My Unsung Hero

As a college freshman, Karen was sometimes inconsiderate to her hallmate, Pam. So when Karen missed the bus to her choir performance, an hour away, she was surprised — and moved — when Pam came to her rescue.

Eric and his husband, Dennis Hopkins, lived a life full of music, gardening, and dance. But in 2022, Dennis was diagnosed with lung cancer. A few days before he died, they met a nurse named Sherry, who offered a compassionate roadmap of what was to come.

In honor of Father’s Day, we bring you a bonus episode about a transit worker who gave Donald Kabara an unexpected gift: a hug from his son.

The last place Brad saw his mom before she died was at a diner in New York. A few years later, when he went back to that diner, the bartender asked if he remembered their table, and invited him to go sit there.

In 2019, Darren was about to become a first-time father, and he was terrified. Then a doctor came into the delivery room and said something that completely changed his perspective on parenthood.

When Amy Connor went into pre-term labor with twins, one of her sons needed an emergency blood transfusion. The hospital didn’t have any blood that matched the baby’s blood type — until an unsung hero stepped up to help.

In 2016, Tulika was at the grocery store with her seven-year-old son, Vedant, who is non-verbal and autistic. When Vedant began to cry and pull her hair, a stranger helped Tulika in just the right way.

Jon told his high school principal, Mr. Barnett, that he planned to drop out of school. But Mr. Barnett implored him to earn his diploma — which set Jon on a path to success.

After Vivian’s young son threw sand on another child at a park, she assumed she was about to be judged for poor parenting. Instead, she received words of admiration that continue to bolster her years later.