Little boy lied to his friend about a borrowed book — a tragedy a week later, turned the same book into an annual gift to a children’s hospital
Sometimes it's too late before we can go back and change things. Casey Hanlon (@c.hanlon.jpg) learned this truth the hard way when he was in elementary school. The then-young boy had borrowed a Mad Libs book from his friend, Marcus. Intrigued to finish it, when his friend asked for it, he lied and said that he didn't have it on him. He hoped to finish the book soon and then return it. Unfortunately, a week later, a tragedy struck, and that book became an inspiration for an annual gift-giving routine to a children's hospital. Sharing the post on Monday, April 20, 2026, Hanlon revealed why he never intends to break the tradition.
Hanlon was friends with a boy named Marcus in elementary school, from whom he had borrowed a book filled with Mad Libs. When his friend asked him to return it a few days later, he lied and said he'd left it at home, just so he could finish the book. It was a white lie; he never thought much and was just an excited young reader. To his dismay, a week later, he learned the tragic news that Marcus had passed away in an accident. Hanlon was heartbroken, and the one thing that hit him was knowing he had never returned his book and could never do it again. Frustrated, he tore every single page of the book and threw it away, he revealed in a thread. Over time, the guilt and grief turned into something different. Unable to grasp why his younger self never preserved the book, that moment later led him to make it a point to donate Mad Libs books to a children's hospital every year in his friend's memory.
"It doesn’t undo anything. But it feels like a way of giving that time back," he wrote. According to a report by Aeon, people turn grief into charity to turn their pain into a purpose as a coping mechanism. The study noted that this method makes grief "legible" in a death-averse culture and creates continuing bonds with the deceased soul. The report rightly notes that grief is not a problem to be solved, but rather, an emotional reality that demands acknowledgment. While Hanlon regretted tearing those pages from his friend's borrowed book at a young age, he realized that he could turn his grief into something that brought him solace. The man's way of channeling his grief through a noble purpose fills his heart with happiness.
Hanlon's post resonated with many users who shared their thoughts on it. @vbseapainter wrote, "One of my son's friends was killed in a car accident in high school. He was crying at the funeral and said, 'I owed her ten bucks!' I understood that immediately, as I understand your experience. Guilt is a crazy emotion. It manifests itself as every other one." @nancyporthchrivia shared, "I lost a friend at 13; he was hit by a car while riding a snowmobile. I often wonder how he would have turned out. He was kind and funny...his parents' only son, too....they moved away shortly after that. I visit his grave now and then. Still breaks my heart." @chalkonstone wrote, "That's a beautiful way to honour him. Also, in my opinion, you have more than balanced any shame felt."
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