The Exchange Child
Sometimes life puts us in positions, places, or situations where we have the power to heal or harm.
Dr. Theresa Bloomfield was asked by a group of 16-year-old on Career Day at her former high school, why she chose to become a doctor.
“I had a rough life. I lost my mother at seven years old to breast cancer. Then my father five years later to a heart attack due to high blood pressure. I was often called ‘the exchange child’ in my family, because I was exchanged from one household to another. I didn’t stay long enough to get to know my cousins, aunts, or uncles.
“But I learned a lot about life, cruelty, hatred, thoughtlessness, and other evils no children should see or experience. Best of all, I learned how to live and to stay alive.
“With all that knowledge, I was thrown out into the world too early. When I was 16 years old, I had a science project to do and went to the library. Time ran away from me and I got home late. I was locked out. Knocking again for the fifth time at both the front and back door, and getting no answer, I made a bed of the doormat at the back door. Then I used my bag of books as a pillow.”
One of the young ladies in the group asks, “Weren’t you afraid?”
Theresa beams in happiness, stepping back as the memories of time spent with her father overwhelm her.
