The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXXIII

How are you going to get me well?” They looked at Max in disbelief, to see his
conviction so strong despite his ordeal, and took heart themselves.
“Come here to the window, Max, come look,” said his father.
There in the hospital driveway below, high on a truck and with mainsail
flying, was Take It To The Max. Max’s eyes widened in pleasure, his delight
was evident in every gesture of his excitement. He glowed, knowing the
care and love that brought his boat to him at this place at this time.
Nurses and doctors all came to exclaim about Max’s treasure and enjoy
his infectious happiness.
That night, Max stayed up until close to midnight working on a project with
his dad. When he was ready to put out the light, Max and his mom and dad
prayed together and thanked God for all the help He had given and all the
people who had been so kind to him. Then Max went to sleep.
Max died in his mother’s arms, holding his father’s hand, at 6:55 a.m.
on March 5, 1991.
In the days that followed there was a terrible silence. The silence swelled
and roared, because silences can do that if what you want to hear isn’t there
and what you don’t want to hear is everywhere. Then stories started to fill
the empty spaces, stories about Max.
Many stories ended with a shake of the head, a glance away, and the simple
statement, “Max amazed me then. He was so brave. Children amaze me.
I am amazed by the courage of children.”
Even as the end of Max’s life became an increasing threat to him, Max’s
courage had grown well beyond that expected of an eleven-year-old student.
He was an extraordinarily engaging, enthusiastic participant, reaching out
to support others in need of encouragement. In his honor, his mother and
father decided to create a program for children to discover the virtue of
courage and the value it could have in their lives.
THE COURAGE OF CHILDREN: BOSTON AND BEYOND
XXVI
VOLUME XXXIII
XXVII