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'd say for about 90 minutes or so.

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 a listener named Stasia.

We're using her middle name to protect her privacy.

When Stasha was 21 and struggling with deep depression, she attempted suicide.

She ended up in a small hospital, and after a few hours, she decided to leave.

Without telling anyone, Stasia slipped away undetected.

She walked until she reached a nearby road, where she stuck out her thumb for a ride.

I was very obviously lost, not lost in the sense of I didn't know where I was, but lost in

the sense that I had no direction or purpose. And I had just gone through a traumatic experience and I had no shoes on and I had

bandages on my wrist. And all I wanted to do was get back to my house. That's when my unsung

hero appeared. A person in a convertible stopped by the side of the road and picked me up.

The only question she asked me was, where do you want to go?

No judgment, no expectations, just acceptance.

My first thought was relief and a feeling of being safe. I got in the car,

we drove, talked about art, music, nature. She dropped me off at my house about 40 minutes later, and I never saw her again. I'm 68 years old now. All of my career was spent in human services, working with

high-risk teens, people with disabilities, and families,

and I could really pinpoint it back to that act of acceptance from that person in my time of need.

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