<MUSIC>

Kamilah Kashanie (KK): How often do you get to actually sit down, take a moment, and really let someone know they made a difference in your life. It might sound simple, but really saying thank you doesn’t come easy to everyone. It can be scary, it feels kinda vulnerable, or it just never feels like the right time.

But that’s the cool thing about StoryCorps conversations. Something about sitting in front of a microphone gives you the chance to say things you wouldn’t normally. 

So a couple months ago, we asked ya’ll to tell us about a time when someone surprised you with an act of kindness. The answers blew us away. And we decided to make an entire podcast season around them.

<MUSIC>

KK: It’s the StoryCorps podcast from NPR. I’m your host, Kamilah Kashanie. And to help me with this first episode, is our lead producer, Eleanor Vassili. 

Eleanor Vassili (EV): Hey, Kamilah.

KK: OK, so tell me how all of this got started.

EV: Well, you probably remember, a couple months ago, I asked you if a stranger had ever done a kind thing for you?

KK: Yeah, and I said no. [Laughs]

EV: Right. But then —

KK: But then a stranger did a nice thing for me a few weeks later and I remember in the moment I was like, I gotta tell Eleanor.

EV: Nothing made me happier. So we thought we’d ask our listeners the exact same question.

KK: Yeah, and we already had a platform for it. Every week, StoryCorps does this thing called Talking Tuesdays where we ask questions to our listeners on our social media accounts.  

EV: And there were so many comments for this specific question. People were sharing these really incredibly vivid memories of things that had happened to them 30, 40 years ago. And it almost sounded like love letters to random people who they had crossed paths with. I was reading them back to back to back and something started to well up inside of me.

KK: And so you decided to reach out to some of these people from the comments. What happened next?

EV: Yeah, I just wanted to know more, honestly. So, I asked if they’d chat with me.

KK: And we’re going to hear some of those conversations now.

EV: The first couple of responses we’re going to hear come from two women who found themselves in really similar situations when they suddenly had nowhere to live.

Participant 1: I was scared to death, I had just moved from my hometown. I didn’t know anyone there. And I had no one else to call. So I called a woman I had just met on the bus. She said, ‘Grab your belongings and come stay with me until we can figure this out.’ 

EV: What made you call her? Why her? 

Participant 1: When I met her, we just felt so familiar. It was just like, nothing will probably come of it, but something great came of it. She showed me the kindness that people have and over the years I’ve tried to emulate that. I don’t know if I’ve ever had that kind of impact on someone’s life, but I don’t think she realized that. 

<MUSIC>

Participant 2: One morning my partner broke up with me and said, ‘I don’t love you anymore’. And I was just absolutely shattered. So I had decided to leave that exact day. And I was homeless for a couple of weeks in my car. I was working in retail and this one man used to come in. One day he said to me, You know, you look like you’ve lost like a lot of weight, like, are you OK? You know, you look really sad. And for the first time in a very, very, very long time, I opened up to a complete and utter stranger. And he goes, ‘Oh my God, like, you know, our house is always open. You’re more than welcome to come around.’ I was just so sad and so angry at the world. So I swallowed my pride and I drove round there and they let me stay there. And they gave me somewhere to eat, somewhere to sleep, something to eat. They helped me find a place. They helped me find a better job. And it was the first time in a very long time that I was able to trust someone else. 

<MUSIC>

KK: Okay so, as soon as she was like, he asked me to come stay with him, like, my house is always open, the New Yorker in me was like, don’t go stay in his house! But then you hear how, like, clearly touched she is and how much it really meant to her. Maybe I just need to trust people more. [Laughs]

EV: Yeah, I mean, and the other thing is, is that she actually became really, really, really close friends with both him and his partner. And they are still close. Now, we’re going to hear from someone talking about their experience in middle school. And just a heads up, the next two stories mention suicide, and the loss of a child.

Participant 3: I don’t know about everybody, but middle school is, like, such a swamp of suck. I mean, just the uniforms for P.E. could kill you. I got pulled out of class one day and found out that I had lost my dad to suicide. And not surprisingly, the world sort of fell out from under my family. And as a middle schooler, you can’t be ready for that situation. And you would think that the worst would be losing him. But almost as bad was, you know, the reactions and the responses from other kids that weren’t allowed to be friends with me anymore, and who shared their opinions that were crushing. And so, as I was in the lunchroom, across the cafeteria comes this incredibly beautiful, popular boy who had never talked to me. He walked across the room with his friends and put this folded up piece of paper in front of me. I decided not to open it until I got home, because I had gotten other things in writing after my dad’s death that were devastating. And so the little folded up piece of paper said, ‘I heard about what happened to your dad. I wish I knew what to say. I’m so sorry. And if there’s anything I can do for you’. And then his phone number. And his handwriting was awful, and it was like, the nicest thing I ever got.

EV: And did you ever call him or talk to him about it?

Participant 3: It did not call the number. I did not talk to him. He was in such a different league than me. But if I had it to do over again, I would ask him some questions. And I have to wonder if something had happened to him, because, I, I don’t think a seventh grade boy would necessarily muster that level of empathy and support.

When I found out he had passed, it was one of those times where you’re kind of hit in the face with the fact that you ran out of time. But I have to assume he knew how much I appreciated it. I kept that little folded up, sad piece of paper folded for a long time. And then I decided, what, in my forties to get it framed. And so it is on the wall of my house. And I’m sure it only makes sense to me, but I look at it often. 

So, what I do now in my local community is I run a support line for middle schoolers and high schoolers. I think young people need someone to catch them when the world gets really dark. So, that’s what I do for a living. And I love it more than words can even figure out how to say. And I think that would never have been the career I would have landed in. I wish I could thank him for the incredible gift that that was.

<MUSIC>

KK: Ok Eleanor, so the next few stories you’re going to play us, all come from mothers who at some point were struggling, yeah?

EV: Yeah, but someone noticed and stepped in.

Participant 4: In 2009, I lost a baby to stillbirth. And on the 10th year anniversary of her passing, a colleague brought me flowers. My eyes filled with tears, which made her eyes fill with tears. I don’t think that I had said anything to her about this big anniversary. And the fact that she had remembered my baby meant the world to me. We are all carrying things. We are carrying pains that other people can’t possibly know. And so by showing love and showing kindness to random strangers really, we change the bad energy that’s already kind of out there in the world. 

Participant 5: My husband and I and my two small children moved to South Carolina, and we had a hard time finding jobs. At the time, we were really not doing well financially. One day, my neighbor across the street she came over to our house and she had two full bags of groceries. At that point, you could probably see every nook and cranny of that refrigerator. But she did that out of the kindness of her heart without me having said anything. And it was just a mixture of embarrassment and gratitude all at the same time. But knowing that somebody was looking out for you when you didn’t know you needed looking after; probably the true definition of an angel. And I have always remembered that gift that Phyllis gave me, not just of the groceries, but of remembering to look out for other people with a simple gesture.

Participant 6: I broke my leg in two places, and after surgery, I could not put any weight on it for 16 weeks. And during that time, things in my home went a bit amok with three little children around the house. And one day one of the kids dropped a raisin in the hallway and it stayed right there, staring at me every day just out of reach. There was so little I could do for myself during that time, and I could not even bend over and pick up that blasted raisin. And I think it became a symbol of everything I couldn’t do.

And then my neighbor, Dolores, who was an elderly neighbor, came over and she was there to scrub my kitchen floor. And she said, I don’t like to use a mop because I don’t think the floor gets clean. And there she was on her hands and knees, whisking away the mayhem of the last weeks. And as I hobbled out to thank her, my floor was beautifully cleaned and I looked down and I burst into tears and said, “You picked up the raisin.” 

EV: It’s such a beautiful gesture. It’s such a beautiful thing to notice, also. 

Participant 6: It was something about that raisin being gone that was like a burden lifted for me. I remember she patted me on the hand and she said, ‘It’s OK, I understand dear’. And I thought in her wealth of experience, she knew that a small thing would make all the difference in the world for me. A small raisin ends up being something that impacts me all the time. I think it doesn’t take very much to bless somebody else’s life. 

EV: There’s one last story we’re gonna share because it really underlines the importance of these small acts and why it doesn’t just help the person on the receiving end.

Participant 7: My first few months, living full time in a camper, I was having some trouble getting around on the uneven terrain with my walker. A young woman from across the road came up and asked if she could help me to get my trash to the dumpster. And I was thrilled and took her up on the offer as the dumpster is on the other side of the park. As I was telling her how much I appreciated her help. She turned and replied, and I can see her face, ‘Thank you for letting me feel like a useful person’. So it’s a year later and I’ve since adopted her into my heart and life along with her little dog. She’s since moved to return to school, but she still comes to visit. She is such a gem. 

<MUSIC>

EV: You know, as I recorded every single one of these conversations, the wild thing is that by the end, or at some point during the conversation, literally every single person cried, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t as well. I think it was just incredible to watch them, in real time, say the words out loud and thank those people for the very first time.

KK: Yeah, it sounds like they wanted to talk about the strangers that had impacted them, and then you were a stranger that reached out to them and gave them space to feel their feelings again. 

EV: Yeah, maybe I was. I feel like we all just need that connection sometimes in life and it’s incredible when you have it. And I want to leave you with one other thing that this last commenter said.

Participant 7: My mom told me something years ago when I was going through cancer treatment, and she was just doing something as simple for me as vacuuming the floor, when I was in tears and she goes, ‘What?’ And I said, ‘I should be doing that myself.’ And she’s like, ‘I know I raised you the way I raised you to give rather than to receive,’ But you know, it’s a terrible thing to deny somebody a blessing by not asking for help sometimes.’

KK: After a quick break, we’ll hear from another commenter and the stranger who saved her life. Stay with us.

<MUSIC>

<BREAK>

KK: The thing about all the stories we just heard is that all of these commenters were thanking strangers they never saw again, or people who have died since. So, they never actually got the chance to express their gratitude to that person.

EV: Right, but then we had this one response where this woman said so much in just a few words.

Kim Pratt (KP): The question was: what is the kindest thing anyone’s ever done for you? And I said someone gave me their kidney that I did not know before.

KK: That’s Kim Pratt. Eight years ago, out of the blue, she came down with septic pneumonia, and her kidneys started to shut down. She went to the ER and she was immediately put in a medically induced coma for two weeks. 

KP: I think the scariest part is when you wake up from the coma. The first time I started to become conscious, the room was full of medical people, and they were discussing how Mrs. Pratt had her dialysis treatment today for five hours. And I was saying to myself, ‘What is dialysis and who are these people?’ And it just felt like they’re talking about somebody else, not me. And I just had no idea where I was, what was going on, and I just remember it was my birthday.

But my aunt came and she sat on the bed stroking my leg with this big smile. She has these beautiful white teeth. And I will never forget how that felt so comforting. I spent five years on dialysis. And my main concern was just make it through each day and just make more days. I wanted to be here for my children. 

It’s an interesting thing when you find yourself needing an organ. It’s not something you can go rent or buy. You have to rely on the unconditional kindness of another human being. You can’t do it any other way. And that’s when I started advertising by putting a bumper sticker on my vehicle that said a ‘Kidney for Kim’ and to contact me.

KK: She also made a flier with a photo of herself, her age, her blood type, the fact that she was a mother of three, and a number to call. Eventually, someone saw it, and they shared it on social media.

KP: And it was such a simple gesture that changed everything. 

CJ: I was sitting at home and a friend had posted a flier saying that there was a woman looking for a kidney. I remember scrolling past and thinking ‘Oh, someone will reach out to her. But then a couple of weeks went by, and then I saw it shared again. I said, Maybe that’s someone is me. 

KP: You messaged me. You said, ‘What do I do’? And you didn’t know me. I wondered what you saw in me. 

CJ: I had made the decision when I was 14 years old to be an organ donor. My best friend, my first love. He died waiting for a new heart.

KP: Tell me more about him. Would you describe him? 

CJ:  Yes. Jonathan was in my class when we were seven years old, and he walked up to me the first day and said, ‘Hi, I’m Jonathan and I’m your new best friend’. He was a sickly child who had been in and out of surgery his whole life, had at the time of seven already, I think his third pacemaker put in. But I think he recognized another child who was nervous and a little maybe geeky like I am. And came out and reached out a hand of friendship. And so from the time that I was seven years old, through the time we were 14, it was Jonathan and C.J. 

When he passed, to say it was difficult is the understatement of the world. I remember looking at his mother at the funeral and thinking, ‘No one should have to bury their child.’ And so I just remember thinking, ‘OK, that’s it. If I can give a piece of me to somebody else to spare the pain that I was feeling and the pain that his mother and his father were feeling, then I would.’ No one should have to die waiting for an organ. 

KP: When you made that decision, you saved me. June will be three years ago that you donated. You showed up at the hospital. You didn’t back out the last minute. I thought, ‘Is she here?’ I was so thrilled that you decided to walk the same halls that I’d walked through, the same steps I took, the same elevator I did. It gives me chills. I get goosebumps because you were doing that for me. 

CJ: I’m happy to have been able to do it.

KP: You know, we’re not really on this Earth as long as we think sometimes. And the other fellow dialysis patients that I got to know over the years. You get to know them like family.  And I watched many pass away. I actually started writing their names down. And then you feel like all of a sudden you got a bus ticket to go somewhere and everybody is left behind. And it’s a bittersweet feeling.

When you’re in my position, it’s like you got wings, but everyone handed you a feather. Like a doctor that took care of you, the tech that used to make sure they did your needles correctly. And each person along the way is giving you a feather and then finally, you fly. But you were my needle in the haystack. You were the one. You were the one. 

<MUSIC>

KK: That was Kim Pratt speaking with her friend CJ Meehan.

EV: As a result of everything that happened, Kim and CJ are really, really close. And they consider themselves bonded for life now.

KK: Thank you for bringing these stories to us this week, Eleanor.

EV: Thanks for having me, Kamilah. I want to thank Kim, CJ, and all the commenters we heard earlier.

<MUSIC>

KK: That’s all for this episode of the StoryCorps podcast. It was produced by Eleanor Vassili and edited by Jasmyn Morris, who is our Executive Editor. Our technical director is Jarrett Floyd. This episode was fact checked by Jey Born. Special thanks to Chapin Montague.

EV: I also want to shout out our colleague Freddy Bendekgey…who is behind StoryCorps’ “Talking Tuesdays”…which is where we found all of the stories you just heard…

KK: To see what music we used in the episode… go to StoryCorps – dot – org… where you can also check out original artwork by Lyne Lucien.

For the StoryCorps podcast, I’m Kamilah Kashanie. Catch you next week.