Travis Barnes and Greg Combs are used to being around life-threatening situations. Afterall, they’re ironworkers and often navigate narrow beams from dangerous heights.
However, their work at the campus renewal project at Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals gave them another perspective on life-threatening situations.
Every day at work they would look across their job site and see sick children waving to them in the windows, children who were battling life-threatening illnesses.
The two men have worked on more than 20 job sites together, but they found themselves becoming emotional while working on this job.
“You kind of lose sight of it,” Greg told USA TODAY. “Then something will happen and you will remember where you’re at.”
The construction workers loved waving back knowing that they may be making someone’s dim day a little brighter.
And they absolutely did. Ginger Keith said their kind hellos would always cheer up her daughter. Her 2 1/2-year-old daughter Vivian was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
ALL affects one’s ability to fight infection and protect against disease, so Vivian often spent her time in isolation at St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s ninth floor.
“I thought I was losing my little girl,” Ginger said. “So the doors remain closed. People come in with gowns and gloves and masks.”
So, getting to wave at the construction workers was a way for Vivian and Ginger to forget about all the medical stuff that was going on and have a little of fun.
It was an escape to the outside world after being cooped up in a hospital room. Ginger recalls how one really tough day, she and Vivian saw more than the two waving men. She saw a special message written on one of the beams which the two men were pointing to “Get Well Soon.”
“I was thinking about my own kids,” said Greg choking up. “And how precious life is and everything you know.”
It really meant more to Ginger and Vivian than the Greg and Travis knew.
So, when Vivian was well enough to come out of isolation she and Ginger wanted to meet the two men who made her smile.
“It was amazing. It was just an amazing day for her,” Ginger told us. “I thank them so much for making Vivian’s visit so much better.”
Travis and Greg gave Vivian some big hugs and even brought her presents.
“It makes me happy that something so simple like that could make somebody’s day better,” said Greg said.
“It touches you. It sets you back for a minute. You realize how good your own life is,” Travis explained.
We think that Vivian also brightened their day just as much as they brightened hers.
“I have worked with and known many ironworkers both onshore and offshore. Those guys are crazy to do the job they do, but they are human like everyone else,” said one YouTuber. “Most of them are so awesome they will give there shirt off there back. Still crazy work, but someone has to do it. Prob made that project 100 times better for those guys.”
You can watch their touching exchange in the video below.
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