As I previously have written on my blog, my struggles with speaking continue amidst fighting recurring vocal cord papilloma and multiple surgeries. Recently we have had the good fortune of working with a specialist at UAB who has a great strategy for moving forward and we are very excited about the possibilities of treatment.
At work I have been using a cheaply made microphone and speaker to amplify my voice, but now that I may have this low volume condition for a few more months, I decided to look for a more professional model.
On Wednesday, I placed an online order from a medical supply store for a Chattervox. It was supposed to be delivered to my home on Friday.
On Thursday, it arrived at my office.
I thought that maybe since I was emailing back and forth with the online medical supplier, that they had my work address from my email signature and they just shipped it to work instead of my home.
Today I got an email from a sales account manager at work asking me 'if the package from Mark Carpenter had arrived'. Mark is the Senior Vice President of Oncor Electric, the power company in the Dallas/Fort Worth area that supplies power to 7 million people. They are the largest utility customer for Intergraph. Over the last few years I have consulted with Mark and his team on numerous occasions. Mark also has trouble with his voice and uses a voice amplification system. Recently I had asked Mark for a suggestion on a better model for voice amplifier, including which one he uses personally.
At first I was very confused on the email from our account manager. What package?
Then I realized what had happened.
Mark actually had ordered the voice amplification system for me and had it shipped to my office. What? Seriously? That's several hundred dollars of equipment, out of his own pocket. I am literally and figuratively speechless.
The kindness that I have been shown throughout my surgeries and voice troubles have been tremendous, but this utterly blew me away. There are some truly genuine people in this world and my friend and colleague Mark Carpenter is one of them.
Acts of kindness like this are those that inspire me to want to be a better person. They make me want to pass this kindness forward my other personal relationships.
Thank you Mark. Your gesture made me smile and tear up a little.