Good People Doing Good Things — Answering The Call For Help

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Good people doing good things, Social commentary

Every Wednesday I go in search of ‘good people’ … those who are putting their own needs and wants aside for a short time to give of themselves to help others in one way or another.  Tonight I had plans to highlight a single individual, a sports ‘star’, as it were, for he has gone far above and beyond to help others.  And I will bring you the story of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar soon, perhaps next Wednesday, for he is deserving.  But last night, as I began writing, something guided me in another direction.  Something said to me that we need to see and hear about the little people, the plain, ordinary everyday average Joe, just like you and like me, this week.  We need to see and be reminded that we are the ‘salt of the earth’, that even though we haven’t got much, we can still make a big difference in someone’s life.  We need something to counter the angst and divisiveness we see around us every day.  And so, I begin today’s good people post with 4,855 good people all in one place.  Oh, and Gronda … get your tissues before reading on.

To save a child …

oscar-saxelbyoscar-saxelby-2Oscar Saxelby-Lee is five-years-old, lives in Worcester, United Kingdom, and in December, Oscar was diagnosed with cancer.  Specifically, with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a highly aggressive form of cancer.  Since his diagnosis, Oscar has had 20 blood transfusions and four weeks of chemotherapy.  Still, the only cure for his illness is a stem-cell transplant.  Doctors have told Oscar’s parents, Olivia Saxelby and Jamie Lee, that his chances for survival will severely diminish if they cannot find a donor within the next three months.

Oscar recently spent his 5th birthday at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.Oscar-birthdayOscar’s school, Pitmaston Primary, jumped into action and put out the call for potential donors to come be tested.  According to head teacher Kate Wilcox …

Kate-Wilcox

Kate Wilcox

“We are doing absolutely everything we can to push and find him a stem cell donor, that’s what he really needs. Numbers matter hugely because obviously we know we’re looking for a particular tissue match for Oscar. The more we have, the more chance we have of finding that golden person who is Oscar’s match.”

Oscar-parents.jpgSome 80 volunteers coordinated the drive, dubbed “Hand in Hand for Oscar” last weekend.  Those volunteers are certainly good people but wait for this.  It rained that day, so one might think the number of people showing up to be tested would be scant, but no … nearly 5,000 people showed up and stood in the rain, to see if they could donate stem cells to Oscar!waiting-in-line-OscarIt is too early to know if a match was found last weekend, but not too early to know that there were 4,855 + 80 wonderful people willing to give up a part of their weekend to help a very sick little boy.  Thanks, and thumbs up to each and every one of them!

What’s in a card?

There aren’t very many World War II veterans around anymore.  It’s been 74 years since the end of the war, and if you consider most GIs were likely at least 20 when the war ended, that would make the youngest of them 94-years-old … or older.  So, when veteran Joe Cuba was about to see his 100th birthday, a milestone in itself, he was asked what he would like for his special day.  He said the only thing he really wanted was to receive 100 birthday cards!

Now, Joe lives at Brookdale Midwestern, an assisted living facility in Wichita Falls, Texas, where the staff wanted to make Joe’s special wish come true.  They posted this picture on Facebook, hoping to garner 100 people with good hearts (and the price of a card + postage) to send Joe a card.Joe-Facebook-picAnd just like young Oscar’s story above, when the call went out, the good people rallied in numbers far beyond the expectation!Joe-mailman.jpgNeedless to say, the postman had his work cut out for him that day!  But Joe was ever so happy at receiving more than 2,500 cards!!!Joe-cardsNow folks, sure a card only costs a few bucks, and postage is only $0.55 for a regular-size card, but it’s the time and the thought.  Thousands of people took time from their busy day to go select and buy a card, go home and write a message in the card, address the card, and send it to Joe.  There were even some who took the extra time to make homemade cards!  Some people even sent small gifts like hats or t-shirts.Joe-cards-giftsAnother thanks and more 👍👍 to all the good people who took the time to wish Joe Cuba a Happy Birthday!  🎈🎈 🎁   🎂   🎁 🎈🎈

See, folks … the good people still outnumber the bad … we just don’t see or hear them as much, for they quietly go about their business without feeling the need to loudly toot their own horns.  Whether it’s a sick little boy or a lonely old man, when the call goes out, the good people show up … in droves!  Until next Wednesday, then, let’s all try to be good people and do something, even just a small something, for somebody else.

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25 thoughts on “Good People Doing Good Things — Answering The Call For Help”

  3. There are days that are so inundated with the horrors of Trumpian news, that I simply skip over any emails of a political nature. I may miss something important, but most often it can wait. What can not be skipped over or made to wait is your Good People posts. Do not for a New York minute, ever consider omitting these posts! They shine a light on those often unsung heroes that restore our faith that the better side of human nature will overcome the lesser side. “A human act once set in motion flows on forever to the great account. Our deathlessness is in what we do, not in what we are.” – George Meredith. Thank-you!

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    • Thank you, my friend! I do love doing these posts, but sometimes it’s just hard to come from the dark side into the light and see these people. I’m so glad you find these posts both uplifting and of value. When I first started doing this feature a couple of years ago, I wasn’t sure how long I would do it … perhaps a few weeks or months … but now, I cannot imagine stopping … you and Hugh would have my head!!! 😀

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  4. Dear Jill,

    It’s a good thing that I had the Kleenex ready. Both these stories were outstanding examples of average Americans going out of their way to lift/ help someone out whom they had never met. This post made my day. Thanks a million for sharing.

    Hugs, Gronda

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    • Thanks, Hugh! Some weeks, after being in the dark underworld that is our political scene all week, I find it hard to switch gears to go in search of ‘good people’. But every time I think about skipping it for a week, I think of how much you appreciate these interludes, and so I drag myself over from the dark side and find good people. I’m always glad, once I’ve done it, that I didn’t allow myself to skip it. 😉

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  10. There are lots of good people, and when anything gets personal, people come out in droves to get behind a ’cause.’
    This is what gives me hope. People do come together when events affect them personally.

    Interestingly, Politics is not personal and it is divisive and fear mongering in its approach. Our governance has been controlling, reproachful, racist, speisism specific, domineering, greedy, egotistical and a few other negative adjectives… There have been few positives, and they have always been only when personally, people agree.

    My hope is that when the current civilisation falls, as it surely will, homio sapiens will have evolved just enough that our compassion outshines any other trait and that we self govern under a mutual concern for the good of all. The herd only survives when everyone plays their part. For too long, homio sapiens have wanted to be the lone hunter, and it just isn’t in our nature. ❤️

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    • My best guess, and I really do hate to bring a negative tone to an upbeat post, is that homo sapiens are on the path to self-destruction. Failure to address the damage that has been done … is BEING done … to our environment will likely put an end to all species that require water and oxygen to survive. But, on a more positive note … I do think that 99% of people have more good than evil and will try to do the right thing, as you said, especially when it is personal. Politics is about power and money … not humanity and compassion.

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  11. That’s great, Jill. It’s fantastic to remind everyone (including me!) that there really are lots of good people in this world. It’s so easy to forget this, when we seem to be surrounded by greed and hatred.

    Liked by 1 person

    • It IS easy to forget, as we are bombarded 24/7 with negative news, bad people doing bad things. But, there is good in (most) people, and I think it’s important that we not forget that, lest we end up with a sour, negative view of the entire world. I started this feature a couple of years ago to balance my otherwise dark writing and it is the most popular of my posts on the average week. Everybody needs a bit of fresh air and sunshine! 🌞

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