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A woman was driving on a bridge when she had a seizure. A stranger came to the rescue

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Time now for My Unsung Hero, our series from the team at Hidden Brain. My Unsung Hero tells the stories of people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else. Today's story comes from Nicole George-O'Brien. When Nicole was 16, she began having seizures. Her doctors tried out a bunch of medications, but her seizures wouldn't stop. So when she was 21, she had brain surgery, and her life went back to normal.

NICOLE GEORGE-O'BRIEN: I hadn't had any seizures for five years, when one day, while I was driving over the San Mateo Bridge to get to my job, I had a seizure. And when I woke up in the hospital and realized what had happened, I was horrified and really worried that I had hurt someone. And that was one of the first things I was asking the nurses and the doctor that were there, did I hurt someone? Did I kill anybody? And they told me about how a man had seen me having a seizure in my car and pulled over and helped people go around me, directed traffic around me. And somehow no one was hurt.

I didn't hit anyone, they didn't hit me, which is kind of a miracle. No one I talked to had any information about who he was. I believe he had just driven off after that, after the ambulance came. So I don't know anything about him, but he clearly changed my life and probably the lives of several people on the freeway that morning. I later became a therapist, and I think one of the influences on my decision to become a therapist was just the care and kindness that he showed me that day, and it contributed to my desire to do a type of work that also gave care and kindness. I have two kids. I've had a great life, and I feel incredibly grateful to him for allowing that to happen.

KELLY: Nicole George-O'Brien from Arcadia, Calif. After the accident, she began a new medication. She has not had any seizures since. Well, we would love to hear about your unsung hero. You can use your phone, record your story - it takes five minutes or less - and then you send it to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.