10 People Share Stories That Completely Upended Their World

They say people don’t change. Whether or not you choose to believe this, one thing is certain: sometimes, a person can undergo a dramatic transformation in the blink of an eye. Here are 10 stories of people who experienced such life-changing shifts.

1.

I ran away from foster care when I was 17 and was living on the streets of NYC. It was a bad situation, but I would still try to take the train as often as I could to go to my high school. I ran into one ticket inspector a handful of times who always made it clear he would come back around for my ticket once I “found” it. Things got noticeably rougher for me as time went on and there was one day near the end of the year where he slipped me a brown bag with a sandwich, an orange, a Twinkie, and a handwritten note saying that he packed one just like that for his daughter every day and to never forget to dream big. I never saw him again after that, but I still carry that note 6 years later, and I will never forget him. Ticket inspectors like you all are the reason I graduated high school and was able to survive, so thank you on behalf of all of the other me’s whose lives you might have touched.

indytriesart / Reddit

2.

When I was in elementary school I fell through ice. A man who was walking his dog saw me fall and rushed to the shore. I frantically swam back to the shore, I was only about 5 meters into the pond so it wasn’t a long way, but it was taking more time to reach the shore with soaked winter clothes on. When I reached the shore, the man pulled me up by my jacket. It would’ve been difficult to get up, since there was a steep incline. I didn’t thank him, because I was in shock, but I bet he knows I was grateful, and 20 years later, I still wish I would have thanked him.

Omenaa / Reddit

3.

My husband and I were sitting on our porch holding hands and crying, just feeling overwhelmed because we were waiting to find out whether or not my tumor was cancerous. Our neighbor saw when he was coming home.

About half an hour later, he came over with some fresh baked cookies. He didn’t even say anything, just smiled, handed them to us, and then went back home. Just thinking about that moment has me crying again. The tumor turned out benign!

Reflection_Secure / Reddit

4.

Friends don’t let friends starve. I had a friend say that to me when I was without any food at all just due to circumstance, I wasn’t doing anything wrong, I had moved and had some unforeseen expenses and was a min wage earner. I needed to last a week till I got paid.

When he found out, he came over with some basics and stuff like Kraft dinner and whatnot. He was like, look you’re just in a bad spot, and you help people like that. He just asked that I pay it forward, and not be suckered in by irresponsible people.

Romaneccer / Reddit

5.

On one of my college internships, I was standing in a hard hat/reflective vest near a coworker at a drill site next to a high school. A teacher pointed at my coworker, and told some students, “That is why you go to college. You don’t want to be standing out there making minimum wage like that guy.”

My coworker was a structural engineering PhD with his own practice. We used to have Christmas parties at his mansion in the foothills. It makes me question my own perceptions about people I do not know.

Damien_3 / Reddit

6.

I was homeless about ten years ago. And I got my things stolen. I had one night in Portland where I was very cold. I was shivering on a concrete bench.

Another homeless guy comes up to me. We talk for a while. And then he gives me a nylon shirt.

Not much. But he knew I was hurting by the cold. And he did that. I still have it. It saved me.

treuchetfight / Reddit

7.

I was in maybe 4th grade and my parents just had my younger sister, so newborn focused. I went to my school lunch, opened my paper bag and unwrapped the foil holding my sandwich. There was nothing inside. It was actually just 2 slices of dry white slice bread, and I was sad.

Literally, my table mates all chipped in various components and made me the most amazing ham and cheese sandwich I’ve ever had. I’ve been chasing that dragon of a ham sandwich since, but I’m sure it was the response and not the ingredients that I loved.

I_Am_The_Grapevine / Reddit

8.

Back when I was a kid, I was racing to get home for my curfew. As I rode my push-bike as fast as I could, my front wheel hit some gravel and slid out from under me. I crashed heavily. A couple walking past went to a phone box and called a taxi.

They bundled me and my broken bike into the taxi, asked the driver how much to get me home and paid him. I don’t know who these people were, or what compelled them to help me, but over 40 years on I’m still grateful to two complete strangers for getting me home that day.

affordable_firepower / Reddit

9.

One miserable, wet slushy morning, my baby was sick, and we needed groceries, milk, and her prescription. I got the groceries and meds and as I shoved my cart through the sloppy parking lot, my jug of milk toppled onto the ground and exploded.

A woman saw me and picked the jug up for me and said, “You can go back in, and they will get you a new one,” and I replied, “Thank you, but my baby is sick, and I just need to get her home,” and started buckling her into her car seat and unloading the rest of my groceries.

Right as I was finishing up, the same lady came rushing out of the store and handed me a new jug of milk. I was so thankful, I was literally crying in the parking lot.

nevermindthetime / Reddit

10.

When I was super overweight, I was just starting to workout somewhat regularly. Being morbidly obese at the gym is terrible — I have never felt more eyes on me before in my life. I was on a treadmill, grinding out some inclined walk/ light jogging, and a super fit girl got on the machine next to me. She did a short warm-up, and before she got off the treadmill she turned to me, gave me a high 5, and told me to keep it up. It was so encouraging to have that support, when I was used to getting stared at by everyone else in the gym. Her small, kind gesture went a long way!

FishNchips72 / Reddit

Alongside the fond and happy memories, many people have their share of deeply unsettling childhood experiences. Here, we’ve gathered stories of just such harrowing moments.