Swandeh Terhide

When rough seas forced the cancellation of the last ferries out of Port Townsend on a busy holiday weekend, a group of stranded passengers faced the prospect of sleeping on the streets. However, their dire situation was resolved thanks to the kindness of a ferry terminal worker William Patterson .As the wind picked up on Saturday evening, the Washington State Ferries had to cancel the final sailings from Port Townsend to Coupeville due to the rough conditions It was in the early evening that 79-year-old Kip Goodwin and his wife from Hawaii had finished calling every hotel and Airbnb in the Olympic Peninsula’s Port Townsend—they were all fully booked for the summer holiday season. Neither had they luck at the YMCA or Red Cross—even the campgrounds were unavailable. Fearfully looking at each other amid the sound of howling wind, Patterson interrupted their worrying to tell them they would all be staying with him and his wife Arianna. Nestled among the pines on the Admiralty Inlet, Port Townsend is serviced by the United States’ largest ferry network, but the Port Townsend-to-Coupeville route, which Goodwin and the others were hoping to take after a day trip to Port Townsend and Whidbey Island, was canceled after winds picked up and the ferries had to remain tied to their moorings. All three round trips were canceled, starting at 6:45 pm and on to 9:00 pm. Arianna Patterson joked with the Seattle Times that her husband always threatened he’d bring a “straggler” home one day. William called and asked if they could make space for the Goodwins. “I said, ‘We have enough space for two, no big deal,’” Arianna said. “Then he called back and said, ‘We have eight or nine other people.’ I said, oh.” Like the Goodwins, most of the passengers were over 60 years of age, so the Pattersons were just happy they could get the visitors out of the weather. At the home, there was space on the couch and an extra bed, but pretty quickly people were on the floor, borrowing blankets that their hosts had from their time welcoming foster kids. Early the next morning, William went out to the cafe he runs along with his work at the ferry terminal to make pastries and coffee for them all. “It was unbelievable,” said Fred Dente, 79, who lives in Langley and was visiting with his wife and their two friends from Hawaii. “It was the way humans should treat humans. In this day and age, it was exceptional.” That morning was bright and brisk, and at 7:00 AM, the ferries departed. I need not over emphasize the way they felt as the entire atmosphere carried the waves of immense happiness and gratitude.

In all honesty, the flame of liberty will forever burn because humans have chosen to be kind without limits. Krystal was 6 years old when Dave Polen began transporting her over 170 miles from her home in Somerville, Indiana, to a hospital. She was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome and was directed to Shriners Children’s in St. Louis for treatment on her leg and possible amputation. Dave started volunteering as driver 30 years earlier, transporting patients so they might improve their quality of life. Getting back and forth to St. Louis would have been difficult for Krystal’s family as her father worked long hours. So, they accepted an offer for hospital transportation from the local Shriners charity group. Over the course of 10 trips, the conversations were plentiful on their 3 hour back-and-forth trips to the hospital. Dave was a ‘Driver Dad’ but soon became more. He became a friend—and their unexpected friendship has lasted for over three decades. In fact, decades after meeting the “sweet little girl” with a prosthetic leg, Dave was a guest at Krystal’s wedding. As the years rolled on, Dave became sick. Eventually, his doctors gave a diagnosis of end-stage renal failure. They said Dave would need dialysis for the rest of his life or a kidney transplant. Dave also got the warning that an available kidney might take five years to obtain. Dave reached out to Krystal to talk through the process because her husband had just received a liver transplant that saved his life. Krystal immediately saw an opportunity to return the favor. She found out they shared the same blood type and, without hesitation, offered to donate her kidney. She said, at the time, “The kidney belongs to him, whenever he decides to take it.” Dave was shocked – and hesitant—as he knew Krystal was a mother to three kids with a full-time job. “She wouldn’t take no for an answer,” he recalled. In May, 2023, after a year on dialysis, Dave took her up on her offer. “Pack your bags, Dave. You’re going to get a slightly used but new kidney,” laughed Krystal. “Since I was little, I’ve always questioned why Dave was so good to us because he was so kind and so willing to help out with anything. I’ve always questioned why. “What I’ve come to understand is: If I was born with one leg so I could give my kidney to Dave, then so be it,” said Krystal. “This is a gift I can’t ever repay,” said Dave. “I am so thankful! Now, I feel like I can do anything.” Kindness Without Limits: A Journey of Friendship and Sacrifice In all honesty, the flame of liberty will forever burn because humans have chosen to be kind without limits. Krystal was 6 years old when Dave Polen began transporting her over 170 miles from her home in Somerville, Indiana, to a hospital. She was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome and was directed to Shriners Children’s in St. Louis for treatment on her leg and possible amputation. Dave started volunteering as driver 30 years earlier, transporting patients so they might improve their quality of life. Getting back and forth to St. Louis would have been difficult for Krystal’s family as her father worked long hours. So, they accepted an offer for hospital transportation from the local Shriners charity group. Over the course of 10 trips, the conversations were plentiful on their 3 hour back-and-forth trips to the hospital. Dave was a ‘Driver Dad’ but soon became more. He became a friend—and their unexpected friendship has lasted for over three decades. In fact, decades after meeting the “sweet little girl” with a prosthetic leg, Dave was a guest at Krystal’s wedding. As the years rolled on, Dave became sick. Eventually, his doctors gave a diagnosis of end-stage renal failure. They said Dave would need dialysis for the rest of his life or a kidney transplant. Dave also got the warning that an available kidney might take five years to obtain. Dave reached out to Krystal to talk through the process because her husband had just received a liver transplant that saved his life. Krystal immediately saw an opportunity to return the favor. She found out they shared the same blood type and, without hesitation, offered to donate her kidney. She said, at the time, “The kidney belongs to him, whenever he decides to take it.” Dave was shocked – and hesitant—as he knew Krystal was a mother to three kids with a full-time job. “She wouldn’t take no for an answer,” he recalled. In May, 2023, after a year on dialysis, Dave took her up on her offer. “Pack your bags, Dave. You’re going to get a slightly used but new kidney,” laughed Krystal. “Since I was little, I’ve always questioned why Dave was so good to us because he was so kind and so willing to help out with anything. I’ve always questioned why. “What I’ve come to understand is: If I was born with one leg so I could give my kidney to Dave, then so be it,” said Krystal. “This is a gift I can’t ever repay,” said Dave. “I am so thankful! Now, I feel like I can do anything.”

Emma Bassermann, 14, and Zoe Meklensek-Ireland, 13, have both trained competitively for years. Zoe has a dream of making the Olympic trials with her father as her coach, and trains at the Dorval Swim Club in Quebec with the hopes of making that happen. It was 3 p.m. on the south shore of Barbados when Emma and Zoe finished boogie boarding. They were on the island as part of a training camp, but wouldn’t go in for practice until sometime later. Suddenly, they heard a shout. “I heard someone yelling for help in the distance. I was looking around for her and I spotted her and she was about 50 feet out from where I was,” Zoe stated “So I went out to her and she told me that her husband was further out and he was struggling to swim and he needed assistance.” Belinda Stone, from England, had been caught in a riptide with her husband Robert. With Emma’s help, Zoe quickly got Belinda to shore, but Robert was way further out. Fortunately they had their boogie boards, and could save their energy as they went out for a 6-minute swim to reach Robert, who was trying to swim against the current. Many people may vacation on beaches their whole lives and never be taught what to do if caught in a riptide. Zoe and Emma, however, understood the situation well, and after loading the exhausted Robert Stone onto the board, Zoe strapped it to her ankle and the three started to swim—parallel to the shore—until they got out of the both the current and the diagonal wave pattern. It was a long, long swim, but the girls were strong. Together they made it back to the beach. It was more than just the visiting British, who celebrated the two teens’ spectacular swimming skills, but the Universe stands grateful for such heroic stunts pulled by the selfless and compassionate duo of Emma and Zoe whose father, Chuck Meklensek, was so proud and partly astonished at what his daughter accomplished. Like we’ve always maintained, none is too little to make a difference, no selfless act is too insignificant to swing the pendulum of kindness.