In the lives that we lead, tragedy can befall any of us at any time. When a sudden tragedy hits us, we are not always ready to handle it in the best possible way. We often depend on our friends and family for support. We are all brother and sisters in the eyes of God and must help each other out in times of need. We can cherish this God-gifted life even more by showing qualities like kindness and compassion. This story of a German widower and the support that his workplace and colleagues showed him is a lesson to all of us.

Andreas Graf, 36, was heartbroken at the news of his son’s illness. His 3-year-old son Julius had been diagnosed with leukemia. When he first began treatment, he had to stay in the hospital for over nine weeks. But just as they were preparing to bring him back home, another tragedy struck Andreas’s family. His wife suddenly passed away due to heart disease. During such a difficult time, Andreas chose to spend all the time he had with his son. He used up all of his vacation days to be with Julius. That time, though, was soon used up and was just not enough time for the man to heal from such a devastating blow. As soon as the colleagues at his workplace came to know about his situation, they decided to help him out. The HR manager Pia Meier asked his colleagues to donate their vacation hours to Graf so that he could spend some time with his son. The response to this request was overwhelming. More than 600 employees donated their hours to Graf, and it totaled to over 3300 hours.

Thanks to the compassion and love shown by the colleagues, Graf now has over a year’s worth of time to spend with his son. Graf was moved to tears by such a generous gesture from his friends and colleagues. He feels unfathomable gratitude towards his company for giving him the necessary time to heal.

https://youtu.be/KVuPKSM0LbU

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