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When faced with challenges, devastation, or a sense of scarcity, it's not uncommon to be faced with two natural yet seemingly at odds impulses: protecting oneself and caring for others. This week's stories invite us into the lives of individuals whose decision to see and treat others as oneself -- even amid the brunt of Hurricane Laura, a running injury, personal loss, and isolation -- unleash the boundless spirit and regenerative cycles of compassion.
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Leah Upton. Hospital Staff shelter in place as Hurricane Laura swept through. Audio: Listen Here.
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"Even as Hurricane Laura bore down on a hospital in Lake Charles, La., someone had to watch the babies," reports CNN. "Winds howled, water leaked through windows and the generators kicked on at the local hospital. Despite it all, the NICU [Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit] staff kept all 19 of its babies safe through the Category 4 storm." The city received about the worst of the storm, "with an hour of 120-135 mph wind gusts as the eyewall crossed" and a mandatory evacuation in place. Some of the babies were born premature at just 23 weeks. Others were on respirators and ventilators. A few were as small as one or two pounds. There was no air conditioning, and the hospital water went out in the middle of the night. "It was scary for everyone," said Alesha Alford, vice president and administrator for Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for Women. "When the winds got so bad, we had to move our patients into the hallways. Staff were sleeping in the hallways with patients." Dr. Juan Bossano, who had worked in the NICU all night, said, "In a small town like this, people have to pull together. I'm proud of them."
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IndiStar. Audio: Listen Here.
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High school senior Axel Aleman speaks with action. In a cross-country race, Axel saw another runner, a stranger, in need of help and made the choice to finish the race with him rather than focus on his own time. Telling the injured fellow runner, Levi LaGrange, a sophomore, he wasn't going to leave him, Axel made sure Levi crossed the finish line before him.
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Bita Honarvar. Audio: Listen Here.
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Dr. Gulshan Harjee gave up a lucrative private medical practice to see patients free of charge. After growing up with limited access to medical care, she now exclusively sees patients who are uninsured and underserved. Her personal story is unique and moving. It is a tale of forced emigration, sacrifice and generosity that took her from Tanzania to Pakistan to Iran and eventually the US. Surviving malaria, typhoid, and cancer gave her a real appreciation for the value of access to medical care. Those are all elements that stopped me and told me I need to pay it forward," she says in the video.
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Laddible. Audio: Listen Here.
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Georgia, a rescued Australian Shepherd mix, lost all of her pups due to premature birth, so she was connected with a litter of newborn orphaned kittens. They brought each other joy, comfort and connection that both dog and kittens needed. (For more, listen here.)
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Perth Zoo. Audio: Listen Here.
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Pierre, a Northern Rockhopper Penguin in special care at the Perth Zoo in Australia, has been watching cartoons of Pingu the Penguin. You heard that right. Pierre’s keepers were concerned that, as a very young penguin alone in a zoo, he might not get enough socializing (he had been found alone and washed up on a beach in southwest Australia). So, they set him up with an iPad so he can watch Pingu and livestreams of other rockhopper penguins while he recuperates. The hope is first to get him to a zoo with other rockhoppers and eventually release him to the wild. Meanwhile, Pierre “is vocalizing very well,” meaning he’s talking to Pingu the cartoon penguin.
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