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 on-sung hero is the kind stranger who helped me get to my grandfather's funeral.

And he just says, today, you, tomorrow me.

And I never saw you.

Thank you very much for changing my life.

Today's story comes from Paul Carter.

My father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1981 when he was just 58 years old.

Back then, the general awareness of Alzheimer's was low, even in the medical community.

Looking back on it now, we can see that my father had been showing signs of mental decline

for at least six years before

he was diagnosed, but even his doctor didn't suspect Alzheimer's disease was the cause.

During those years before his diagnosis, my father lost one job after another, each one lower

in pay and responsibility than the one before it.

He was no longer able to make decisions, and he couldn't handle the slightest amount of pressure.

Since there was no medical explanation given for what he was going through,

everyone assumed he was having a crisis of confidence, and he was told

that he needed to pull himself together. My father, as you can imagine, felt totally humiliated.

After he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, he was horrified by the news, but I imagine he also felt

some sense of relief.

Finally, there was an explanation for his decline.

And in spite of it all, he still wanted to keep working.

...