Alie Ward (left) says Lila Higgins has triggered an exponential impact in her life.

Alie Ward

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Alie Ward

Alie Ward (left) says Lila Higgins has triggered an exponential impact in her life.

Alie Ward

This story is a part of the My Unsung Hero collection, from the Hidden Brain staff, about individuals whose kindness left a long-lasting impression on another person.

In 2013, Alie Ward’s life was falling aside. In fast succession, her relationship together with her companion ended, her dad was recognized with a uncommon type of most cancers, and he or she was feeling more and more sad in her job.

“I remember days when I would think, ‘I only cried four times today.’ That was a good day for me,” Ward mentioned.

Ward lived in Los Angeles on the time. To distract herself from her woes, she appreciated to search out and take footage of her unconventional obsession: bugs. Sometimes, if she discovered a beetle or a bee that she significantly appreciated, she’d put up it to Facebook. Those posts attracted the eye of a lady named Lila Higgins, who labored as an entomologist on the native pure historical past museum. After seeing Ward’s footage, Higgins reached out to see if she would need a tour of the museum’s insectary.

“For most people in the middle of a really heinous year, where everything’s falling apart around them, and the people they love the most are deteriorating, being like, ‘Do you want to come see 40 cockroaches in a fish tank’ [is] not what most people would [say] ‘absolutely’ to,” Ward mentioned.

“But this is my jam. I have loved bugs since I was a little kid. There [was] nothing I wanted more than to see some scorpions or larvae.”

When Ward arrived on the museum, Higgins greeted her on the again door.

“Lila had no idea what I was going through in my life at that time,” Ward remembered. “I think she probably didn’t expect someone jittery and tear-stained to meet her at the backdoor of this museum.”

Higgins handed Ward a lab coat and led her by means of the completely different reveals.

“I remember she opened up this freezer, like, ‘Come check this out,’ and it was full of dead bugs … And I just remember just how excited she was about everything. [It] was such a pass for me to get excited about this in her company and really rediscover what excited me in life.”

For the primary time in ages, Ward felt herself mild up. Higgins observed her enthusiasm and urged Ward volunteer on the museum for a couple of hours each week.

“She just knew that I could possibly be happy there, and maybe I would have something to offer,” Ward remembered. “But at the time I really felt like I didn’t have a lot to offer many people. I was a wreck. I was crying constantly and I was really preoccupied.”

Despite her doubts, Ward determined to enroll. Every Wednesday she’d arrive on the museum. And with every volunteer shift, she felt a little bit bit higher.

“It gave me this sense of purpose. It helped me reconnect with my love of science and nature that I’d always had, that I really put on the back burner to chase these career ambitions that were really not that authentic to me,” Ward mentioned.

Soon, Ward stop her job and began working in science media. She now could be the creator and host of a podcast known as Ologies. Ward had Higgins on the present as her first visitor.

“She has caused such an exponential effect in my life. It was really because of her that I was able to reconnect with that part of myself, change my career course and do something that I really love,” Ward mentioned. “Sometimes I shudder when I think about what would have happened if I didn’t take her up on that. What would my life have been like? Who would I be? You know, Lila Higgins in one instant changed my whole life.”

My Unsung Hero can be a podcast — new episodes are launched each Tuesday. To share the story of your unsung hero with the Hidden Brain staff, report a voice memo in your telephone and ship it to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org.