Bryan from Acts of the Apostles, shares one of the most beautiful stories exemplifying selfless love through the experience of James E. Talmage, one of the twelve apostles in this last dispensation. He shares:
In 1892, Utah was hit with diphtheria. The Relief Society found a nonmember family near death. No one dared help, especially those with kids. Who could blame them? Helping could be a death sentence. James E Talmage (Apostle 50), a young father at the time, rushed to help.
What he found was horrible. One child, 2 years old, lay dead on her bed. A boy of 10 and a girl of 5 were writhing in agony. A girl of 13 was improving but still feeble. The mom and dad were dazed with grief and fatigue.
The disease had been there for so long the house was in a state of utter filth. After administering to the children, James spent the rest of the day cleaning. He swept and disinfected and burned the filthy rags.
He bathed the children and clothed them in clean things sent by the relief society.
During the day, a woman came by and offered to help for 5 dollars a day. A huge sum back then. James explained the family was destitute. She offered to lower the price to 4.50.
James soul revolted at this and he told her no. He promised the family he would stay with them even if no other assistance could be found.
The next morning he returned to find the 10 year old boy had died during the night and the little girl of 5 was in her last agonies. He took her in his arms and did his best to comfort her.
“She clung to my neck,” he wrote in his journal. “Oftimes coughing bloody mucus on my face and clothing, and her throat had about it the stench of putrification, yet I could not put her down.
During the last half hour immediately preceding her death, I walked the floor with the little creature in my arms. She died in agony at 10am.”
Because of the plague, bodies were required to be buried immediately. They were buried in a single grave. The grief of the parents and the surviving sister “were pitiful to behold.” James gave a brief graveside sermon and the bishop dedicated the grave.
After some time, a family that had just recovered from diphtheria and thus immune volunteered to help. James E. was able to go home, “take a strong zinc bath” and was then quarantined from his family for a week. He became sick but survived. (Talmage Story pg. 114)
This story was spoken of during a general conference talk by Robert C. Gay.
