Millionaires walk among us...

Here's an operation day anecdote for you.

After waiting over an hour and a half for the beginning stages of the check-in process to take place (yes, that would be an hour and a half of waiting while hungry, you know the "no food or drink after midnight before surgery policy") I was finally greeted by a nurse (a newbie in training) who asked me some mundane medical questions I had already answered 73 times before. Anyhow, waiting behind her was an elderly gentleman in a snappy green blazer (did he just win a golf tournament?) with a large walking staff in his right hand. The nurse ushered me (as I gripped the back of my robe to make sure my ass wasn't peeking out between the lovely hospital issue gown folds) to this gentleman and said he would be my "escort." I didn't realize we had such a long journey to the second stage of the operation check-in, but this kindly fellow informed me that it was something like a quarter of a mile to the next wing and how many times per day he navigates the route.

We arrived at the unit and the gentleman picked a bed for me and even tucked me in "mummy style" as he called it. He then sang the praises of this particular medical hospital and gave us what I considered to be his general spiel. After he left, we waited and waited more until the people with the good drugs (anesthesia) showed up.

Nevertheless, a while later I saw the gentleman in the green coat walking past my curtain- cubicle with another patient. Sure enough he was giving his same spiel and tucking this fellow in as well. However, this patient was a bit more chatty than I am and started asking him what his profession was, why he was a hospital escort, etc.

I was then shocked to learn (yes, my eavesdropping skills are quite good when I am bored) that this old guy in the green coat was a millionaire. Yes, you read that right. This guy was one of the first pioneers of the cell phone towers and got the revolution going. He also smartly accepted company stock shares as part of his pay and, woila, he was rich by the time he was thirty. He instantly became a millionaire many times over, as he told the story. He then proudly told the other patient that he retired in 1964 and that after traveling the world decided he would give something back by becoming a Red Cross volunteer. And, there he was, forty years later, escorting people to their next destination on surgery day.

Pious souls often say that "angels walk among us." I'm here to tell you that angel millionaires do as well...too bad I didn't ask him if he wanted to donate to the Joy Fertility Fund.

On a separate note, I just want to say CONGRATS to Tertia and Marko http://tertia.typepad.com/so_close/ and ask that you keep Adam and Kate in your prayers.