It’s amazing how one sentence can create powerful moments.
It was a chance encounter.
North Carolina State Highway Patrol Trooper had just pulled over Ashlye Wilkerson for speeding.
“Ma’am, do you know what speed you were doing?” Trooper Doty said. “I’m going to need your license and registration.”
Wilkerson’s father, Anthony Geddis, was also in the car and informed the officer she was bringing him back from cancer treatment.
“This is my baby girl. She’s driving me home from a chemo treatment at the cancer center at Duke,” Geddis said.
As Doty returned to his patrol car he was reminded of a vow he made.
The North Carolina Trooper had previously suffered from ulcerative colitis and had surgery to remove part of his colon. During recovery, he made a vow to himself that if he could help one person get through an illness, he would.
“I said that if I could touch one person or help somebody get through their illness, I would do it,” he said.
“At that time I knew there is no way I’m writing this lady a ticket,” Doty said, according to WSOC-TV. “I had to sit in (my car) for a while just to compose myself to figure out what to say when I went back.”
Meanwhile, Wilkerson and her father were wondering what was taking the trooper “such a long time.”
“Gosh, what’s taking him such a long time?” Wilkerson told her father. “I wonder what’s going on.”
After Doty composed himself, he asked Wilerson what kind of cancer he had.
“Sir, do you mind if I ask what kind of cancer you have?” Doty said.
“No, I don’t mind. I have colon cancer,” Geddis replied.
“Can I pray for you?” Doty said.
“Of course,” Geddis said. “I absolutely believe in prayer.”
The man grabbed Doty’s hand, and they prayed as Wilkerson took a picture.
After they prayed, Doty gave Geddis a silver cross to remind him that someone else was praying for him, and Wilkerson received a warning.
“I just want you to know that you have someone else praying for you on your journey,” the trooper said.
Sadly, two months later, Geddis passed away, and Wilkerson wrote about her father and Doty.
“When he came back, he asked you if he heard correctly that you had cancer. Once you confirmed, the officer took a deep breath. He sighed and said that he too had loved ones who battled cancer as well. He asked if he could pray with you. You welcomed the prayers with gratitude and informed him that you’re a deacon of your church. You proudly shared your love for Christ and your belief that God’s will would be done. When you all were done, there was a small silver cross that he placed in your hand for you to keep with you as a symbol of your faith,” she wrote.
The post put Doty in the spotlight, who had kept the random meeting to himself.
“I’m not worthy of any of this,” he said, according to WSOC-TV. “This is about Mrs. Wilkerson grieving her father.”
Wilkerson said she would never forget the moment between her father and Trooper Doty.
Her post also went viral, and it has been an inspiration to thousands.
“It was a really beautiful moment for me to see this take place between my dad and the officer,” she said.
