Turning Tragedy to Purpose - Kash's Story
I like narratives to be fun and positive. My GoodGym origin story is nothing like that.
June 24, 2024
People often ask me how I started my GoodGym adventure and became so dedicated to the cause. I never tell the true story. I like the narratives about my GoodGym missions to be fun and positive, and my GoodGym origin story is nothing like that.
The End
2020, London, UK. The start of the pandemic. The first lockdown. A pass to the outdoor freedom only once a day for exercise - a nightmare for someone like me. I was dying to have a decent reason to leave the flat other than walking to a supermarket 2 kilometres away, just because I could be outside for longer. Could I shop for the people who had to self-isolate? I looked up my local volunteering options and found GoodGym. Bingo! I loved the concept. I may have even signed up. And you know what I did next? Nothing.
2021, Żywiec, Poland. I spent two months at my parents' flat, taking advantage of the shift to remote work. Long mornings at the outdoor gym, and trail runs in the mountains. Paradise. At some point, it was time to return to London. On my last day before the travel, I went to get the mandatory COVID test. On the way back, I took the route through the park I've been visiting each morning. That was when I met Mr S.
I pictured that scene many times, venturing solo off-trail or entering abandoned buildings for thrills - but never in a park in the centre of a town. When I walked by a shallow canal obscured by thick vegetation, I noticed something in the water. I approached the canal bank to see what it was. A backpack. It was just a backpack! But abandoned in the water? I could have just looked away and gone my way. The curiosity took over.
Yes, I pictured that scene many times before. The backpack was not everything I found that fateful morning. A few feet further down waited Mr S. I could see him very well, but he wouldn't see or hear me. His face was under the water.
Of course, at the time, I didn't know he was called Mr S. He was a lifeless older man I preferred not to have anything to do with. But there was no one else in the park. There was a battle in my mind between myself who chose to stay away from trouble and the person I wished to be. Finally, I pulled out my phone and called 911.
"Can you check if he is breathing?" asked the man on the other side of the line. I said the man I found looked like he'd drowned and he was in the middle of a canal. "Can you try, please?" insisted the emergency responder, "He might be still alive". More shakily than I want to admit, I stepped into the water and pulled Mr S closer to the surface. His clothes were soaked, making him even heavier. Getting him onto the bank was the hardest part. Or was it? "Can you do chest presses until the help arrives?" asked the voice in my phone. I recalled one of the first-aid training tips. "Ah ah ah ah, staying alive, staying alive. Ah ah ah ah, staying alive, staying alive", the BeeGees song blared in my head, giving me the rhythm for the chest presses. I don't know if I was doing it right or not. I don't know if it even mattered.
"He's dead", said the police officer that materialised behind me, "You can stop".
The Beginning
When I got home I washed all my clothes. I took a shower, then I started cleaning my parents' flat just like it was spring cleaning time, except that I did it to a higher standard. I ran to buy new shoes as the ones I was wearing were soaked with the canal water and there was no way they were getting dry before the next day's flight.
That day, I realised two things:
If I could go into the water to save someone who didn’t need to be saved anymore, why don't I help those who are alive and need support?
Life is short. We assume we all have roughly eighty years to hang out on this planet, but it’s not how it works. That day, it was Mr S with his face down in the water and me on the bank. What if it was the opposite? What if my plane crashed the next day? What if I found out I was terminally ill? Would I keep waiting for all the great things I wanted to do in my life until I felt I was ready - or rather acknowledge that I will never be ready and the best time to act is NOW?
When I returned to London, I immediately got a full GoodGym membership and applied for a DBS check to start doing missions and helping older, vulnerable people. I could not wait to make a positive impact!
Your Beginning
Remembering that our time on Earth is finite may feel grim, but it's actually a blessing. If you knew today was your last day, how would you spend it? What kind of person would you choose to be?
Don't wait for the drowned stranger to tell you that.
If I had simply come to one GoodGym group session in 2020, my volunteering origin story would have been different. It would have been about teamwork, having fun, and overcoming obstacles together. It would feature a welcoming team of friends who leave no one behind, support each other, recognise that each of us is different and never judge others in the group. It doesn't sound too intimidating, does it?
If you are still unsure about coming to a GoodGym task, I'll tell you a secret: your story does not need a turning point moment. You can just click the "Sign Up" button on a GoodGym session page and show up at the task. That's it. And no one has to die.
Still feeling that you are not ready? That's fine. Don't worry, GoodGym will be here when the time is right for you. You can always wait for months like I did. You will just miss a few months of fun!