The French are famous for their strikes. However, even in the midst of protests, there’s no shortage of kind-hearted French people, whatever goal they’re pursuing. So it was that on Wednesday February 14, the taxicabs of Nantes were on strike. To make their demands against what they perceived as unfair competition from VTCs (“Tourist Vehicle with Driver”) heard, they blocked the main access to Nantes airport.
The only problem was that, according to Le Figaro, among the passengers unable to make it to their flights was someone on a special mission. It was a Dominican nun from Le Saint-Esprit who had arrived by train from Lorient and was due to take a plane to Toulouse. She was heading there for a good cause: to undergo tests in order to donate a kidney to her brother in the hospital.
Helping without a second thought
This mission touched the heart of the striking but altruistic cab drivers, including Mounir Jouad. This taxi driver, a 43-year-old Muslim family man, spontaneously offered to drive the nun to her destination free of charge.
“I took the road to Toulouse without a second thought because her brother was scheduled for surgery and he was waiting for his sister to arrive so that she could donate her kidney,” he told France Bleu.
“A real miracle,” exclaimed the nun from Pontcalec, delighted with her journey with Mounir, who made the round trip from Nantes to Toulouse and back in the night. The taxi driver was supported by all his fellow strikers, who chipped in together to pay for the trip, which could have cost as much as $1,600!
It’s a fine display of solidarity and humanity, which boosted the image of the strikers and will hopefully give the nun’s brother a functional kidney!
And today we celebrate...