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We often don't know what we're capable of until a person or situation (like a pandemic, perhaps?) moves us to care deeply enough to give of our attention, time, and selves. This care can unlock a flurry of creative solutions. It can ricochet into one's community and take on a life of its own. With unprecedented challenges unfolding around the globe, it's no surprise, then, that remarkable innovations for compassion are unleashing tidal waves of goodwill in parallel, so long as we have the eyes to see them.
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Emilio Morenatti | AP Photo. Audio: Listen Here.
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In Barcelona, a medical team at the Hospital Del Mar is testing a way to alleviate the effects on Covid-19 patients of a long stay in the intensive care unit. Francisco Espana is one of those patients. After nearly two months of a difficult stay in the ICU, he was taken on a short trip to the beach where he was able to fill his lungs with fresh air. "It's one of the best days I remember," Espana said, while lying on a hospital bed facing the sea. Behind those beachfront trips is an attempt to humanize ICUs. The team was experimenting with it for two years before Covid-19 hit Spain. According to doctors, even just 10 minutes at the beach seems to have positive effects on a patient's wellbeing.
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Javier Allegue Barros | Unsplash. Audio: Listen Here.
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Many of us assume great innovators are a rare breed, but studies have shown that is not the case. Consider the story of entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker, born Sarah Breedlove, who promoted a line of beauty products for people of color early in the 20th century. In spite of the uncertainty she faced, she went on to become the first female self-made millionaire. Modern brain research has shown how each of us can learn innovation skills. Whether we feel called to tap into those skills or not in the midst of the pandemic, we can thrive and grow in new ways.
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Jerree Humphrey. Audio: Listen Here.
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Scott Sullivan of Somerset, Ky., was recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and then developed a serious complication. The doctors gave 50-year-old Sullivan a few weeks to live and discharged him to hospice care. Sullivan set a goal of living long enough to see his son Cade's first football game of his sophomore year, and nurse Jerree Humphrey helped facilitate getting him to the out-of town game. Since it was too far for Scott to drive, his nurse contacted a local airport and located a dentist with a private plan who was filling to fly the proud Dad to his son's game. Words could not be put into sentences or phrases to describe how I felt at that time, Scott said. I was just so happy to see my son.
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Chef Franco Pepe, whose pizzeria won three consecutive nominations for the best pizza in Italy, was appointed Knight of the Italian Republic by President Sergio Mattarella for his work during the Covid-19 crisis. Pepe made and delivered pizzas to the homeless and elderly and promoted a fundraising campaign that bought ventilators and masks for healthcare workers. The chef has long done charitable work, usually keeping his identity secret, but he let his identity and good works be known during this crisis “in hope that it would inspire others. We all need to work together in this situation because thinking just for ourselves leads us nowhere,” he said. For his part, President Mattarella said, “Unity and social cohesion are indispensable in this condition.… In previous times we have overcome difficult and dramatic periods. We will certainly succeed -- together -- also this time.”
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Ravi Roshan | Unsplash. Audio: Listen Here.
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Chuck Feeney, former billionaire who co-founded the travel retailer Duty Free Shoppers, had one goal in his life: to spend his fortune on charity while alive. After decades of donations, Feeney has fulfilled his mission: He has given all his money away to charity, and is ready to die broke. Over 40 years, has donated more than $8 billion through his foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies. And he did so anonymously, which has earned him the nickname of "the James Bond of Philanthropy." The simple apartment he lives in in San Francisco is only one illustration of the stark contrast between his personal frugality and the generosity with which he gives to charities, universities and foundations around the world. His charity has influenced no other than Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. The latter refers to Feeney as "a model" of philanthropy. His philosophy can be summarized in something he has said: "it’s a lot more fun to give while you live than give while you're dead."
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