Current:Home > Contact-usA kind word meant everything to Carolyn Hax as her mom battled ALS-InfoLens
A kind word meant everything to Carolyn Hax as her mom battled ALS
View Date:2024-12-23 14:48:49
This story is part of the My Unsung Hero series from the Hidden Brain team about people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else.
Several decades ago, Carolyn Hax's mother was dying of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
"Anybody who knows anything about that knows it's awful," Hax said. "It's just awful watching somebody wither while their mind stays perfectly clear."
Hax, an advice columnist for The Washington Post, was struggling. But she continued to work throughout her mother's decline.
"I didn't miss even a week of work. But I think I probably lost about 20 pounds... I must've looked haunted," Hax remembered.
One day, a colleague she didn't know very well stopped by to chat. He did so again a few days later and continued to check in over email and in person.
"I probably didn't put it together completely, that this person was there to look out for me, until after I got better, after I got stronger," Hax recalled.
"It was purely overtures of friendship. There was no angling for professional advantage. There was no romantic interest. It was just this person who had an idea of what your 'normal' was and was able to detect that things weren't normal. And that maybe the world needed to be a little bit kinder to you in that moment."
Hax often hears from readers who are struggling like she was, and offers this bit of advice: Be sure to notice that there are people in your life who want to help.
"In general, our hardest times are what make us the most compassionate. And sometimes the hardest times can also make us bitter and they can make us angry," Hax said. "But I think having kind people come forward to help you through something difficult will help turn that pain into compassion later."
My Unsung Hero is also a podcast — new episodes are released every Tuesday and Thursday. To share the story of your unsung hero with the Hidden Brain team, record a voice memo on your phone and send it to [email protected].
veryGood! (8133)
Related
- Natural gas flares sparked 2 wildfires in North Dakota, state agency says
- Man fatally shot by officer after police say he pointed a gun at another person and ran
- Olga Carmona scored Spain's historic winning goal at the Women's World Cup — and then found out her father had died
- Authorities investigate whether BTK killer was responsible for other killings in Missouri, Oklahoma
- The Army’s answer to a lack of recruits is a prep course to boost low scores. It’s working
- Threads, the social media app from Facebook and Instagram, due on desktop in 'next few days'
- Where Duck Dynasty's Sadie and Korie Robertson Stand With Phil's Secret Daughter
- Tensions high in San Francisco as city seeks reversal of ban on clearing homeless encampments
- The Daily Money: All about 'Doge.'
- Turtle Salmonella outbreak? CDC warns the pets may be responsible as 11 states report cases
Ranking
- Mike Tyson has lived a wild life. These 10 big moments have defined his career
- Drought affecting Panama Canal threatens 40% of world's cargo ship traffic
- Oklahoma schools head takes aim at Tulsa district. Critics say his motives are politically driven
- 'Floodwater up to 3 feet high' Grand Canyon flooding forces evacuations, knocks out power
- Social media star squirrel euthanized after being taken from home tests negative for rabies
- Zendaya and Jason Derulo’s Hairstylist Fires Nanny for Secretly Filming Client
- Mom gets life for stabbing newborn and throwing the baby in a river in 1992. DNA cracked the case
- Officials say a jet crash in Russia kills 10, Wagner chief Prigozhin was on passenger list
Recommendation
-
Republican Gabe Evans ousts Democratic US Rep. Yadira Caraveo in Colorado
-
Giants tight end Tommy Sweeney collapses from ‘medical event,’ in stable condition
-
Climate change may force more farmers and ranchers to consider irrigation -- at a steep cost
-
With hectic broadcast schedule looming, Kirk Herbstreit plans to 'chill' on prep work
-
LSU leads college football Week 11 Misery Index after College Football Playoff hopes go bust
-
Appalachian Economy Sees Few Gains From Natural Gas Development, Report Says
-
New York Jets receiver Corey Davis, 28, announces retirement: 'Decision has not been easy'
-
Martin Luther King Jr’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech turns 60 as fresh civil rights battles emerge