I’d like to tell you my story about the hymn Amazing Grace.
From the Indian Town Gap refugee camp in PA, I was sponsored by the First Baptist Church in Columbia, SC at the end of 1975. I heard this hymn during a mass, and although I didn’t know the lyrics, I found the melody so wonderful. Later, I did some research about the hymn. It was written by John Newton (1725-1807). He was the son of a shipmaster and was pressed into service by the British government to transport slaves from Africa to England. (There are different documents about Newton.) One day, on the way back to England, his ship ran into a big storm. He knelt down and prayed to God, and the storm died down! When he returned to England, he quit the slave trading and seafaring job, studied Christianity and became a priest, fighting for the abolition of the slave trade in England.
Amazing Grace was written with many verses. It became popular when it reached the United States and has been sung by many people in big celebrations, including President Obama. It is one of my favorite songs whose lyrics I remember.
In 2003, at Georgetown University Hospital, there was a new surgical procedure called Deep Brain Stimulation involving the placement of one or two electrodes in the thalamus, the source of Parkinson’s and movement disorders. During surgery, the patient had to be alert so the doctor could test to see if the electrodes were implanted in the right spot. I’m always the anesthesiologist for cases like this. The third patient was Mr. R.F., a millionaire who had a studio producing documentary films and already received two Emmy awards. He had a crew of ten members who videotaped, laughed, and sang during his surgery. Two years later, he was back in the hospital for colon cancer treatment. He confided to me that, before being sick, he used to think little of menial workers like cleaners. While in the hospital, he noticed that most laborers are black. They changed sheets, made beds, cleaned his toilet because he couldn’t do it himself. He became very grateful to them. I then had an idea to ask all patients to sing a song at the end of their surgeries. The song that most people knew was Amazing Grace! I videotaped their singing and showed it to their family members. I didn’t expect that it had a strong impact on the viewers. They were very touched to see their loved ones almost totally disabled before surgery, now much improved after receiving the electrodes.
One patient who enjoyed playing guitar also played during surgery. A newspaper cartoonist named Andy who was incapacitated while suffering from Parkinson’s could go back to cartooning almost normally.
Last year, a Catholic patient of Mexican origin told me he knew the Spanish translation of Amazing Grace, but I didn’t have the Spanish version of the song to sing that time. Later, I found out that the song has been sung in 50 languages. I already learned its Vietnamese version.
P.S.
During this pandemic, poor menial workers can’t afford to stay home but have to go to work to feed their families; therefore, the ratio of their virus infection and death is higher than for upper class people! No organization or office can function without menial workers to tidy things, do cleaning, and take out the trash. I really love them and always treat them like my colleagues.
Translated by Hoàng-Tâm (9/21/20)
Ơn Lạ Lùng
Amazing Grace (1779)
Tác giả: John Newton Nhịp Điệu: G(3/4)
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