She was in seat over from me and looked half asleep. She'd asked the train manager (it was guard in my day) to wake her at her stop as she'd been awake for over 20 hours.
I offered to do the gentlemanly (or womanly but doesn't sound quite right) thing, my good deed and all that and conversation ensued. I realised Alison must have taken part in a midnight walk. I'd seen a lot of woman, with the telltale shuffle of many miles walked at the station while I bought the mandatory 12 Krispy Kreme donuts (they don't sell them down here and I get lynched if I don't bring them back from every London trip)
When I asked her motivation for doing it, she explained she'd had cancer. I won't go into the details, that's her story to share not mine. But I found her inspirational. Her story was told with uplifting and positive language. She gave me some things to think about, tips on coping, how diet may help. The time sped by. And it was just what I needed to hear.
So this post is a thank you, to a stranger on a train. You made a difference
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