When a child’s life is changed at Bethany Children’s Health Center, there is a ripple effect.
Robert Beller contracted Rheumatic Fever in 1954 and spent four months at The Children’s Convalescent Home of Oklahoma City (now Bethany Children’s). The staff was able to treat Robert and eventually send him home, but his family was unable to pay the bill. They left the hospital grateful for the excellent care Robert received, but burdened by their inability to contribute financially.
After working for 20 years in the heating and air conditioning business, Robert started B & H Construction in 1981. The Lord blessed his business and now his twin sons, Donnie and Ronnie, carry on his legacy.
Years after leaving the hospital, as his children were growing up, Robert often talked to his family about what the hospital had done for him. He said the nurses and doctors, by God’s grace, set the course of his life so he could be successful. The unpaid bill still bothered him, however, so one day they drove to Bethany Children’s from Goldsby, Okla. to settle the decades-old account. When Robert attempted to pay the balance, the hospital refused to accept it, generously telling him no money was owed.
Out of deep gratitude, Robert and the Beller family became supporters of Bethany Children’s. Robert went home to heaven in 2013, but his wife – Dorothy, his sons – Donnie and Ronnie, and several friends came for a visit and tour recently. With tears in their eyes, the sons shared how meaningful this hospital was to their dad and is to them today.
Robert Beller’s experience at Bethany Children’s is still having an impact. How employees treat patients and family members matters. The words spoken, the smiles given, and the loving care provided change hearts, not just bodies. When we work “as unto the Lord” He takes the smallest gestures and expands them in ever-widening circles … for generations.