Although Debra Ferrell couldn't gather with friends and family to celebrate her 53rd birthday, she spent the day -- well, the entire month -- finding ways to spread smiles. Ferrell posted on social media asking for suggestions of acts of kindness she could perform throughout her birth month, with the goal of completing 53 acts -- one for every year she's been alive. "It's one of the hardest times in my history, so I figured why not make other people smile?" the birthday woman from Virginia explained. Requests and suggestions from across the US came her way. A friend of a family who lost their 4-year-old to cancer wanted them to feel that they were not alone. For them, Ferrell found a memorial wind chime inscribed with the note: "When you hear the wind, I am with you." Though it's her first time turning 53, she's no stranger to blanketing her community in love. In 2014, she started "Love with Skin On," a group that aims to "share tangible acts of love and kindness." Ferrell notes, I just feel that, if we live our life trying to make other people smile, I'm the one who gets the most out of it.