For many, the holidays are a wonderful time of cheer and merriment. But for others, Christmas can be a challenging period full of loneliness and isolation. For 20 years, Terrence Brian found himself in that latter group, because the U.K. native had nobody to spend the season with.
In 2019, Brian shared his story with BBC Breakfast. For the past two decades, the then-78-year-old had spent Christmas day by himself. Terrence grew up with a traveling father, and he lost his younger brother when he was 26 years old. Because of his situation, he had had to drop out of school when he was 14, and when he was 20, he finally decided to get into nursing. That meant he spent most of his time taking care of other people.
But then Brian learned about Age UK, an organization that helps the elderly find care and support. He began attending and before long, the managers selected him as one of the volunteers for an advertisement they were doing. It was through that bit that BBC’s Dan Walker first learned about Terrence’s story and got in touch.
Inspiring a nation
After the interview, Walker promised he would help change Terrence’s situation. Sure enough, a few days later students from Oldham College came to the door with a Christmas tree, which they decorated for him. The festivities didn’t stop there though: a student choir was at the ready outside, where they serenaded him with his favorite song, “Silent Night.”
When BBC shared a follow-up story online, Terrence immediately became a viral sensation. Many reached out in hopes of making his holidays less lonely, including singer John Barrowman. The performer reached out to Terrence and even invited him to one of his shows, where Barrowman introduced Terrence to the audience and asked them to light up their phones for his next performance, “Silent Night.”
Changing his future
Although the pandemic changed things for everyone last Christmas, Terrence revealed that he was still in touch with many of those who stepped in to help him in his time of need and that he truly considers them to be friends now.
“Please, please, if you have a neighbour, give them a knock, say, ‘Are you okay? Is there anything you want?’ Because a lot of people, when they’re on their own, they give up,” Terrence told BBC Breakfast last year. “I nearly did that myself so things can be done, but sometimes you need a helping hand from somebody.”
-goalcast
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