Hi, this is Dave Isae founder of Storycore.

Support for our podcast and the following message comes from Morgan Stanley,

a proud sponsor of Storycore.

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This season, we're hearing all about the different kinds of helpers around us.

And for this episode, we're going to hear stories about two really significant ones,

the ones who help bring us into the world and the ones who help usher us out.

It's the Storycore podcast from NPR. I'm Camille Kishani.

Our first story comes from 90-year-old Mary Othella Burnett.

She wanted to remember her grandmother, Mary Step Burnett Hayden,

who was an herbalist and midwife from Southern Appalachia.

Mary spoke with her daughter, Deborah Palmer.

What was your relationship with her like, Mom?

She delivered me.

She used to tell me how I started her and my dad,

a few minutes after I was born by opening my eyes and turning my head to look around the room.

And she said, God, look at that.

My grandmother loved to talk and most of her stores were bad.

But Granny's stores were real-life stories.

She didn't know anything about Hansel and Gruddle.

...