The Inspiring Mr. Murray

We’d like to thank Andy for sharing this story.

Somewhere back around 2006 my special needs son Jayden was constantly in and out of hospitals for brain surgeries after being devastated by the after effects of meningitis. After one such stay at Presbyterian Hospital in NY, my son and I were waiting in front for the valet to bring my car. I looked up and saw Bill Murray walking out of the hospital with a group of people.

Mr. Murray I’m sure saw my excitement and without hesitation handed everything in his hands off and shooed the people with him along. He walked over with a great big smile and open arms, he hugged me and then got down on his knees next to my son in his wheelchair and gave him a great big hug and stayed on his knees talking to my son and I for 15-20 minutes.

My son was left a deaf mute from the meningitis, but he reads people and was all smiles. He held Mr. Murray’s hand as I spoke about how much comedy meant to us as therapy during these difficult times. I spoke about my dad who had just passed and how my dad snuck me out of my room on Saturday nights to watch SNL with him when I was a kid, and what big fans we were of everything Bill Murray.

Mr. Murray spoke about his brother who does the voice of the Flying Dutchman on SpongeBob (my son was wearing all SpongeBob stuff). We spoke about what my family was going through and Bill Murray praised me for what I was doing and just spoke to me like an old friend about being positive and focused and moving forward. We spoke about the power of laughter and how important it is to laugh at this crazy thing called life.

The whole time, mind you, he was on his knees on the cold winter ground holding my sons hand and comforting him. It was an experience that recharged me and motivated me more than he will ever know to this very day. I had an old crappy flip phone I took a pic of Mr. Murray and my son with – the pic you couldn’t see him in, but the memory of that day and what Bill F’ing Murray did for me and my family will be with me forever.

Thank you Bill Murray; you will always be a Hero to me and my son Jayden.

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