SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
It's time now for "My Unsung Hero," our series from the team at the Hidden Brain podcast. "My Unsung Hero" tells the stories of people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else. Today's story comes from Lia Eastep. When Eastep was 21, her father had a stroke. His mind was sharp as ever, but he lost the use of his left arm and became unsteady on his feet. A few years later, around Christmas, their family took a trip to New York City. To make it easier to get around, her dad rented a wheelchair. One afternoon, they got on a crowded subway.
LIA EASTEP: And so my dad decided that he would stand up, and he could hold onto the pole, and we could collapse up the wheelchair. And just as he got up, the train took off, and it just pitched my dad forward. And, we all gasped. And there was a man sitting in a seat with a bicycle across his lap. And it happened so fast, but the guy just opened his arms and my dad fell right into him. I mean, he caught him, and it was like they were just embraced in this hug, like kind of just this extended hug of strangers.
But it was clear that he was not going to be able to get him up while the train was moving. And, you know, I think either me or my brother must have said, Dad, because the guy goes, I got Dad. And it was just the sound of his voice. I'll never forget that. I was just very cheerful, but also very reassuring. Like, I got this. And he did. And, you know, he talked to my dad, and it wasn't too much, but it was more like chit chat. It was like, oh, are you guys in town? You know, what have you seen?
And so the train stopped, and the guy got off before we did, and he got some people that were next to him to get my dad up on his feet. Like, it was no big deal. I mean, just kind of set him on his feet, wished us a happy holidays and went on.
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EASTEP: Because I was 21, I didn't really realize the significance until later on. And as I learned to really kind of recognize my dad's vulnerability - right? - like, that could have been a really terrible - it would have probably ended our trip, and we would have gone to the emergency room. So he provided some kind of dignity to my dad I think by just making it no big deal.
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EASTEP: You know, this man who we knew for, I don't know, three minutes really kinda of became a role model to me of how I would like to be with people if I'm ever called upon in an emergency. The way that man was with my dad, it really made a big impact.
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DETROW: Lia Eastep lives in Columbus, Ohio. Her dad was Larry Eastep. You can find more stories of unsung heroes and learn how to submit your own at hiddenbrain.org.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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