Laura Kwerel
Stories
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National
She couldn't go to her daughter's graduation, so the hospital brought it to her
In 2014, Susan Kahn was in the hospital with terminal cancer, unable to attend her daughter's high school graduation. So the hospital staff brought the celebration to her.
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National
'I got you, girl': A toll collector's unexpected reply to a driver's tears
When the toll collector asked Leahruth Jemilo how she was doing, she burst into tears. The collector's response has stayed with her ever since.
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National
A rideshare driver makes an hourslong trek to take a dad to his gravely ill daughter
When Ian Sandler got a middle-of-the-night call that his daughter had collapsed, he didn't know what to do. Then, an Uber driver went above and beyond to help.
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National
She was floundering in the ocean. Then a young boy came to her rescue
Nearly 60 years ago, when she was 16, Denise Elliott brought a friend to the Bahamas for a vacation. What happened has stayed with her ever since.
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National
She was severely injured in a crash. A truck driver became her 'highway angel'
Frances Brissey says a car crash last year changed her life — in good ways and bad. But she feels grateful to have been saved by a passing truck driver.
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National
‘Mi amor’: A nurse treated her mom, ailing with cancer, with unusual gentleness
Rasha Kowalewski was struck by the extra care a nurse gave her mom, which allowed Kowalewski to experience a moment of comfort during one of the hardest times of her life.
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When he was 7, a tiny gesture from his grandmother changed his relationship to God
Shalom Auslander grew up in a strict Orthodox Jewish home. When he was 7, his grandmother offered him something small that made him rethink his entire relationship to religion.
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National
When Molly’s husband died, a friend came up with a way to help: The ‘Calendar Girls’
Molly Baker was devastated when her husband died in a skiing accident. Then, a friend came up with a novel way to offer support.
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National
In a moment of stage fright, the most unlikely person helped her to shine
In 2020, when Angela Zhao was just 10, she played in her first piano competition. As she waited to go onstage, a competitor did something small that gave her courage.
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National
She was sobbing in the hospital hallway — then felt a comforting hand on her shoulder
In 1996, Lorrie Paul was in the hospital, visiting her ailing father. As she sobbed in the hallway, a kind stranger walked by and offered comfort.
