JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
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 John. We're using only his and his daughter's middle names so he can speak frankly about her medical condition. When John's daughter Keane (ph) was 12, she began having strange symptoms almost overnight. She developed tics, had sudden emotional outbursts and became terrified to let her feet touch the floor. On the first warm day of the year, John convinced her to get into a small wagon so they could take a walk.
JOHN: She hadn't been outside to really enjoy herself, except to maybe get carried to a car and go to a doctor appointment or something. She hadn't been outside in three months. And I was just beaming that she was getting some fresh air. You know, I just sensed, like, a truck coming down the road. You know, there's not much traffic on this little street. And then I heard this voice out of nowhere. It just said, you are so great. You're a great dad. And you, young lady, you are awesome. You keep going, girl. You keep going.
We were frozen in joyful shock about what was happening. This sweet guy was just praising us. This little old man in this big old white truck, just beaming at us, smiling at us ear to ear like we had made his day. And I said, thank you, sir. Thank you so much. Your words mean more than you know. And that's it. He just waved without looking back again. Just waved his hand out the window and kept crawling forward.
But this moment, it really helps me because we've not got a lot of recognition. And there's times when my wife and I are on these calls with doctors or therapists and we're telling the story once again, you know, maybe for the 47th specialist we're seeing in some place. And yeah, a lot of times, folks are kind of baffled and don't know what to say or tell us or anything. But then sometimes they just stop and say, you're doing a great job. And that's really all you want to hear 'cause you're just so scared. And that's the worst thing you can experience as a parent is to feel helpless trying to protect your own kid.
So when you're feeling like you're doing terribly, it's pretty awesome. I mean, I can count on one hand in the last six years people have said, you're doing a great job. But that old guy in that truck, when he said it, somehow it meant the most and it changed our day. Changed our life in a way. And I just want to thank him whatever he is. So thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SUMMERS: John and his family live in Denmark. Keane was eventually diagnosed with a neurological disorder called PANDAS. She's now a teenager and still struggles with some symptoms, but she's back in school and getting stronger. You can find more stories of unsung heroes and learn how to submit your own at hiddenbrain.org. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.