Kids who are facing death say it’s the little things that have made them the happiest: their pets, their toys, a day at the beach, and a story well told.

That’s what South African pediatrician Dr. Alastair McAlpine says he’s learned from the ill children he cares for in palliative care.

McAlpine released a Twitter thread on Thursday in which he explained that as part of an assignment, he had asked children with terminal diagnoses what had given their lives the most meaning.

Their heartbreaking answers included everything from “being in the sea” to “stories in space” to “that kind nurse” who’s gentle and makes it hurt less.

McAlpine reports all the children he talked to loved stories and ice cream and people who made them laugh.

Many worried about their parents, with some telling him: “God will take care of my mum and dad when I'm gone” and “Dad mustn't worry. He'll see me again soon.”

Others still had dreams of doing more, with one telling him: “'I want to be a great detective like Sherlock Holmes when I'm better!”

The doctor’s thread has since gone viral, earning more than 82,000 likes in less than a day.

The take-home message from McAlpine’s talks with the children is simple, he says: “Be kind. Read more books. Spend time with your family. Crack jokes. Go to the beach. Hug your dog. Tell that special person you love them. These are the things these kids wished they could've done more. The rest is details.”