I was driving back from the ER in San Antonio, Texas in the middle of the night with my toddler son when I got a flat tire. I pulled over to the side, but it was at a very quiet and dark part of the interstate.

At that time I didn’t know how to change a tire, and it was before cell phones. I had no choice but to start walking, carrying a pretty big toddler who was medicated and out for the count. I had probably gone no more than 100 ft when a big rig truck pulled over. He told me to,go sit in his cab to keep warm (it was winter and, being San Antonio, we weren’t prepared for the sudden drop in temperature that night), and he would change my tire.

I guess I was pretty trusting, but I was also desperate knowing I had a long walk ahead of me on a very cold night carrying a sick child. Thankfully, he was as good as his word and quickly changed the tire. When I tried to thank him, he said he just hoped someone would do the same for his mother or sister.I got pregnant at 15, so I got used to people’s judgment. One day, an elderly woman handed me a folded $20 bill and said,

Here, honey. Diapers get expensive.” Later at home, I found a small piece of paper tucked inside that said: You’re stronger than you think.” Years later, I discovered faint writing on the back—my name. I’d never met the woman before. One day, while visiting my mom, I mentioned the note—and she went quiet. Then she smiled and said, “She was a neighbor I once helped when no one else would. Looks like she remembered.”