Even the grimmest, most difficult times in one’s life can be made better with flowers. Or at least that’s what Larsen Jay, founder and CEO of Random Acts of Flowers, thinks. In an interview with Metro Pulse, Larsen explained that he came up with the concept for the organization after he almost died in a car accident in 2007. During his hospital stay, family, friends and co-workers filled his room with bouquets, which he noted made a huge difference in his first week of recovery.
He noticed, however, how many people around him were without any blooms to cheer them up. As a result, he started delivering flowers to his fellow patients. Once he saw how much of an impact his gesture made, it became clear that he had found his mission. Remarkably, when Random Acts of Flowers started, the nonprofit was making between 50 and 150 deliveries a month, and now they’re up to 800 to 1,000.
When asked, “Why flowers?” Larsen noted that medical studies have shown patients heal more quickly and effectively when they receive some blossoms.
“Flowers have a positive effect on most everyone. The giving of flowers is one of the few universal gestures that transcend all races, religions, cultures, income levels and languages,” he told the news outlet. “I’ve delivered flowers to the grumpiest old man who’d bite your head off and the sweetest little girl; to the businessman and the grandmother, and the reaction is all the same: a smile.”
Rosie Bumpus is just one patient that Random Acts of Flowers has had an effect on. NBC Today reported that after the patient’s cystic fibrosis lung function “plummeted,” she began to wonder if she’d ever make it out of the hospital. Just as she was feeling hopeless, someone from Larsen’s organization came in and offered her a bouquet.
“It absolutely made my day,” she explained to the news source. “My parents could see the difference in me after I got those flowers.”
