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Speaker 1: Hello, friends, Welcome to Story Behind podcast. This is the

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Speaker 1: show for people who love hearing a good story and

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Speaker 1: who believe the world could use more positivity. We're the

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Speaker 1: team behind God Updates and God Too, and we hope

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Speaker 1: these weekly short stories will brighten your day.

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Speaker 2: A simple shopping trip led this woman to help a

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Speaker 2: ninety two year old finally retire. Written by Heather Wrickleman,

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Speaker 2: read by Jully Probost. A simple shopping trip led this

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Speaker 2: woman to help a ninety two year old finally retire.

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Speaker 2: The moment April Steel stepped into a dressing room at

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Speaker 2: a Burlington store in Palmana Beach, Florida, something caught her breath.

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Speaker 2: Standing there on her feet, helping customers with quiet determination,

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Speaker 2: was a woman who looked far older than most retail workers,

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Speaker 2: much older. She's got to be in her eighties. April

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Speaker 2: thought it first, Then she learned the truth. Maria Konnick

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Speaker 2: was ninety two years old and still working. Because she

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Speaker 2: had to. My heart sank April side. Why is the

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Speaker 2: ninety two year old woman working? It just seemed unbelievable

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Speaker 2: to me. But for Muriel, this wasn't a choice rooted

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Speaker 2: in ambition or boredom. It was a necessity. Her social

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Speaker 2: Security check simply wasn't enough to cover the basics rent,

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Speaker 2: car payments, insurance, and utilities. The so called Golden years

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Speaker 2: had arrived heavy with worry instead of rest. Marie had

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Speaker 2: lived a long life, but like many seniors across the country,

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Speaker 2: she found herself quietly slipping through the cracks. No headlines,

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Speaker 2: no handouts, just showing up to work day after day

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Speaker 2: because the bills didn't stop coming. April couldn't walk away.

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Speaker 2: After meeting Muriel, she shared her story in a local

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Speaker 2: Palmana Beach Facebook group, hoping someone might know how to help.

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Speaker 2: A stranger suggested starting GoFundMe, and what happened next felt

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Speaker 2: like something straight out of a kindness filled miracle. Within weeks,

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Speaker 2: thousands of dollars began pouring in. Strangers from across South

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Speaker 2: Florida and far beyond gave what they could five dollars,

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Speaker 2: fifty dollars, messages of encouragement, notes of gratitude for a

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Speaker 2: woman they had never met but deeply respected. Muriel was stunned.

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Speaker 2: I thought she was going to give me a card,

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Speaker 2: Miro said, I didn't know she was going to do

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Speaker 2: all this but the generosity didn't stop at helping Mirio

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Speaker 2: pay her bills. April also hoped to find someone who

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Speaker 2: could help repair the damaged floors in Muriel's mobile home,

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Speaker 2: another burden Muria had quietly been carrying on her own.

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Speaker 2: How could you not want to help, April said. By

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Speaker 2: Monday afternoon, the fundraiser had reached over fifty five thousand dollars,

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Speaker 2: enough to cover Muriel's immediate needs and give her something

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Speaker 2: she hadn't in a long time, the freedom to finally rest.

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Speaker 2: At ninety two years young, Muriel is still moving forward,

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Speaker 2: this time supported by the kindness of strangers who refuse

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Speaker 2: to look away. Sometimes all it takes is one person noticing,

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Speaker 2: one heart willing to stop, and suddenly a woman who

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Speaker 2: thought she had to carry everything alone is reminded she

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Speaker 2: never truly was carry each other's burdens. And in this

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Speaker 2: way you will fulfill the law of Christ Galatians six' to.

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Speaker 2: Two California dentist's therapy dog helps calm anxious patients one

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Speaker 2: visit at a time By Michaeva, gordoni read By Julie

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Speaker 2: provost In, Lafayette. California you can visit therapy dogs at the.

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Speaker 2: Dentist any tension about patient's appointments all flowed away once

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Speaker 2: they catch sight Of Little. Pearl the five year old

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Speaker 2: pup loves her job and the patients love. Her Doctor Rachel,

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Speaker 2: foreer who Runs Little Cloud Pediatric dentistry And, lafayette decided

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Speaker 2: to take an unorthodox approach to her patient's anxiety by

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Speaker 2: keeping an in office therapy. Dog going to the dentists

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Speaker 2: can be very, visceral a real fight or flight, reaction she.

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Speaker 2: Said it's made a big difference for a lot of

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Speaker 2: patients and. Parents the, Dog, pearl a fluffy white hypoallergenic,

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Speaker 2: samoid even sits patiently in patient's laps while they undergo.

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Speaker 2: Treatment thirteen year old patient remained calm and relaxed as

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Speaker 2: three teeth were. Pulled feels, good the girl. Said after

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Speaker 2: the procedure was, over there were no, tears no, nothing

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Speaker 2: and she has a dog laying on her the whole,

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Speaker 2: time her mom. Said Danielle, ellington an associate professor At

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Speaker 2: Low Molinda University school Of, dentistry co author to study

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Speaker 2: examining the impact of therapy dogs and dental. Offices getting

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Speaker 2: laughing gas our nitrous, oxide we noticed that these numbers

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Speaker 2: went down because really what the doctor is treating in

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Speaker 2: these situations was. Anxiety the researcher said she found that

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Speaker 2: dogs help reduce a patient's blood pressure and heart. Rate

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Speaker 2: dennis also say that their patients are calmer and that

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Speaker 2: procedures go more. Smoothly is wonderful that Doctor rachel is

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Speaker 2: so considerate and thoughtful in her approach to treating. Patients

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Speaker 2: she knows that there are many ways to treat. Anxiety

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Speaker 2: patients are reassured not only By pearl's, presence by knowing

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Speaker 2: they have a very kind doctor taking care of. Them

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Speaker 2: she has their best interest in comfort at.

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Speaker 1: Heart thank you so much for listening To Story behind.

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Speaker 1: Podcast we're really glad you joined us for this week's.

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Speaker 1: Story to see photos and videos that may have been

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Speaker 1: referenced in this, episode check out the links and the show,

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Speaker 1: notes and if you enjoyed what you heard, today subscribe

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