My Unsung Hero

As a new mom, Missy checked herself into a psychiatric ward for depression. During a group session, a fellow patient reached over and held her hand as she cried.

Mike’s wife was dying after years of cancer treatment, and she could no longer recognize the people around her. Then her longtime chemotherapy nurse, Beverly, arrived.

Darrell grew up in an Army family. They moved regularly, which meant he was often lonely and a target of bullying. In the sixth grade, at yet another new school, an eighth grader started picking on him. But right before the kid hit him, another classmate stepped in and changed Darrell’s life forever.

After chemotherapy left Pat without hair, she relied on a wig to feel like herself. The first day she went without it, a stranger in a convenience store gave her a compliment that Pat still carries with her.

After having open heart surgery, Barb was terrified of the immense pain she’d likely have to endure during her recovery. Then a nurse stepped in to help, and changed the rest of Barb’s life in the process.

A favorite episode from the archives: Bethany was feeling overwhelmed as a single mom with three small children. But one small act of kindness by a neighbor let her know she’d be okay.

More than forty years ago, Rebecca sat at a stoplight in a new city, crying. She felt trapped in a relationship she didn’t know how to leave. Then a stranger in a neighboring car offered a gesture of kindness she’ll always remember.

At 15, Everett was about to steal a shirt at the mall when a girl saw him and whispered, “It’s not worth it.” He stopped, and decades later, he still thinks about that moment.

After making a series of unfortunate choices, Jay found himself sitting in a jail cell, alone and hopeless. But a fellow inmate’s words brought him comfort, and changed how he saw his life.

A few years ago, John’s daughter developed a sudden illness, later discovered to be a condition known as PANDAS, and for months she could barely leave the house. On the first warm day of the year, he brought her outside. A man drove by, rolled down his window, and said something John will never forget.