BOLDNESS + BRAVERY Page 17 of 21

This is not normally a place for me to share about films I have watched, but I feel compelled to write about The Impossible. It is the heart wrenching TRUE story of a family caught in the devastating Asian Tsunami of 2004. It is hard (and exhausting) to watch, but ultimately is a tale of human spirit and the strength that can be found in love.

When the Asian Tsunami hit back on Boxing Day in 2004 I had just started working for UNICEF. Within 48 hours of it happening, I found myself at the Manchester United training ground, recording an appeal video with their top players, who were visually shaken by what they had seen on the TV and wanted to help. In the end we raised around $200,000 through the team (and many millions more through other supporters), and some time later I went on a field visit with Manchester United legend Brian McClair and youth player Floribert Ngalula, to report back to the fans on how their support had helped.

What we found was a country that had largely built itself back up again physically, but was deeply scarred emotionally. I will never forget meeting Muk, a nine-year old girl who lost 18 members of her family in the tsunami. Her father was a fisherman and continued to live by the beach, but Muk had to go and live with her uncle and aunt inland because she was scared of the sound of the sea. That is like a city dweller being scared of the sound of cars.

I found it quite disturbing to watch The Impossible and imagine what that little girl must have gone through. And in the face of all that  – the pain, the loss, the not knowing – the Thai people and many visiting and resident foreigners cared for everyone and anyone who needed it – in shelters, hospitals and in their homes.  The story is a miracle; the film, a triumph; the people brave heroes.

And even though the Asian tsunami of 2004 was nearly a decade ago, history has repeated itself since with the 2011 tsunami in Japan, with earthquakes like in New Zealand and Pakistan, with droughts and all kinds of other natural disasters. And that’s without even considering the man made disasters. Time and again we see pain, and however removed we are we can’t help sharing that pain. Films like The Impossible help us understand what it must be like, and help us empathise with those who have been through it. Go watch it.

PS For anyone who has felt the recent Sandy Hook tragedy deeply, Magpie Girl is offering a free 28-day ‘Soulcare’ programme, ‘Remember-Act-Heal’. You can find out more about it here.