I have benefited from many ‘random acts of kindness’ since my diagnosis and know that small gestures can really help in difficult times. I would like to hear about yours too… please share them here so we can relive these wonderful moments!!
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After I was diagnosed (I was lucky enough, although I did not realise it at the time) to go straight on to watch and wait. It was very confusing for me, my family and friends to get our heads round me having a cancer diagnosis, but not having any treatment ‘to make me better’. A lovely, very kind, not wealthy, friend of mine was made redundant and said she would give me all her redundancy money so I could be treated privately. I was so touched and 14 years later I have never forgotten it.
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Oh how lovely and I would feel the same as you… this is a very selfless and thoughtful gesture which I would never forget either.
One of mine is when I was between chemotherapy cycles and my sister had taken me to a Tesco cafe for a cuppa when this lady came up to me with a bunch of flowers. With tears in her eyes she told me how much I had helped her keep positive about her mums recent cancer diagnosis as I had inspired her mum to be positive and keep going. When she saw me in the store she went and paid for the flowers so she could give them to me there and then. They had been following my posts on Facebook, turns out we’d played together as children so now we keep in touch… this is a moment I will never forget and really touched my heart.
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There are some really lovely people out there !!!
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When I was in the hospital I had to go to another hospital to have radio isotope scan. A nurse accompanied me and we chatted for some time that day. Two days later she was on duty again but on night shift on another ward. Before her shift started that evening she came to see me to see how I was. I was very touched by this thoughtful action.
Another time I was in hospital for some weeks and the skin on my feet was for some reason peeling and awful. A nurse noticed this and cane back with a pot of cream and gently rubbed it into my feet.
These and other similar acts from nurses made a huge difference to me at the time.
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Oh, Joan, those 2 acts of kindness must have meant so much to you, thanks for posting and take care.
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We have had such kindnesses that many tears have been shared. One of the most memorable was during the first weeks of my husband’s illness (at the time there were thoughts he wasn’t going to survive more than a month) - it was Christmas Eve and Santa himself came to our house at 730pm. He rang the doorbell as it was still early, came in for a chat and left presents for the whole house. He told my 7yr old he was on a tea break, had heard that our house was feeling sad and worried and that there was a big boy and a wee boy who were being very brave there. He wanted to tell them both that he knew they’d do all they could to get through these days. I captured on video my son meeting Santa in person and the look of joy, of elation, of absolute disbelief and of love on his face. It remains one of the greatest moments of my life. And all because of my wonderful friend Liz who had organised it as an attempt to ‘do something, anything, to show us we weren’t alone’. It was priceless. I still get all choked up recalling it!
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Oh, Jude, you have brought a tear to my eyes. Wonderful, Liz sounds a wonderful friend and she actually knows Father Christmas, I’m impressed. I’m still worried we have not got a chimney in our flat.
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that sounds like such a wonderful gesture and it sounds like it really must have meant a lot to you. When you were in hospital, did anyone else do any random acts of kindness for you?
That is such a touching story to hear. What a memorable experience that you will never forget. Your friend Liz sounds like such a wonderful friend.
Hello @Joan,
Have you tried to stay in contact with some of the nurses or your treatment team that have showed you random acts of Kindness? When my nephew went into remission, my family bought some cards and gifts to the staff at the children’s hospital.
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Joshua,
I am afraid I did not really keep in touch. For some time I did keep in contact with the Haematology Nurse Specialist but that has faded too. Though we invited her to afternoon tea with the support group last year which she had been instrumental in setting up. I and the group were delighted to see her.
There were however other acts of kindness not only from clinical staff. I was taken from the ward to X-ray by a porter. I was still having to use a trolley and all I had seen was hospital corridors. On our way back he went a different route so I could see the outside world. You have no idea how much that cheered me up.
Joan
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Oh Joan what a wonderful random act of kindness. Has anyone else encountered random acts of kindness?
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I have… mainly through Facebook. To me they were angels who helped me through a terrible time. I used to go back to the ward every time I went to have my bloods checked (every three months) and they loved seeing me. Over time through a lot have moved on so I don’t do that anymore but it was lovely to do so for a long while.
I once bumped into the nurse who’d held my hand during my first bone marrow biopsy and thanked her and told her how much of a comfort she was. She was really touched, remembered me and remembered that we both had a daughter called Imogen. It was lovely.
I think its important to do these things because it means a lot to them and they do a really tough job.
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How lovely, those porters are brilliant aren’t they. Many a time I was wheeled in my bed or a wheel chair along the hospital corridors and they were always so careful, talking when needed, being quiet when I was too ill to open my eyes. I will always be grateful to them.
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Hello @Joan,
Thank you so much for sharing other acts of kindness from not only the clinical staff, but from a porter. I am so happy to hear that he was able to take a more scenic route for you. Some people tell us its nice to see new areas of a hospital when everything looks so familiar. Were there any other random acts of kindness from staff?
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Joshua,
One nurse accompanied me to another hospital so I could have a radio isotope scan. A day or so later when she was starting on nights she called in at the ward to see how I was. It was so lovely that she came to see me as she was no longer working on that ward.
Another nurse one day noticed that my feet had lots of peeling skin. She went and brought back a tub of sudocrem and massaged it in to my feet. This felt lovely and definitely improved the condition of the feet.
I’m sure there were more but these are just a couple of examples.
Joan
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It’s Random Acts of Kindness day tomorrow, so we thought it might be an opportunity to revive this thread, for people to share what random acts of kindness, they’ve done for others, or people have done for them, recently, or at any point during lock down? 
They might look a little different to the previous comments on the thread! Feel free to share below 
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Hi everyone. What a good idea to open up this topic again. On occasions I have to use a wheelchair and a few months ago I was struggling to wheel myself up the road where I live. A neighbour saw me and immediately offered to push me to the shop where I needed to go. A random act of kindness. I was so grateful that he didn’t just take the handles of the wheelchair without asking, but approached me first to see if I needed assistance. Today I had to attend a podiatry appointment and went by taxi. I have a local taxi firm who I use. They are struggling due to lack of work at the moment, so I decided to give the driver a bigger tip than I would normally do, as an act of kindness a day early!! Warm wishes. Willow
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@Willow, those 2 random acts of kindness are lovely. Yes, asking you if you needed assistance first is so important, and your bigger tip will be so appreciated. Thanks.