The Hope Initiative: Changing The World One Act of Kindness at a Time

By Reema Kamran

“Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution.” — Khalil Gibran

At the end of 2015, friends, community members and family were discussing the state of the world. They were particularly concerned about the sadness and the fear that surrounded us. The conversation circled around how to take back the narrative, shift the paradigm in our community and our country back towards hope and love.

Eman Hassaballa Aly wrote to tell you about the Hope Initiative and how we can douse the fires of fear and moves towards a more promising future. At the Hope Initiative, we started with stories of optimism by sharing the wonderful ways people were spreading hope in the community. We saw supportive messages, people paying it forward with coffee, smiles and hugs. The trend continues and other new and inspiring initiatives began as well, including Selfies with Muslims, Look For the Helpers, Muslim Myth Busters , Your Friendly Muslim Neighbor and more.

As we continue to share stories of hope with our community from the past few months, one recurring message is emerging: The narrative is changing. It is moving from one of despair to one of hope, especially when the response is love.

As a mother of 12-year-old triplets and a five-year-old, much of my day is spent telling my boys to keep their hands to themselves, to be kind to one another and to respond with love.  (I also try to somehow convey all this without yelling.)  And, with love comes kindness. In times of despair, sadness, fear and darkness, an act of kindness can bring joy, understanding and light. It can bring about a real change too.

My children’s’ protest to me is usually, “Why should I, if he’s not?” My answer to them is simple and is a reminder to myself:  Because we always respond with love and kindness. Here’s why:

• There is a benefit for me from being kind.
• Kindness is contagious.
• Be the change you want to see the world — imagine being kind.

Nearly every one of our lives has been touched at one time by a thoughtful act. Think on it, and I am certain it will bring a smile to your face as the memory warms your soul.

TJ and the Kind Doctor

TJ, my little rambunctious five-year-old Jedi, can talk a mile a minute. He has a vast wealth of knowledge about Star Wars and Legos and can charm anyone in about 45 seconds flat. He also has severe asthma. Almost every cold, every sniffle and every cough lands him in a hospital’s emergency room. To me, it’s a very familiar cycle: cold, medication, nebulizer treatments, complications, panic then emergency room.

We have an overnight bag always ready that includes everything we’ll need for a few days away from home. The older boys know what to do in case we have to go to the hospital. During the winter, we don’t travel far, and we spend a lot of time praying.

Every visit to the emergency room, I think about the countless parents whose children are in a never-ending struggle with chronic illness and a quest for a cure. My heart aches for these parents who endure the roller coaster of watching their child continue to get sick. I pray for strength and patience for them and tell myself that our child is fortunate since we can treat his issue, afford his treatment and therefore focus our efforts on making him better.

Two years ago TJ gave us a huge scare. He was lying in his bed wheezing. I asked him to focus on breathing as I usually do during these sorts of episodes but then I fell into a panic as his breaths became more labored. Soon he refused to move — a sure sign that things were going from bad to worse. As I drove to the emergency room, with eyes full of tears, I felt frustrated but sad. Doctors could not offer long-term solutions for the severity of the attacks, and my anxiety never subsided because the feeling loomed over us that nothing we did was working.

With an outbreak of a severe respiratory virus, TJ was immediately placed in quarantine. Our pediatric intensivist, Dr. B, a lovely woman with a smile and a bounce in her step, met us in the intensive care unit. She walked in as I sat with my little one. TJ was just as exasperated, upset and exhausted as I was. It was our fourth trip to the hospital that year, and he wanted to go home to the Justice League jumpy castle that was calling his name.

Dr. B brought not just medications but vials of compassion too. She took time in the middle of a probably crazy day to speak to me at length.  She must have seen that I was at the end of my rope. She told us about her work and her family. She shared the sadness of losing her own child; a tragedy that changed the course of her life. She talked to TJ about Star Wars and Legos and patiently answered his questions about why he couldn’t go home to jump in the castle.

This all changed the course of TJ’s health.

Antidote to Despair is Hope

Over the course of our conversation, Dr. B asked questions, prodded, listened and then insisted on us seeing her colleague, a pulmonologist, who could help TJ. She made sure that I got an appointment as soon as possible and urged us to keep her updated. This time I left the hospital full of hope. We plan and God plans, and His plans are the best. He made sure our paths crossed with Dr. B and for that I will be eternally grateful.

Today, we have an excellent medical team in place. The introduction to the pulmonologist lead us to unearth some of the root causes to the severity of his asthma, along with a new plan to treat it. We were blessed with a new peace and a new hope. Our life has changed and it was all because of this act of consideration. This year, TJ and I spent the summer in Spain. Thankfully, TJ was his healthy active self and was running around the hills of Rosales with his friends.

I learned that the antidote to despair is hope and when we respond with love, kindness spreads and brings light to dark places. I invite you to join the Hope Initiative, as we highlight and applaud the efforts of Americans working together to make a better society. Share with us stories of generosity, compassion or warm heartedness. Help us illuminate the darkness with hope.

Reema Kamran founded R & R Event Management which empowers organizations to bring professionalism to the Muslim non-profit community. She’s forming a new company focusing on leveraging partnerships and collaborations within the community shift culture called Collaboryst.

The mission of the Hope Initiative is to give individuals, organizations and communities a platform to collaborate on and collecting existing resources and leverage partnerships around local and national issues. Learn more by clicking here.