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Carolyn Hax, an advice columnist with the Washington Post, who went through a very difficult times years ago when her mother was dying of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. She worked throughout her mother’s decline and, although she didn’t miss any work during the time, she was struggling. The kindness of a colleague made an important difference for her at the time. One day a colleague she didn’t know well stopped by to chat; he came back a few days later and continued to check in over email and in person. “I probably didn’t put it together completely, that this person was there to look out for me, until after I got better, after I got stronger,” she said. Hax often hears from readers who are struggling like she was and offers this bit of advice: Be sure to notice that there are people in your life who want to help. “In general, our hardest times are what make us the most compassionate. And sometimes the hardest times can also make us bitter and they can make us angry. But I think having kind people come forward to help you though something difficult will help turn that pain into compassion,” said Hax.
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