It just so happened that they went into a pawn shop and saw several classical guitars. He and his wife were talking to each other about how beautiful they were and how they would buy one to take home and play with. While they were talking to the seller, a boy and his mother arrived. It was clear that they were very poor. The mother and the boy were there to pawn their mother's wedding ring, as they had no money even for food that day.
Barney noticed them from afar and approached to give the mother some money so she wouldn't pawn her wedding ring. The truth is that he felt very sorry to see the boy. So he gave them a few hundred dollars. While he was doing this, his wife arrived with the guitar they had just bought. The boy, upon seeing her with the guitar, immediately told them that he loved it. The boy was very innocent; he didn't really want it as a gift, he just said that it was pretty. Barney and his wife looked at each other's faces and without saying a word, each knew what the other was thinking. So in the end, they gave it to the boy as well. You can't imagine how happy he and his mother were. After that, they exchanged phone numbers in case they needed more help one day.
Barney and his wife were very happy to have done this good deed because they had contributed to someone else's happiness. After that they continued their normal day as planned, they went to the park, stopped at an ice cream shop to get ice cream and finally returned home in the afternoon. That night they had a very special dinner because they invited the family of the boy they had seen at the pawn shop to eat with them that night. They had a spectacular party. And they played games and told stories until late at night until everyone got sleepy and little by little they left for their homes.
That night before going to bed, Barney told his wife that he had never felt like he had ever felt before despite his problems, because helping others makes you happier. So he told her that he had made a very important decision. He still had more than 3 weeks before the operation, so he decided to use that time to perform several concerts around the city to raise funds. And then he would use those funds to help people in need. That way he would give his voice the best use and farewell he could give it. His wife was happy and sad at the same time about his decision, because she wanted him to never lose his voice. But if that was his decision, she would support him. The next day she and Barney would begin the last tour of their career, a special tour, because it would not be for him, now it would be for others.
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