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 don't know the name of my unsung hero.

And here she was trying to encourage me that it was going to be all right.

Thank you. You will forever be my unsung hero.

Today's story comes from Lauren Passel.

Her unsung hero is Sharon Evans, a stranger who happened to be nearby

when Lauren fell on a patch of ice.

Seven years ago, I was walking to work on a freezing January day and was icy and I was

wearing my big black boots and carrying a big cup of 7-Eleven coffee and actually I was limping and I had a pain on my hip because I had been

training for a marathon and it turns out it was a hairline stress fracture. So when I fell on the ice that day, it completely broke my hip.

And I don't even remember feeling pain. I remember seeing some people come to me, but one woman came to me that changed my life and her name was

Sharon. And you know she was about my age and she was Asian and all I remember is seeing her kind face all bundled up with a big hat and scarf.

And she pushed everyone out of the way and said,

I've got this.

She helped me up and I was like, I have to go get more coffee, I have to go to work,

and she was like, you're hurt.

And I didn't even know that I was hurt.

But the second she said that, I realized that I couldn't even stand up and that I was in a ton of pain.

So she said, I'm going to help you get a cab.

And I said, no, you don't have to do that.

I'm sure you have places to be.

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