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Hello friends. Times of challenge and adversity can sometimes be an opportunity to bring out the best in humanity; they create conditions that invite people to show up with flying colors, weather the tests of a situation, and be buoyed by the striking feeling of interconnection in each other's hearts. This week's stories showcase powerful forms of giving that transcend common gifts -- from a homeless man's bottle collection money to a doctorate degree, company while running in pain to a kidney!
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GMA
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Taylor Pikkarainen, a nurse from Minnesota, saw a plea from a family. Their small son, Bodie Hall, was in need of a kidney transplant. Upon seeing it, Taylor thought, "he is so little... just so little," and immediately filled out the paperwork. She was a perfect match and donated her kidney to Bodie on her birthday.
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KPTV Portland
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Oscar, a homeless man living in Portland, Ore., recently donated $1 to help with the repairs at the Oregon Historical Society, which was damaged in protests that turned into riots. Oscar’s handwritten note said in part, “I’m homeless so I don’t have much to give you, just some of my bottle collecting money. But I saw your windows got broken and I wanted to help….”
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Elizabeth Ashby
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Carrie Kelly was running a marathon, and a few miles into the race found herself limping along due to some injuries catching up with her. She posted an update on a Facebook group for runners and continued on; around mile 4, she heard talking and someone running behind her. She wondered, who could be slower than me? It turned out to be Fidel Ybarra, an inmate on work release and assigned to race operations, who ended up running 22 miles with Kelly and crossing the finish line with her. Kelly said, Without his help I wouldn't have been able to finish. Ybarra said, I am not sure why I began running with her, but I think maybe I saw a little bit of myself and other inmates in the situation. We are normally left at the back and left to our own devices.... I feel like, by the end, I was in more pain than her, but the feeling of accomplishment was more than I can describe in words.
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Thailand Aid | Covid-Action.net
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Thailand has been particularly hard hit by the economic impact of Covid-19, with more than 4 million Thais losing their jobs due to the decline in tourism. In response to the desperate need of many people who fell into poverty, Natalie Bin Narkprasert set up Covid Thailand Aid, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that serves the elderly, low-income families, people with disabilities, women's homes, refugees, the homeless, front line workers and animal shelters. Initiatives have included delivering care packages to people's homes, collaborating with chefs to produce hot meals, helping people access funds to buy medications and food for their families and more. Natalie told Fabiana de Giorgio of Journalists Action Network, The next step for us is really how do we continue helping? Because we also realized that, while it is great that we provided instant help that people really needed, it is better to try to figure out ways to help them in the long term.
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USA Today
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A young nurse surprised her mother by secretly earning her doctorate degree. Her mom had always wanted to be a physician but had to cut those plans short after her father passed away unexpectedly. The daughter's moment of surprise, three years in the making, was nearly thwarted by the coronavirus. But her professor began offering private ceremonies. The surprise came to fruition, and her response is a must-see.
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