From Hidden Brain Media, I'm Shankar Vedantam.

This is My Unsung Hero, stories where one person reached out to help another in a time of need.

My Unsung Hero is my therapist.

He said, it's okay. I still love you.

You're still my best friend.

So if she hears this, I just want to say,

thank you. Today's story comes from Jean Montrath. In 1982, Jean and her boyfriend were

mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It was early May, and the steep cliffs they were

crossing were still frozen over.

When an unexpected storm moved in, they were forced onto a steep, icy route down the mountain.

Jean slipped and fell more than a hundred feet. She was badly injured, and with no way to call for help,

the couple spent five days making their way back to the trailhead.

When they finally reached the parking lot, a man driving with his family was just pulling in.

The man jumped out of his car and he ran over to me.

I was laying on the ground. My clothes were bloody.

I had multiple fractures in my spine and pelvis, a head injury,

and gangrene from a deep wound. He gently stroked my head and he held my face. My unsung

hero reassured me by saying something like, you're going to be okay now. I'll be right back to

get you. His words then really lifted my spirits. I was very close to death,

but Manzung Hero gave me hope that I'd reach a hospital and I'd survive. He and his family won a road trip

that day, so he unloaded his belongings to make room for us in our backpacks. He then picked me up with great care

and carried me to his car. His wife and his baby were left behind. They had to wait over an hour

...