“Tears were streaming down my face as I moved the pillow toward Maxwell’s face “

Mary Sampson was a South African woman who was charged with taking care of a severely handicapped boy named Maxwell.

Maxwell had been horribly injured in a tractor accident when he was nine years old and he could barely function without assistance from his loyal caretaker, Mary.

Mary wrote in her journal:  “I was very depressed because Maxwell’s parents were running out of money and they simply couldn’t afford to take care of Maxwell for much longer.  The boy needed constant attention, and it was the saddest thing I had ever witnessed.

“One morning, Maxwell, without saying a word, motioned with his eyes toward a pillow that was resting beside his head.  He silently said ‘do it.’  I looked at him and said, no, I can’t.

“I never felt so terrible in my life.

“I sat beside Maxwell for a while wondering what was best for him.  I finally came to the conclusion that perhaps it was best for the boy to put him out of his misery.  I don’t know what got into me, but when I noticed Maxwell had fallen asleep, I slowly picked up the pillow.

“I stood there for what seemed to be an eternity not knowing what to do.  Tears were streaming down my face as I moved the pillow toward Maxwell’s face.  Then I almost jumped out of my clothes when the phone rang.

“It was Maxwell’s mother who said she had a feeling that something was terribly wrong.  I dropped the pillow and was sobbing as I explained that I didn’t know what was going to become of Maxwell.  We both cried together that day.

“Maxwell died peacefully in his sleep two years later.”