How an act of kindness saved this little girl's life, 1987

How an act of kindness saved this little girl's life, 1987

Beth Usher was a child suffering from a rare brain condition called Rasmussen's Encephalitis. Rasmussen's Encephalitis is a sporadic, chronic inflammatory neurological disease that usually affects only one hemisphere (half) of the brain. It most often occurs in children under 10 but can also affect adolescents and adults. Usher would suffer 100 seizures a day due to this condition. However, for 30 minutes a day, the seizures would stop when she watched the children's educational TV show, Mr. Roger's Neighbourhood. To try to help Beth, she would undergo surgery. She was told there was a possibility she would die. Beth's mother, Kathy, reached out to the Mr. Rogers show to ease her daughters' anxieties. Kathy requested an autograph, but what she got would save her daughter's life. Fred Rogers, the show's presenter, gave Beth a phone call. This is what Beth had to say about the call: “I was over the moon. I told him things I would never tell my mom or my dad. I told him about the surgery and how I might die. And how I didn’t want to die because I didn’t want to leave my brother. It was like talking to an old friend". Rogers also had other cast members play in character during the call. They comforted Beth and told her to stay strong and that she would be ok. Beth then had her surgery, which lasted for 12 hours. She was then put into a coma for 2 months. Rogers would call the hospital every day to check on her. When she was not improving, Roger went to the hospital to put on her puppet show, which you see above. Beth fully recovered, met Rogers again afterward, and credited him with giving her strength during her tough times. Rogers was adamant about the media not covering his visit, as he did not want his acts of kindness to be glorified. This is one of the only pictures of his visit. Rogers, who was a devout Christian, used his show to make iconic statements against homophobia and racism, as well as to help children to feel happy and empowered. Rogers passed away in 2003.