A stranger's words have a ripple effect on one man's life

This story is part of the My Unsung Hero series, from the Hidden Brain team. It features stories of people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else.

A few years ago, Brian Perkins started using a cane to walk. It was an adjustment that affected his everyday life in small but significant ways.

“The thing about walking with a cane is that you've only got one hand to carry stuff,” he said.

One day, he was at the dry cleaners picking up his clothing.

“I was standing at the counter with my cane and I was paying and clearly had more than I could carry in one hand out,” Perkins remembered. “And this woman, she was sitting by the laundromat and looked at me and she said, ‘Do you need any help?’ And I said, ‘No, no, I've got it. I've got it.’”

Perkins went out to his truck, opened the door and started putting his clothes in the back seat. When he turned around to make his way back for the second load, the woman was walking toward him with the rest of his laundry in her hands.

“And she put it in the truck and she looked at me and she said, ‘I know you. You've been helping people all your life. Now it's your turn. Accept it.’”

With those words, the woman turned and walked away.

Perkins didn’t know the woman. She was a stranger. But she saw something in him, and knew he needed the prompting to accept the help.

“Her words had a ripple effect on my life. Over the years, I've gone from being grateful to my one unsung hero to having a whole chorus of ... unsung heroes who've helped me in many little ways and made a difference in my life,” he said.

“[I’ve] learned that people like to help other people, and that kindness is not something that's forgotten. And for that, I'll be eternally grateful.”

My Unsung Hero is also a podcast — new episodes are released every Tuesday. To share the story of your unsung hero with the Hidden Brain team, record a voice memo on your phone and send it to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org.