In this "My Unsung Hero" episode from Hidden Brain, host Shankar Vedantam shares a story from Joanne Moskella. While biking home from work in San Francisco about eight years ago, Joanne was clipped by a car, causing her to crash and sustain a gash above her eye. Shortly after the accident, a young man wearing a lavender bunny suit and riding an electric unicycle approached to offer help. Despite the surreal sight, he assisted her in retrieving her eyeglasses from the intersection, though they were destroyed by a passing truck. After ensuring she had no serious injuries, he then helped carry her backpack and accompanied her to the nearby train station. This unexpected act of kindness from a stranger in a whimsical costume affirmed Joanne's appreciation for San Francisco's spontaneous community spirit and freedom of expression. The episode concludes by inviting listeners to submit their own stories of unsung heroes.
From Hidden Brain Media, I'm Shankar Vedantam. This is my Anshank Hero. Stories where one person reached out to help another in a time of need. My Anshank Hero was my. Max Somi came over and asked how I was doing and if I needed help. So whoever you are, thank you so much. Today's story comes from Joanne Moskella. Joanne has been biking the steep streets of San Francisco since the late 1980s. One day, around eight years ago, Joanne was biking the My Long commute from her workplace to a station of the local subway system known as Bart. At an intersection, just a block from Bart, a car quickly veered from the left lane into my lane on the right. I swirved even harder right and was about to congratulate myself on avoiding a collision, but the car clipped my rear tire. I went down so quickly I was still gripping the handlebars when my helmet hit the ground. Then my face met the pavement and a big gash opened above one eye. I didn't lose consciousness. I hopped up, angrily threw my bike onto the sidewalk and then I started booking for my missing glasses. At that moment, a slim, handsome young man in a furry, lavender bunny suit rolled towards me on his electric unicycle. "Are you okay? Can I help you?" he said. Stunned by the impact, I thought to myself, "Wow, when you die in San Francisco, you're greeted by a spirit animal." I looked around and said, "Oh, yes, can you help me retrieve my eyed glasses?" We turned and there they were in the middle of the intersection. He made a high-pitched sound of triumph and moved to retrieve them, but as he did so, a big truck ran them over and they exploded into it, doesn't pieces. The young man and the bunny suit gathered the scattered parts dutifully and tumbled them into my hand. What else can I do? Well, I'm a physician and I had already checked myself out. No broken bones. I just wanted to get home, so I said, "Well, if you could help me to the train station," so he picked up my backpack and we rolled and licked to the station. The young man and the bunny suit coming to my rescue affirmed everything I love about San Francisco. The kindness, the spontaneous spirit of community, and the freedom to dress like a lavender bunny in broad daylight. Joanne Moskella of Kensington, California. Joanne later found that there was an animal rights rally nearby which may have explained her hero's outfit. Do you have your own story of an unsung hero? Someone who noticed when you were struggling and went out of their way to help? We're looking for stories of one person and one moment when someone showed you unusual generosity. Find a quiet place and record your story using your phone, aim for three minutes or less. Then email the file to us at [email protected]. Again, that email address is [email protected]. I'm Shankar Vitantam. See you soon.
Podcast Summary
Key Points:
Joanne Moskella, a physician and longtime San Francisco cyclist, was hit by a car while biking to a train station, resulting in a facial injury.
After the accident, a young man dressed in a lavender bunny suit on an electric unicycle immediately stopped to offer assistance.
He helped retrieve her shattered glasses from the intersection and then escorted her and her belongings to the train station.
This spontaneous act of kindness reinforced Joanne's love for San Francisco's community spirit and acceptance.
The story is part of the "My Unsung Hero" series, which invites listeners to share their own stories of unexpected generosity.
Summary:
In this "My Unsung Hero" episode from Hidden Brain, host Shankar Vedantam shares a story from Joanne Moskella. While biking home from work in San Francisco about eight years ago, Joanne was clipped by a car, causing her to crash and sustain a gash above her eye. Shortly after the accident, a young man wearing a lavender bunny suit and riding an electric unicycle approached to offer help.
Despite the surreal sight, he assisted her in retrieving her eyeglasses from the intersection, though they were destroyed by a passing truck. After ensuring she had no serious injuries, he then helped carry her backpack and accompanied her to the nearby train station. This unexpected act of kindness from a stranger in a whimsical costume affirmed Joanne's appreciation for San Francisco's spontaneous community spirit and freedom of expression.
The episode concludes by inviting listeners to submit their own stories of unsung heroes.
FAQs
It features stories where one person helped another in a time of need, highlighting acts of kindness and generosity.
A car veered into her lane, clipped her bike's rear tire, causing her to fall and sustain a gash above her eye, though she had no broken bones.
A young man in a lavender bunny suit assisted her by retrieving her broken glasses and helping her to the train station with her backpack.
There was an animal rights rally nearby, which likely explained the lavender bunny outfit he was wearing.
It affirmed the city's kindness, spontaneous community spirit, and freedom to express oneself, like dressing uniquely in public.
Record a story of about three minutes and email the file to [email protected] for potential inclusion in the series.
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