John D. Rockefeller’s health issues had a profound impact on his perspective on life. When he fell seriously ill in his early 50s, he faced severe physical pain and the emotional toll of losing all his hair due to alopecia. His health deteriorated to the point where he could only eat simple foods like soup and crackers. This period of suffering made him realize that his immense wealth couldn’t buy him good health or happiness.
This period of illness led him to a profound realization about the limitations of his wealth and to a significant shift in his priorities. He began to see the importance of using his wealth for the greater good. Rockefeller decided to devote a large portion of his fortune to philanthropy, focusing on areas like medical research, education, and public health. This change in perspective resulted in the establishment of the Rockefeller Foundation, which has had a lasting impact on various fields.
Recently, a story about John D. Rockefeller (July 8, 1839–May 23, 1937), the founder of Standard Oil, appeared in a periodical. Rockefeller was once the wealthiest man in the world and the world’s first billionaire. The story demonstrated the relationship between health, faith, gratitude, service to others, and great wealth.
“In his lifetime, Rockefeller amassed a net worth of at least $1 billion in 1916. When Rockefeller died in 1937, his net worth was estimated to be approximately $340 billion today’s dollars.”
By age 25, he had one of the largest oil refineries in the United States. He was 31 when he became the world’s largest oil refiner. At 38, he controlled 90% of the oil refined in the United States. At fifty, John was America’s richest man. As a young man, every action, attitude, and connection was crafted to establish his wealth.
But at the age of 53, he fell unwell. His entire body became wracked with pain, and he lost all his hair. In total anguish, the world’s lone millionaire could buy anything he wanted but could only eat soup and crackers…he could not buy good health.
According to an associate, “He couldn’t sleep, wouldn’t smile, and nothing in life meant anything to him.” His personal, highly trained physicians indicated that he would die within the year. That year passed painfully slowly. As he approached death, he awoke one morning with the faint understanding that he would not be able to bring any of his fortunes with him to the next world.
Rockefeller realized that he had no control over his health and personal life. He informed his solicitors, accountants, and management that he intended to devote his assets to hospitals, research, and charity work. John D. Rockefeller started his foundation.
The Rockefeller Foundation financed Howard Florey and his colleague Norman Heatley’s penicillin research in 1941. But arguably, the most astounding aspect of Rockefeller’s narrative is that when he began to give back a fraction of all he had gained, his body’s chemistry changed dramatically, and he recovered.
After being told he would never see his 54th birthday, John D. Rockefeller lived to be 98 years old.
John D. Rockefeller’s remarkable health change coincided with his noteworthy shift in mindset and heart. What happens when you begin to believe and act with gratitude and faith is amazing.
Rockefeller learned gratitude returned the bulk of his money, which made him whole. It’s one thing to be healed; it is another to become fit.
Rockefeller believed in the biblical principle from Luke 6:38: “Give, and it will be given to you.” He generously supported causes like building schools, churches, and hospitals; before he died, he wrote in his diary: “God taught me that everything belongs to Him, and I am merely a conduit to carry out His will. My life has been one long, happy holiday since then, entire of work and play. I let go of my worries along the road, and God was incredible to me every day. footnote
