Acts of Kindness

Hi, I'm Michael, and I'm a stroke survivor.

When I tell people about my experience with a stroke followed by heart surgery, they often look horrified and say, "You must have been scared." I have experienced many emotions during this journey, including fear, loneliness, and frustration. However, the most driving emotion that has brought me to tears has been acts of kindness from family members, friends, and strangers who went out of their way to help me.

The stroke ward nurse who bought me a "real" coffee every day with her own money because I couldn't leave the floor due to Covid isolation rules.

The local cafe owner near my home who taught me the sign language for a medium latte with one sugar. He had previously owned a cafe near an Aus Sign school, and the students used to practice on him.

The chef at a fancy restaurant, on my first night out, who cut up my food in the kitchen before bringing it out so that I could eat one-handed.

The neighbour who, after seeing an ambulance but not knowing what had happened, mowed our lawn.

The friends who dropped by each weekend to keep me company, even though our conversations were very one-sided. I was using a paper keyboard to type out words, one word at a time.

The post office worker who patiently wrote the addresses on the packages for the Christmas presents I was sending.

The friends, colleagues, and others who dropped off food and other care packages to support my wife, who was busy supporting me.

And most of all, the hugs. So many hugs. 

These are the things that brought me to tears and that I will never forget.