Laura Eshelman's interaction with a man on the street more than a decade ago has stuck with her.

After a bad fall, Jennifer Reinhart was struggling to recover from her injuries. One day, a hospital worker helped her feel comfort for the first time since her accident.

As Katie Ortman Doble struggled with a medical ordeal, a stranger offered exactly the comfort she needed.

When Lauren slipped on the ice and broke her hip, a stranger stepped in and got her to the hospital.

Renée was in an emotionally abusive relationship. At the airport one day, she said a stranger helped remind her that she's worthy of compassion.

After Laura Carstensen was badly injured in a car crash, two strangers stopped to help her. Their small act of help made a lasting impression.

In 2013, Alie was having one of the hardest years of her life. Then she got a Facebook message from a generous stranger.

Trieste Belmont says small kindnesses can be more powerful than we realize.

Vige Barrie was walking to an important meeting in Washington, D.C. She remembers feeling confident and happy — until she fell flat on her face.

Getting haircuts was one of Jackson's biggest fears. But one barber's patience and creativity made the ordeal something he now looks forward to.

One afternoon in 2003, Susan Dickman was finishing her workday when she spotted six missed calls from the hospital. Her dad, who had recently been diagnosed with leukemia, was there for a biopsy.

When her mother was struggling with late-stage cancer, Julia had a conversation with a doctor that made her feel heard.

In 2013, John Kindschuh was admitted to a hospital in St. Louis with dizziness. His roommate alerted staff that his condition — later diagnosed as a massive stroke — was deteriorating.

Barbara spent years trying to understand her son's difficult behavior. Then someone said something that made her realize that it was no one's fault.

Physician Abraham Verghese reflects on a defining moment in 1985, when one of his terminally ill patients reminded him to follow his dreams.

When Daniel Willingham's daughter ended up in the ICU, an unsung hero stepped up to help him get there.

It took a teacher to spot that Evelyn Flores didn't have any food. The hour that followed set the young student on a path to teaching.

Some 50 years ago, Bill Price found himself alone at an event. Then someone turned and said, "Would you like to join us?" That moment changed the trajectory of his life.

In 1970, Alan Ayers was preparing himself for a skydiving competition in Gainesville, Florida. It wasn't the first time he'd jumped out of a plane, but it was almost his last.

In high school, Susan had a stutter, and was embarrassed to speak in front of her class. Then her English teacher told her something that changed the course of her life.