Produced by the I Lab at W-B-U-R, Boston.

Welcome to Kind World.

I'm Andrea Aswahay.

And I'm Yasminammer.

Compassion, Strength, Selflessness.

These are all characteristics we consider when we think of extraordinary leaders.

But we don't really spend much time thinking about their struggles,

the battles they're facing, and everything they have to put aside in order to help others.

That's what this next story is about. It's told by

Karen Given of W-B-R and NPR's only a game.

Three of the most important men in Cassandra Edwards life are named Nate.

I have Big Nate who is my husband, little Nate, and then baby Nate.

Cassandra's grandson, baby Nate, is four years old now.

Looks just like his father at that age.

Acts just like his father at that age.

And I did say,

to him, I said, you remind me so much of your daddy.

He said, but nanny, my daddy's dead.

I said, but your daddy's in you you know and he just hugged me he said it's okay

Nana it's okay. Kousandra and her husband raised their son in Spring Valley, a majority minority suburb of New York City.

Little Nate grew to be 6 foot 8, and in 2016 he got a scholarship to play basketball at a junior college in San Diego.

And as a mom were you like, oh, that's really far away from where I am.

...