2 And from time to time Jimmy leaves. He leaves his hospital in the hands of the African doctors and nurses he’s trained, and he flies back home to America and he begs for drugs and money to go on with his work. And he travels all around, talking to businessmen and politicians and church groups and colleges and anyone who’ll listen. And he tells them about women dying because there is no clean water, and children dying because they need medicine that costs fifty cents in the United States. And he shows them photos of hungry people and photos of disease and he shows them pictures that would make anyone with even half a heart cry. And this Jimmy, he shows all these people a photo of a girl who was brought to the hospital one night. She’d been carried twenty miles. She’s completely bald and her body is thin and her arms and legs are like sticks. Then, would you believe it! Here’s a picture of her a few months later, with a beautiful head of hair, a round face, and a big happy smile! “So put your hands into your pockets,” says Jimmy, “deep, deep down into the large pockets of the West. Because the poor are suffering. All over the world the poor are suffering, and it’s up to you to help them.” And they do! They take out their wallets, the businessmen. They open their doors, the bankers. They clear out their drug cupboards, the doctors, and they give our Jimmy what he needs to go on for another few months. And the drugs he gets, he uses to cure people. And the money he gets, he spends on cleaning the water system so there’s no more disease. And the rest of the money he spends on schools. Schools to give people an education. And one of the things he makes them teach people in the schools and the villages is how not to get AIDS. So that’s Jimmy. That’s what he does, that boy I was telling you about, the one who grew up in a bus, travelling around New Mexico. And it’s all true, because I read it in a Sunday paper some time ago. I’ve changed the names and the facts a bit, but it’s more or less all true. And if you’re still wondering why I’m telling you Jimmy’s story, not mine, then you don’t understand what I’m talking about at all. I’m talking about life! I’m talking about not just living the same old way everybody else does. I’m talking about getting out there and doing something real. Because that’s what I call living! That’s what I call living! (From: Malachy Doyle, Who is Jesse Flood?) Speaking: Talk about Jimmy a) How is his life different from most other people’s lives? b) Why did he become the kind of person he is? c) What do you think about Jimmy and his career? 5 Useful phrases Most people think that … . • Other people would … . • He is a role model for young people. • He is … than other people. • He is different from other people because … . • because of his childhood/upbringing/ parents • caring • gifted • selfless P 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 28 It’s my life Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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