JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Time now for "My Unsung Hero," our series from the team at the Hidden Brain podcast, stories of people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else. Today's story comes from Cara Beth Rogers. In 2008, her brother, Luke, passed away unexpectedly. Rogers was 20 years old at the time, studying abroad in Morocco, and she had to fly alone all the way back to the U.S. As soon as she boarded the plane, the grief became unbearable.
CARA BETH ROGERS: I will never forget the way that it felt to try to sit still. It was impossible. I couldn't stop moving. The strength of the emotions was so intense. I really stood out, and I felt like people were avoiding eye contact with me. They weren't really sure what to do with me. Partway through the flight, this man came up to me. I was sitting on the aisle on the right side of the plane, so he came up to me, and he crouched down next to me on my left side. And he was so gentle. He made direct eye contact with me, and he spoke softly and slowly. And he was really sincere.
And he said, I don't know what's going on for you, but I want you to know that if you need anything, I'm here. And I said, thank you. I never ended up going to him during that flight, but knowing he saw me - you know, I felt like I was in this cavern of just, like, untenable emotion and that I was deeply, deeply alone. And you know, having lost a brother - we were so close in age. We grew up just one year in school apart. And knowing that I was on a plane with somebody that could see me and that knew that I needed something, even if I didn't know what it was, even if they didn't know what it was, was an incredibly powerful experience. I will forever be grateful for him. It was a really powerful moment for me.
SUMMERS: Cara Beth Rogers lives in Los Angeles. You can find more stories of unsung heroes and learn how to submit your own at myunsunghero.org.
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