Viraldice: What This Heroic Mystery Woman Left in an Airport Bathroom Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity

nyone who has a period has been there: you’re in a public restroom and you realize you forgot to bring tampons in your purse. Suddenly, you’re facing an emergency situation. But not to fear! Surely the trusty tampon machine will save you! Oh wait, the tampon machine is not only from circa 1982, but also stuffed with what appears to be Taco Bell napkins sealed together with old gum. There are definitely no tampons in there.

Enter the Tampon Fairy, who comes to you in your greatest time of need and bestows upon you a single sanitary product.

OK, there is no Tampon Fairy (that we know of) but there is an amazing lady in the Calgary Airport who left a box of tampons for the women after her who found themselves in the same predicament she did. She also left a note that reads: 

“None of the tampon vending machines work in this area so I was forced to buy these. $15 box from Relay. Not acceptable! Please take one if you need one.”

She noticed that the tampon machines were empty, so she left an entire box of tampons.

A user on Reddit posted a photo of this heroic effort. The mystery woman/hero left a whole box of tampons after she noticed the dispensers were empty, a problem pretty much all women are familiar with. Honestly, have any tampon machines been filled during this millennium? It’s definitely a rare sight to see one that’s actually stocked with menstrual products.

Per her note, the box of tampons cost her a whopping $15 dollars Canadian.

Like everything else in an an airport, tampons can cost almost twice what you would pay in a store. But if you need one, you really have no choice.

It may seem like a minor inconvenience, but the fact that women ever have to face this issue is kind of ridiculous.

The Tampon Fairy’s note points out this is “really not acceptable.” And it’s not! Most women carry a few tampons around in their purse in case of an emergency, but sometimes you forget to restock, and get caught by surprise. The vending machines are often empty, or if in some miracle they actually contain what you need, they usually only take specific change — change you don’t have. Meanwhile, all the toilet paper you’ll ever need is there, free for the taking. 

Some people think that tampons and other sanitary products should be free in public restrooms.

Should free tampons/pads be provided at work or school or in public restrooms, like toilet paper?

— Emily Peck (@EmilyRPeck) March 8, 2016

In a 2016 Huffington Post article, Emily Peck wrote, “While no one thinks twice about the cost of stocking restrooms with toilet paper and soap and hand towels, feminine products are considered a luxury. We live in a BYOTampon world.”

Peck also conducted a Twitter poll asking her followers about the issue. While she admits it was wildly unscientific, the results are pretty clear.