I lost all my hair at age 2 due to alopecia (脱发). Though all I can do was fit in when growing up, I would look at all the beautiful girls I was surrounded by at schools and in the media and think if I had hair, I would be beautiful, too.

I wore a wig (假发) and was often laughed at for it. They called me “bald (光秃的)”. I had no choice but just to let them laugh at me, because I know it was the fact. I felt like I deserved it, as if losing my hair was somehow my fault.

When I came to the senior high school, I still wasn’t okay with my alopecia and avoided talking about it. I was expecting a huge change, and I extremely wanted to be like everyone else. I kept my alopecia a secret and was fearful of telling anyone about it.

I remembered one day I built up the courage to tell a girl about my alopecia. Hesitating for a long time, I finally stammered (结结巴巴地说), “I have no hair because of alopecia.” She was shocked because I hid it so well. “I can’t have a date with someone who doesn’t have hair,” she said in a low voice. Disappointed and heart-broken, I turned around and walked away. From then on, I shut down, never wanting to let anyone know my alopecia again. I continued to wear my wig no matter what the weather was and what I was doing. It was my security and way to hide from the world.

Sports became my escape, though. I was fortunate to have inborn athletic ability. I would race home and play basketball for hours every day. I would pretend to make the game-winning shot when I was playing. I had big dreams. I did not think about my alopecia during these moments, but think who I wanted to become and what I wanted to accomplish.

I put all my time and energy into becoming the best player I could be.

Then a marathon totally changed my life.

The morning of June 30, 2014, was warm and fine. We sat on the cottage dock, relaxing on the chairs with our several dear friends. Our kids were playing on a big white paddleboard in the lake. As the children screamed in delight and swam, we adults joked about middle age, weight problems and so on. Everyone laughed. The mood was light.

Then black clouds rolled in over the calm blue lake and blocked out the sun.

“Looks like rain,” said my husband, Ian.

“Let’s head up the hill before it starts to pour.”

The kids unwillingly pulled the paddleboard to shore and we hiked up the path to the cottage (小屋) that my parents built in 1969. The wind became stronger. Thunder boomed and echoed through the rolling hills. We were glad to be indoors and comfortable.

The rain kept pouring. Ian decided to see the situation outside. He stepped onto the cottage’s small covered porch (门廊). A moment later, he called me to join him.

“Come out here, Patricia,” he said.

“No, I’m good in here, honey,” I said. I felt sleepy in my chair. I was enjoying my rest time and the sound of the rain on the roof.

“Come, please,” he said. “NOW!”

I recognized the anxious tone in his voice; it meant trouble. When I stepped outside, I couldn’t believe the scene before me. Water poured down our driveway. Small streams formed, flooding the cottage and the land around.

Ten minutes later, our yard was filled with water like a swimming pool.

The water tore away the grass and gardens. It carved out a deep ditch (沟渠) along one side of the building, exposing the pier (支柱) that my dad had poured forty-five years ago when he and my mom built our cottage.

Ian stepped forward. “We need to get all the cars to the main road before the driveways wash completely away. I’ll get shovels (铲子).”

Soon,every adult had a shovel in hand.

The rain stopped and the dinner was ready.

It was so heartbreaking for Devan Bonagura to see 81-year-old Nola Carpenter sitting in the break room of a supermarket where she works. In the short video he shared, the woman appears tired and stares at the floor as if thinking of something. The video finally went popular, earning over 30 million views and causing a movement that would change Carpenter’s life.

It is widely known that retail (零售) workers are heroes. They put up with long hours and angry customers, among a lot of other things. This work is challenging for young people and able-bodied people, so it can really be more difficult to the old. That’s why Bonagura posted the video.

He posted the short video of her with the message “Life shouldn’t be this hard. . . ”and the caption(字幕)“I feel bad”. At last, his followers asked him to find a way to support this woman, and it inspired him to open a GoFundMe campaign titled“Let’s help Carpenter retire (退休)”. The idea was to support Carpenter so that she could retire early.

Although the goal was just $10, 000, 24 hours later over $100, 000 had been collected. Two days later, Bonagura met up with Carpenter and told her how he had posted a video of her and how people had come together to help her. “They see that you’re a very hard worker,” the social media platform told the woman. “We are all super proud of you, and we want to offer you the $110, 000 that has been raised for you.” “T’d accept it, but I’d still have to work until I get the other $60, 000 to pay off the house,” she explained. “The house is what’s holding me at work. ”She then talked about her daily life and how she struggled to help those in need.

Knowing why Carpenter worked so hard at this age, every one was moved

Reaching her goal, Carpenter won’t retire until the New Year.

“Howie! You can’t go in! Mom told us to avoid Mrs. Carrigan’s house at all costs! We can’t go in there,” Howie’s big brother, Archie, yelled at the boy who had entered the older woman’s yard upon seeing her Halloween decorations.

The little kid turned and looked at his two big brothers angrily. “But she put up decorations. She wants us to come in,” Howie said, pointing at the pumpkins in the yard and the trick-or-treat sign on her doorway.

“Come out, Howie! Let’s go! I think Mom thinks she’s a ... a witch,” his other big brother, Bobby, whispered the last part. “What? Are you afraid of her?” Howie laughed, knowing that his brothers would not like that. He saw their frowns, but his words were true. They were afraid. No one in the neighborhood went into Mrs. Carrigan’s house or even stayed close.

The old woman was strange. She only dressed in black and never brushed her hair. She couldn’t walk straight and never smiled at anyone, so people avoided her the few times she was seen outside. But Howie was not afraid. He was going to knock. The worst that could happen was being ignored or told to go away. Despite his big brothers’ words, he went up the tiny steps and rang the doorbell.

“Howie! Howie! No!” his big brothers whisper-yelled at him from the sidewalk, and Howie turned and put his finger to his mouth, signaling for them to shut up. But he saw their eyes widen and their faces pale even beneath the Halloween makeup they were all wearing. Howie felt something behind him and turned slowly, not knowing what to expect. He felt the cold air; he felt like ringing the bell was not a good idea.

The old woman was there, staring at him surprisedly. He saw her black clothes, and he knew precisely why everyone thought she was a witch. She looked like the ones in cartoons. But Howie squared his shoulders, raised his plastic pumpkin bucket, and said, “Trick or Treat!”

Mrs. Carrigan stared at him for a few seconds.

“Guys! Come here! There are lots of candies!” Howie shouted at the top of his lungs, waving his hands.

Despite coming from a wealthy family, Adam and Cody were kind and helpful. Everybody intown knew their parents, but they preferred to keep a low profile(低调).

One day, Adam and Cody sat on a bench in a park. They held up a sign that read, “Please help.” They also set up a table with some items which they had put on sale. A homeless man usually sat on the bench they were on, but he was nowhere to be found. People gathered around them to see what happened.

A woman went up to them and asked, “Are you two okay? Why are you out here asking for help?”Adam admitted that they were there to help their friend who was currently in hospital.

Concerned, she secretly took a photo of them and sent it to their father, Peter. When he received the picture, he immediately left his meeting to pick up his children. However, when he arrived at the park, he was shocked by what he saw. Dozens of people had lined up to put money in a box and purchase items from the two teenagers.

He approached them immediately. “Adam, Cody, what is going on here?” he asked.

Cody was frightened, but he answered, “Sorry, Dad. We didn’t want you to see this, but we had to do what we could. A few weeks ago, we were walking home from school when we saw a homeless man named Carl sitting on this exact bench. We want to help him.”

“We have been bringing him tea and sandwiches every day, and he’s been so grateful. We’ve also been spending a couple of minutes with him every day exchanging stories. He is such a kind man, Dad. Yesterday, we had food to bring him but he was not on the bench. We walked to the abandoned shack(简陋的小屋)he lives in, and found he was so ill.” he explained.

Deeply touched by his sons, Peter joined the line.

The next morning, Peter went to the hospital with Adam and Cody.