My Unsung Hero: Terri Powers' Story

[0] Hi there, Shankar here.

[1] Today, we're sharing another episode of our new podcast, My Unsung Hero.

[2] We'll be occasionally dropping stories from that show into the Hidden Brain podcast feed.

[3] To hear every story in that series, please head over to My Unsung Hero and subscribe.

[4] One of my hopes is that you listen to these stories before starting your day.

[5] I promise it will get you off to a good start.

[6] From Hidden Brain Media, I'm Shankar Vedantam.

[7] This is my unsung hero, stories where one person reached out to help another in a time of need.

[8] Hi, Shankar.

[9] I would like to talk about my heroes.

[10] My unsung hero is the man in the Panama hat on the flight to Boston.

[11] As the plane near touchdown...

[12] And if I could see them today, I really wish I could thank them.

[13] I have a feeling that they have no idea how much they did for me. Today's story comes from Terry Powers.

[14] In 2018, just before Christmas, Terry lost her mom, DeRae.

[15] She was 72.

[16] A few days later, Terry went to the grocery store to pick up a few things.

[17] And I was, of course, feeling lots of emotions, but there was this numbness that prevailed over everything just so I could get through the day and take care of the tasks.

[18] I needed to take care of.

[19] So I go to the checkout, and the cashier greets me with, how are you?

[20] And I just couldn't say fine or good and brush it off like that.

[21] I just felt I needed to say, you know what, I'm not doing great.

[22] My mother just passed away.

[23] And she responded, expressed her sympathy.

[24] and we finished up the transaction.

[25] So I turned to get my bag to leave and the young man who had bagged my groceries looked me right in the eye and said, can I give you a hug?

[26] And so I said yes and we hugged and that was it.

[27] Just a hug.

[28] But it wasn't just a hug.

[29] This man stood there.

[30] and observed and listened and then reacted and gave the one thing that is the most beautiful expression of comfort and caring that you can give another person and it was the most healing hug I think I've received in a long time and it made such a difference for me that day.

[31] And I think about him often and what a warm and giving an empathetic person he is.

[32] And I want to tell him thank you so, so very much for making a difference for me that day with that one simple, powerful gesture.

[33] Thank you.

[34] Terry Powers of Fredericksburg, Virginia.

[35] She took tells us that one of the lessons her mom taught her is that when someone is very ill, don't just ask how the sick person is, ask how the caregiver is.

[36] For more stories like Terry's, be sure to listen to our new podcast, My Unsung Hero.

[37] We publish new episodes every Thursday.

[38] I'm Shankar Vedantham.

[39] See you next week.