SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
It's time now for "My Unsung Hero," our series from the team at the Hidden Brain podcast. "My Unsung Hero" tells the stories of people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else. Today's story comes from Jolena Rothweil. In 2007, Rothweil was going through a divorce. The process was overwhelming, and most of her paycheck was going to lawyer fees. One especially hard week with the bank account empty, she asked a friend at work if she could borrow $20 to make it to payday.
JOLENA ROTHWEIL: Fast-forward to the next morning and on my desk is a little note with $200 in it. (Crying) And all it said was you can't pay it back, but you can pay it forward. And that touched me so deeply because at the time, that was a lot of money for them. And for them to do that was just amazing. So it not only got me through to payday, but it just touched me so deeply. I got through that divorce.
Fast-forward a few years, a couple of friends of mine were going through some employment struggles. It was wintertime. They were saying that they weren't even sure how they were going to pay their heating bills, much less get each other a Christmas present. And so, remembering my co-worker's note, I went and I got $200, and I made a photocopy of his note, which I still have. And I slipped it in an envelope. And the next time I was over there to visit, I handed that to them and I said open this after I leave. 'Cause I knew that I would get emotional. And the next time I saw them, I got a big hug, and I knew the feeling they were feeling, (crying) that just relief of knowing that you've got at least a Band-Aid.
So now, happily, I am in my second marriage with a lovely man. And I feel like my friend, Steve Green (ph), who I worked with, and who was so gracious, was a crucial stepping stone for me finding the life I have now.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
DETROW: Jolena Rothweil lives in St. Louis, Missouri. You can find more stories of unsung heroes and learn how to submit your own at hiddenbrain.org.
Copyright © 2025 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.