A
REMARKABLE STORY
Years ago a hard
working man took his family from New York State to Australia to take
advantage of a work opportunity there. Part of this man's family
was handsome young son who had aspirations of joining the circus
as a trapeze artist or an actor. This young fellow, biding his time
until a circus job or even one as a stagehand came along, worked
at the local shipyards which bordered on the worse section of town.
Walking home from work one evening this young man was attacked by
five thugs who wanted to rob him. Instead of just giving up his money
the young fellow resisted. However they bested him easily and proceeded
to beat him to a pulp. They mashed his face with their boots, and
kicked and beat his body brutally with clubs, leaving him for dead.
When the police happened to find him lying in the road they assumed
he was dead and called for the Morgue Wagon.
On the way to the
morgue a policeman heard him gasp for air, and they immediately took
him to the emergency unit at the hospital. When he was placed on
a gurney a nurse remarked to her horror, that his young man no longer
had a face. Each eye socket was smashed, his skull, legs, and arms
fractured, his nose literally hanging from his face, all is teeth
were gone, and his jaw was almost completely torn from his skull.
Although his life
was spared he spent over year in the hospital. When he finally left,
his body may have healed but his face was disgusting to look at.
He was no longer the handsome youth that everyone admired. When the
young man started to look for work again he was turned down by everyone
just on account of the way he looked. One potential employer suggested
to him that he join the freak show at the circus as The Man Who Had
No Face. And he did this for a while. He was still rejected by everyone
and no one wanted to be seen in his company. He had thoughts of suicide.
This went on for five years.
One day he passed
a church and sought some solace there. Entering the Church he encountered
a priest who had seen him sobbing while kneeling in a pew. The priest
took pity on him and took him to the rectory where They talked at
length. The priest was impressed with him to such a degree that he
said that he would do everything possible for him that could be done
to restore his dignity and life, if the young man would promise to
be the best Catholic he could be, and trust in God's mercy to free
him from his torturous life. The young man went to Mass and communion
every day, and after thanking God for saving his life, asked God
to only give him peace of mind and the grace to be the best man he
could ever be in His eyes.
The priest, through
his personal contacts was able to secure the services of the best
plastic surgeon in Australia. They would be no cost to the young
man, as the doctor was the priest's best friend. The doctor too was
so impressed by the young man, whose outlook now on life, even though
he had experienced the worse was filled with good humor and love.
The surgery was a miraculous success. All the best dental work was
also done for him. The young man became everything he promised God
he would be. He was also blessed with a wonderful, beautiful wife,
and many children, and success in an industry which would have been
the furthest thing from his mind as a career if not for the goodness
of God and the love of the people who cared for him. This he acknowledges
publicly.
The young man was
and is Mel Gibson.
His life was the
inspiration for his production of the movie "The Man Without
A Face." He is to be admired by all of us as a God fearing man,
a political conservative, and an example to all as a true man of
courage.
BLACKBURNE & BROWN
MORTGAGE COMPANY, INC.
George Blackburne, III, Esq.
President and Chief Procrastinator
You
can reach George at george@blackburne.com
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