LITTLE acts of kindness can go a long way. We think that they go unnoticed, but they don`t. They have the potential to bring hope and happiness to people and make a big impact on their lives.

I have witnessed the magic of a random act of 1(indness in an intensive care unit (ICU) where a young patient, Fatima, was admitted for a week. She was struggling with sepsis and her body had become weak. The constant beeps of machines and the sterile smell of the ICU had affected her mental health. Fatima was slipping into delirium, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to put up with it all.

One day, as she lay in her hospital bed, a physiotherapist walked in carrying a small, brightly coloured ball for her. He handed over this ball to her in the hope that it would brighten up her day. Fatima was reluctant to believe that a small ball would make her feel better. But as soon as she held the ballinher hands, she felt a surge of happiness.The simple brightly-coloured ball turned out to be a magical healer. It was as if the ball had hope and joy stuf fed inside it.

Fatima began to play with the ball. She loved to catch it and laugh at the silly sound it made when it bounced off the walls. A simple ball had brought her so much joy. She hadforgotten about the intravenous (IV) line in her arm and legs. Soon, she was holding the ball tightly even while she was asleep.

Fatima`s condition began to improve with each passing day. Her fever broke,and she nolonger slipped into delirium as often as was the case earlier. The ball remained her constant companion, a source of happiness and hope in a place that was so scary for her.

When she was finally well enough to leave the ICU, Fatima thanked the physiotherapist who had given her the ball. She told him it meant the world to her as it gave her something to hold onto when everythingelsefelt souncertain.

Fatima left the hospital with anappreciation of the power of small acts of kindness.

And she 1(new that she would always carry the ball of hope and happiness with her; a reminder that even in the darlcest of times, there is always something to hold onto. We simply have to focus on that.

Dr Nida Rizvi Karachi