Warms the Heart More Than

¶ … warms the heart more than a wide smile, especially when your actions are bringing it to another person's lips. That is how I felt every day when visiting my "grandparents," who once had Hansen's disease, better known as leprosy. When I arrived at their home, their faces would light up with the warmest beam. They may not have been my actual grandparents, but it seemed that way after we spent so much time together.

From 1916 to 1963, people afflicted with Hansen's disease, many of them children and adolescents, were sent to Sorok Island, Korea. It was only in 2007 that a bridge was built to connect this long-isolated colony to the mainland. For the first time in their lives, the 640 remaining residents, many of them now in their 70s and 80s, felt they could end their lives as part of their country. One summer, I was fortunate enough to cross that bridge to volunteer my time.

It was then that I learned the truth behind Mahatma Gandhi's expression, "Be the change you want to see in the world." I found that the actions of one person, not a multitude, can have a significant impact on the lives of other people. I visited [first name and last name (ADD NAMES)] for a couple of hours every day. They did not need care with daily living activities, such as bathing and dressing, as did some of the others on the island.

They did need something just as important: Being connected to other Koreans. Whenever I arrived, names would offer me the dessert they saved from the meal they received from the hospital. This special treat was their way of expressing how important my visits were to them. We then discussed current events, reminisced about their lives during the Korean War, and talked about their children and grandchildren. For that summer, I became their personal bridge to the mainland. Even more important, they no longer felt ostracized.

At the same time, the experience changed my life even more than theirs. I found that my volunteer efforts could further the change I want to see in the world -- an end to discrimination and injustice. [making other people's lives better in some way] Because of my experience on Sorok Island, I now regularly visit residents at a Los Angeles nursing home. Many of these men and women have the same need as [names].

They want to talk with someone, because their children are too busy to visit or they are alone. These people also have very special stories.