ESL002: Intermediate English as a Second Language

Sometimes, your entire life can change when you least expect it to. The three people described here have all experienced a life-changing moment in the form of either an unexpected gift, an offer of help, or an international disaster.

An unexpected gift

Kishone Tony Roy's life was changed by a Christmas present he did not expect to receive. At 17, he had finished high school in B.C., he was unemployed, and he was unsure about where his life was going. He was raised by a single mother, and times were not easy. At Christmas, Kishone's mother signed the family up with a non-profit organization, Share Family and Community Services in the Vancouver area; this group ran a program that paired up families in need with those who could help them, usually in the form of donations and gifts.

Organizations that provide help at Christmas usually ask children from needy families to prepare a list of presents they would like to receive. Almost as a joke, Kishone wrote on his list "a job". And that was what he got. Amazingly, a Port Coquitlam family found him his first full-time job in a factory, cutting gaskets; they even arranged for his transportation to and from work. It was hard physical work, but he was proud to receive a paycheque. For the first time in his life, Kishone was able to support himself without having to ask others for help.

That first job led to a career in public service. Kishone went to university, eventually graduating with a master's degree in Leadership Studies from Royal Roads University in Victoria. He worked as a senior political aide to federal and provincial party leaders in Ottawa and British Columbia, and he volunteered extensively with non-profit organizations.

Today, Kishone is CEO of the B.C. Non-Profit Housing Association, an organization that represents over 600 providers of affordable housing in BC - including Share, the organization that first helped him. Kishone believes strongly in the impact a community can have on the wellbeing of a family, and he sees his work as paying forward the assistance that was given to him when he most needed it.

Have you ever received a gift that changed your life?

An offer of help

For Camilla Gibb, a chance encounter with someone she barely knew changed her life. Camilla had just come back from England, where she had been studying at the University of Oxford. She had a job at the University of Toronto, but she wasn't happy - she didn't want to be an academic. What Camilla really wanted to do was write a novel.

One day, she was sitting outside thinking about her life and feeling miserable, when a man came up to her. Camilla didn't know him well; his office was in the same building, but they were not good friends. The man asked Camilla what was wrong. Camilla found herself telling him that she wanted to be a writer of fiction, and he asked her what she needed to get started. Camilla did a quick mental calculation of her living expenses and came up with a figure of

The next week, Camilla met the same man. He presented her with a box with $6,000 inside. There was also a note inside that read "No strings attached". Soon after that, Camilla quit her job. She moved to her brother's trailer in the country and started to write a book. Eight weeks later, she had a first draft. That manuscript became Camilla's first novel, Mouthing the Words.

Today, twenty years later, Camilla Gibb is one of Canada's most respected authors, with four novels and an autobiography to her name. She says that what made a difference was not just the $6,000; the man's gift was the motivation she needed to get started.

Has another person helped you to succeed?

An international disaster

In 2001, Jon Gabriel was a bond trader in New York City. For fifteen years he had worked long hours, sometimes going to work before the sun came up and going home after it had set. He had three mortgages, two car leases, and thirteen maxed- out credit cards. He also weighed 410 lb (186 kg) and had spent thousands of dollars on various weight-loss programs, to no avail. Jon was stressed, unhealthy, and unhappy, and he couldn't see a solution to his problems.

Has your life been affected by a disaster?

One day, Jon was scheduled to fly to San Francisco for one of the most important business meetings of his life. He was planning to take a flight from Newark airport, just outside New York. To his dismay, his business partner booked him on a cheaper but less-convenient flight leaving from New York's La Guardia airport. Jon did not take his flight from La Guardia because the airport was closed. However, the flight he had originally wanted to take did depart. It was United Airlines flight 93, which was hijacked by terrorists and crashed into a field, killing everyone on board. The date was September 11, 2001.

After 9/11, Jon's business collapsed. Rather than despairing over the loss of his company, Jon saw it as an opportunity to make a change. He bought two one-way tickets to Australia, and he went home and told his wife they were moving. His wife also had news for Jon: she was expecting their first child. In Australia, Jon devoted himself to learning about nutrition and health science, and he lost 220 lb.

Today, Jon is a lean, muscular, fit weight loss counsellor who devotes his life to helping others deal with obesity.