Awesome - Elderly Man's Confession About His Past 20 Christmases Had Us In Tears
Terrence Brian, who celebrates his 81st birthday this year, tends to keep a low profile. The Oldham-based Englishman has been retired for some time now, and though he's involved with a few volunteer groups, he's really toned down his public activities since his twenties. But after other Oldham residents got word of Terrence's eye-opening way of spending his holidays, a sudden international spotlight shone down on his life — and made an impact on it forever.
How It Started
Terrence was volunteering with the UK charity, Age UK, when all the commotion happened. He'd been involved with them for about five years, after joining one of their social engagement groups for older LGBT+ citizens, called Out and About.
Unusual Beginning
It was Terrence's proactive volunteer work that first began to draw attention, but that wasn't the reason he first connected with Age UK. He'd come to the charity in a time of need — when he was feeling lonelier than ever before.
Past Struggles
Up until then, Terrence's life had been peppered with events that forced him to face loneliness from time to time. From the age of 20, when he first realized he was gay, he'd felt like an outsider. And it was back then that he encountered volunteer work as a coping mechanism.
Dark History
“When I was 20," Terrence said, "I couldn’t understand why I was attracted to my own sex. The first thing I thought was that I must be a freak.” It was the sixties, and being LGBT+ wasn't just frowned upon; it was illegal, and you could get arrested for it.
A Light Of Hope
In his moment of struggle, he heard of a charity — Campaign for Homosexual Equality, or CHE — that provided solace. He joined up with CHE and began campaigning for his rights, and the rights of others like him. He also found another way to get involved.
Giving Cheer
Terrence realized he had a passion for caring about others. That year, he decided to go into nursing, which would allow him to show kindness and bring smiles to people in need, even if the world wasn't being so kind to folks like him. It was the beginning of a great career.
Helping In Various Ways
For the next ten years, he helped patients of all kinds recover from a variety of ailments. When he was thirty, he made a job switch to another form of nursing: he became a caretaker for people with mental and physical disabilities.
Close To Home
When Terrence eventually retired, he thought he was done nursing and began looking for other things to do. However, it wasn't long before his skills were needed again. His mother, who was also his closest friend and ally, was diagnosed with cancer.
Meaningful Effort
Terrence looked after her as best he could, helping comfort her during the illness and minding household tasks for her. He made his mom afternoon tea, and he looked forward each year to their new Christmas tradition together.
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Terrence's Thoughtfulness
He'd pick up several small things he knew she liked, and wrap them up in Christmas paper. Then he'd stuff them in a pillowcase, like Santa's sack of gifts, and bring them to her place. One year, she told him something he'd never forget.
A Sobering Statement
"Without you bringing me my presents at Christmas," she told her son, "I wouldn't have any presents, would I?" It was a simple expression of gratitude, but her appreciation touched Terrence's heart. He couldn't imagine Christmas alone.
Sudden Loss
The years came and went, but 2000 was a particularly dark one for Terrence. His mother was taken by cancer. "Nobody ever explains how hard grief hits you, until it happens to you," he said. "Even after she'd gone...I had to remind myself she wasn't here anymore." He was the last surviving member of his immediate family.
Triple Whammy
To make matters worse, during all those years Terrence had spent caring for other people, he'd put them first and his own health second. That same year, he suffered a heart attack and wound up in the hospital, where he was diagnosed with diabetes. And in those dark days, his partner of four years broke up with him.
Keeping A Stiff Upper Lip
Through depression, Terrence kept soldiering on, but for nearly two decades, he would spend Christmas alone, watching TV shows and eating his annual Christmas sandwich. He never complained about it, but one day, a friend noticed he wasn't himself.
New Doors Open
The friend connected him with the Age UK charity and its Out and About group. Uplifted by the newfound social engagement, Terrence took a nine-week computer course with the group and made several new friends. He even began volunteering to spend time with other elderly folks, particularly a lady named Nancy, a 90-year-old with dementia.
Bigger Platform
Terrence's rapid turnaround caught Age UK manager Maggie Hurley's eye. She invited him to be part of Age UK's Christmas fundraising campaign and tell his story on camera. He was honest, telling about his lonely Christmases, and the ad was so successful, it got the BBC's attention.
A Surprise
Terrence was invited onto the BBC Breakfast show, where presenter Dan Walker was stunned that he'd been alone for nearly twenty Christmases. So, later, Dan went round to Terrence's house with a film crew to pay him a surprise visit.
Community Gives Back
He'd brought along students from nearby Oldham College, who brought Terrence a Christmas tree and decorated it for him. Terrence was openly moved, weeping with gratitude at the simple gesture of kindness — but that wasn't all.
Christmas Serenade
The entire Oldham College Choir was waiting out on Terrence's doorstep, and when Dan led him to the door, they began to sing Terrence's favorite Christmas carol, "Silent Night." He stood, dabbing his eyes, and listened to the music. "Thank you so much," he told them.
A Christmas To Remember
Soon, Christmas would come, and this year, he'd spend it having a festive dinner with Nancy, the woman he volunteered with. But for now, he was overcome with emotion. "What had I done to deserve all this?” he marveled. The answer: half a century of selfless service to others.
Across the Globe
Terrence wasn't the only man whose kindness was rewarded. Every year at Christmas, an American family in South Carolina drops everything to assemble a festive display for their community. They put up decorations, and even bring in Santa for local kids. But in 2020, their homeowners' association stormed in to pull the plug...
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