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 story is about a group of unsung heroes.

He just pulled up a chair and we talked.

I don't know if she really understands or appreciates the full impact that she's had in my life and still continues to have.

Today's story comes from Laurie Paul. One day in 1996, Laurie Paul was at a hospital in Syracuse, New York.

Her father had just had open-heart surgery, and he wasn't doing well.

He'd had a seizure, and had spent a few days in the ICU.

She feared he might never make it home.

I was holding it together to take care of my mom and to talk to the doctors and nurses.

I was walking in the halls one day to get some exercise but still be close enough to be near dad.

The hallway had like a ramp to it with windows cut in the edge.

And as I was walking along, I kneeled or put my

elbows on one of the windows. I just stared out at nothing and completely lost it, just sobbing.

A person came up, put their hand on my left shoulder, and just left it there. Waited and waited. No words, not just presence. I got myself

back together, stopped my crying, wiped my eyes, nodded my head. They squeezed my shoulder once

and walked away. It was an incredibly powerful experience for me. I don't know if it was a

man or a woman. I don't know if it was another visitor. I don't know if it was a hospital employee.

I will never know. But I truly believe that was a great moment of humanity.

Thank you. that was a great moment of humanity. Laurie Paul of Earlville, New York.

In December 2021, Laurie's family got together to celebrate her father's 81st birthday.

They ate pizza and Italian pastries, shared stories, and laughed at old memories.

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