About 30 years ago, Kate Rogan joined the Peace Corps and moved to El Salvador. About six months into her service, she got a phone call from the country director.
"His exact words were, 'Kate, I'm so sorry. Your dear mother has died,'" Rogan said.
The news left Rogan in shock. The next few hours were a blur of packing and driving to the airport. Her route home took her from El Salvador to Miami and then from Miami to Boston.
But after boarding her final flight, the pilot came on the intercom to tell passengers that Logan International Airport in Boston had just closed due to bad weather.
"People started unbuckling their seat belts, and I looked around, and I didn't understand what was happening," Rogan recalled. "I said, 'What's happening?' And people said, 'They canceled the flight. There's [a] big snowstorm in Boston. We're not going anywhere.'"
Stunned and overwhelmed, Rogan began to sob.
"I don't remember if I screamed or if I said loudly, 'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, you don't understand. I need to go to Boston. My mom just died.'"
The people around her began to stare. Then, Rogan felt a hand on her shoulder. It was another passenger.
"She said, 'Come with me. I got you.'"
The woman helped Rogan off the plane, got her in line for a voucher from the airline and then took her to a hotel.
"And she knocked on my door the next morning, and she got me to the airport again and just took care of me," Rogan remembered.
Once they landed in Boston, the woman didn't say goodbye until she dropped her off with Rogan's sister at baggage claim.
"I don't remember what her name was, but if I ever saw her again, I would just say thank you for taking care of me. I was this strong, independent young woman, but in that moment, I could not handle life without somebody helping me. So thank you."
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.
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