This morning, I got a chance to interview BBC journalist Alan Johnston -- someone I thought I'd never meet in person. Someone that I thought at some points would probably not survive his captivity last year at the hand of militant Islamists in the Gaza Strip.

Anyway, after I was done with the official questions, I let it slip that I had blogged extensively about his case, from the time he went missing until he was freed and beyond (if you don't believe me, look here). I even had up the "Free Alan Johnston" button on my blog.

At this news, his pupils dilated and his body jolted. And then his face broke out in a big smile, and he said, "Oh! Thank you so much!"

Here's another snippet from my CTV.ca story. The set-up is that Johnston's captors gave him a radio, and through that, he was able to hear messages from Brian Keenan and Terry Waite, two fellow Britons who had spent years as hostages in Lebanon in the late 1980s:

"Brian Keenan said things I desperately wanted to hear at that time. He said, 'Hundreds of thousands of people are lighting a candle for you. We are waiting, and we shall not walk away.' And I paced up and down my cell, repeating that again and again and again."

Needless to say, I'm gratified to learn of his obvious and genuine gratitude (almost 10 months after the fact) for what little I did.

If you ever signed the online petition, blogged about Johnston's case in your own little patch of cyberspace -- or even just read about him here and sent him a silent good wish -- I'm sure he'd shake your hand and thank you as well (he seemed like a very decent fellow).

There's a lot of nastiness and injustice in the world, and it can be overwhelming. But when you see a case that strikes a chord with you, please don't stay silent about it. You might never get cross paths with the person you're trying to help, get a direct thanks or even have them learn about your efforts, but I'm sure they will be grateful all the same.