Heroes of Kindness - 2018 Edition

There are always heroes around us. We just need to look hard enough.

I believe in that. It is what got me started on this venture to find real-life people from across the world who go the extra mile to bring joy and happiness in the lives of others. I ended 2017 finding 40 heroes of compassion and over 60 positive moments.

I decided I am not ready to quit yet. So in 2018, the journey to find kind souls from across the world continued. My goal by seeking out these people of all ages, races and cultures is to inspire you - not just to believe once more that kindness exists in this world but also to remind you that you too are capable of being a real life hero of kindness.

FINAL COUNT FOR 2018

Articles - 34

Positive Moments in these Articles - 52

Total number of articles featuring real-life Heroes of Kindness till date - 92

Total number of Positive Moments collected and showcased till date ~ 170

(Updated to Feb 2019)

(You can see all these stories here.)

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A - Even though it meant losing a crucial job interview, Aaron Tucker was the only one who got off the bus, saved and then tended to a road traffic accident victim until help arrived.

B - When a homeless man Johnny Bobbitt Jr walked three kilometers and spent the last of his money to help a stranded woman, he set off a chain of events that changed his life forever.

When a father tweeted about how his child was being bullied on the eve of his birthday, celebrities from across the world got together to support the child and make him feel special.

C - Over the years, Cleaning for a Reason has provided house cleaning services for free to over 28,000 women suffering from cancer.

Kimberly Cooper and Philip Cameli's selfless acts sparked off an unprecedented chain which resulted in a 12 person kidney swap, saving the lives of 6 strangers dying of kidney failure.

D - For 12 years, David Deutchman has been visiting the neonatal and paediatric ICUs in a hospital as a volunteer and comforting babies whose parents cannot be inside the ICU with them

18 year old Dalton Shaffer drove over 720 kms to deliver pizza for a family after finding out the man was dying.

E - Teenager Evoni Williams' selfless act of helping a disabled man eat his food even though she was busy was rewarded in ways she could not imagine.

F - Knowing the value of being cold during winter from his own bitter experiences of the past, 9 year old Mikah Frye chose to give up his Christmas presents to buy blankets for the homeless.

G - When one of their own town folk collapsed due to a massive heart attack, the people of Goodhue queued up and performed a medical miracle to keep him alive until advanced paramedic help arrived.

H - Refusing to stay silent when she saw his neighbour's house vandalized with racist graffiti, Heidi Russell galvanized the town of Tenino to stand up against this racist act.

Even if it meant his own children did not get three meals a day, Harekala Hajabba saved the money he got selling oranges on the streets and ended up building a school for the poor children of his village.

I - During the 2017 Westminster attack, Ibrahim Dogus kept his restaurant open throughout the day to help feed the police, firefighters and paramedics for free.

J - When Jaden Hayes was orphaned at 6 years, he chose to deal with sadness by going around making strangers smile because he was tired of the sorrow all around him.

(Includes my interview with Jaden's legal guardian)

K - Ukranian couple Kristina Masalova & Eugene Petrus showed dogged determination to save a pup they found while on holiday and became global icons for pet adoption as well as travel along with the dog, Chapati.

(Includes my interview with Kristina)

L - Waitress Liz Woodward's act of kindness towards two tired firemen at her diner would go on to change her life forever.

M - When 11 people were trapped in a deadly riptide in Panama Beach, they needed more than kindness. They needed a superhero and a miracle. They got it in Jessica Mae and 80 selfless strangers.

(Includes my interview with Jessica)

Via the Million Waves Project, couple Laura and Chris Moriarty tackle two seemingly unrelated global problems simultaneously, removing plastic waste from the ocean and converting it into usable 3D printed limbs on demand to help disabled people around the world.

N - For 35 years. a group of women - the 9 Nanas - have been eavesdropping on conversations in the neighbourhood and sending food and money anonymously to those in need.

Chef Narayanan Krishnan gave up his lucrative career to serve the homeless and disabled. Till date, he has provided a home for over 1500 homeless people and served over 2.25 million free healthy meals.

O - Funded by the public and supported by over 200 restaurants in the city of Kozhikode in Kerala, Operation Sulaimani allows the needy to get meals for free with dignity.

P - A receipient of kindness himself during his worst moments of life, chef Parkash Chhibber pays it forward by offering free food from his restaurant to anyone who is hungry and without money.

Q - Chef Quentin Love turned his life around by looking to feed the homeless in his community, keeping his restaurant open exclusively for the poor and homeless once a week.

R - When they realized the parent of one of their students was terminally ill, Rockford Public School held a special graduation for the student three months in advance at her house so that her father could see her graduate before he passed away.

- When students could not reach the remote school, the science & maths teacher Rajaram bought a bus and became their bus driver too, making 8 trips a day to pick up the children.

S - When radio jockey Sucharita Tyagi found out about the pitiable living conditions of one of the winners of her show's contest, she got the whole city of Mumbai to help change the blind woman's life forever.

(Includes my interview with Sucharita Tyagi)

T - The Tirunelveli Wall of Kindness is an ideal method to donate clothes, books and toys and allow those in need to take what they want too.

U - Fethullah Üzümcüoğlu and Esra Polat chose to invite and feed 4,000 Syrian refugees on their wedding day, personally serving them all.

V - When a couple's dream cake got ruined on the eve of their wedding, cake maker Clare Vaz - who had never met or talked to the couple - worked overnight and made an exact replica of the wedding cake.

(Includes my interview with the bride)

Despite incurring heavy losses, V. Venkataraman of Erode provides a full meal for Rs 1 to the poor patients of the nearby hospital every day for over 10 years.

W - Disneyland security guard Freddie Wieczorek would make young boys and girls dreams come true by pretending to mistake them for real-life prince and princesses and begging for their autographs.

X - Ten instances where kindness trumped xenophobia and religious discrimination.

Y - Even after finding out the baby inside her was terminally ill, Keri Young carried the child to full term only so that the healthy organs could be used to save other sick babies.

Z - Here are ten examples where it cost ZERO to be kind but meant a million to the recipients of these acts of kindness.

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