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.

I do not know the full name of my unsung hero.

I...

She came straight up to me, she looked me in the eyes and she smiled.

So whoever you are, thank you so much.

Today's story comes from Laura Echeleman.

In 2012, Laura was in the middle of a mental health spiral. She was having trouble finding a job. The love of her life had just dumped her, and she was struggling with an eating disorder.

On the day in question I was leaving a downtown business

where I had had yet another job application rejected. I was feeling pretty down and decided to go to the Whole Foods across the street.

As I was crossing the street I noticed a man on the street corner who looked like he had been outside for a while. He had

multiple layers of clothing on, hair was long and pretty unkempt. He was actually in the middle of asking a passer-by for change who didn't so much as acknowledge his existence.

And as I approached, he turned his attention to me and again asked if he could have a little bit of money.

I don't remember what my response was to him and I'm glad that I don't remember because what I do recall is that whatever I said was very unkind and harsh something to the tune of leave me the hell alone I don't have

anything to give you just bug off with that I sauntered into the grocery store and began perusing the aisles, but the interaction had left me a little distracted and rattled for reasons I couldn't quite put my finger on until the realization of how rude and awful I had been to this person hit me like an Enville.

I remember thinking what the hell if you become who are you?

I dropped everything I was doing and left the store quickly in the hopes that the man was still on the corner, which he was, and I hustled over to him, began apologizing profusely, and dug out some

change that had, of course, been at the bottom of my pocket the whole time. And as I was handing him the change, he took my hand in both of his hands. I remember they were very large and rough and it took me by surprise actually and he said

hey stopped we looked at each other and he just said it's going to be okay.

And for the first time and a long time,

I felt like somebody was seeing my own pain

and I started to cry.

...