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.

Hello, I would like to thank my Unsung Hero.

He invited me to come over for Christmas because we're both...

I just want to say thank you. Today's story... over for Christmas because we're both... We were my unsung heroes.

I just want to say thank you.

Today's story comes from Pat Gentilly.

In her late 50s, Pat was diagnosed with breast cancer.

During chemotherapy, she lost all of her hair.

So she began to wear a wig.

But that wig, and I only had one wig, that wig was itchy,

and it was annoying. And when I worked all day, I'd get a headache by the time I got home. So at some

point, I decided when I sort of had a crew cut look, that it was time to give the wig up. So on my way to

work, the very first time I was going to wear no wig, it was really nerve-wracking because I didn't

want to get the pity eyes that people give you when you're sick. I wanted to just keep moving on my work and in my profession.

I was a dean at a college. I was a spokesperson. I was in a lot of visibility. And so the professional

look was important. And so I was really nervous the first day that I went to work without my wig.

And I had stopped prior to work at a convenience store. And I was in the aisles. And a woman came up to me,

said, not everybody could wear a hairstyle like that.

You looked fabulous.

And I was stunned, but got thank you very much out, and then she just walked away.

And when I got back out to the car, I sat there for a while, sort of, you know, embracing this wonderful, kind thing that this person had said to me. And it really made a turning point for me that made me feel seen,

...