Marilyn Thipthorpe
Hyong Yi, lost his wife of 15 years, Catherine Zanga, to ovarian cancer.
Rather than mourning her loss in a conventional manner, Hyong, with the help of his two children, Alex and Anna, took to the streets to impact the people of Charlotte, North Carolina. What they didn’t expect was that, thanks to social media, their gesture would end up impacting the entire world.
Leading up to the day, Hyong wrote 100 distinct love notes that honour his wife, notes which he and his children handed out to passersby outside of St. Peter’s Catholic Church, where Catherine is buried. Those who were fortunate enough to receive a note were touched by the incredible gesture, with some shedding tears and others exchanging hugs of appreciation and love.
The loving gesture went global thanks to some friends who helped Hyong build a website, which rippled into a social media hashtag: #100lovenotes. The hashtag quickly started trending on Twitter as more and more people began sharing their love through their networks.