Light a Match | Accelerate Success with Lorraine Moore

Our day-to-day lives are filled with activities, commitments and routines. Over the course of a month or year, we interact with a multitude of people. Much of the time these interactions are fleeting, a single exchange with someone to whom we have been introduced, or a few words during a retail transaction. If we are fortunate, we may learn years later that a piece of advice we shared or a conversation we had, made a lasting and helpful impression. When this occurs, much of the time we don’t even remember that specific conversation or the supposed wisdom we offered.

In the past several weeks, our family has been the beneficiary of what I consider to be many extraordinary acts of kindness. These have reminded me of how profoundly we can help others through actions that may take only 15 minutes of our time.

About three weeks ago, to everyone’s surprise, we learned that my very healthy and fit husband needs coronary bypass surgery. Initially, we were told that it was urgent and he would have surgery within three weeks. Within five days, the expected surgery date extended to 4-6 weeks and then 6-9 months. Two weeks after being told he needed to be admitted to the hospital, we were home and awaiting a surgery date. Obviously, this created anxiety for both of us and effectively put our lives “on hold” as he was told not to leave the city and to reduce his active exercise routine and lifestyle to about 40 percent of his normal.

As friends and colleagues learned of our situation, there was an outpouring of generosity. The kindness of friends and strangers was humbling. It was a powerful reminder of what a meaningful impact we can have on others’ lives and also of the value of our human connections.

Here are just a few examples of this impact.

A work colleague connected me directly with someone at Advica Health; I was not aware of their company or their services.
A Vancouver colleague graciously agreed to be “on deck” to fly to Calgary to chair two meetings if I needed to attend to other matters.

Other work colleagues – a former nurse and a doctor (who do not know each other) – both responded within hours to my phone calls and provided advice and the best language to use when speaking with medical specialists.

Our family doctor was in daily contact via email and cell phone, assisting in the background.

A friend introduced me to one of her friends in the US. Within five minutes, this busy wife and mother called and shared the story of her husband’s severe cardiac issues when they were living in Canada. She gave me great advice and soon after connected me with a physician at the Mayo Clinic as well as contact information for her sister, a physician in Alberta. She offered more assistance in the future, if required.

Friends and neighbours have a second home in San Diego. Within a day, one of their San Diego friends connected us to one of the top cardiologists at Scripps. He, and subsequently members of our team, reached out to us within hours, on evenings and weekends, to determine how they could assist. Our friends further said, “If you go to Scripps, please, use our condo and our car. There is a full kitchen available. Peter can recover in nice weather.”

Some friends connected us to a cousin who is a cardiologist in Ottawa (who replied the same day), another friend asked their pharmacist daughter to share information on drug protocols, and still others invited us for dinner to distract us during the wait.

I was and remain flooded with gratitude. I have no better way to describe it. Everyone was unbelievably prompt, and in every case, these are busy professionals, most of whom did not even know us and that we will likely never meet.

To all those I referenced here and to others, thank you.

“Whoever said the small things don’t matter has never seen a match start a wildfire.”
– Beau Taplin

If you get a chance, light a match. Five to ten minutes of your time can change a life.

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