Stories from a Stranger

Hunter speaks with two strangers about traumatic experiences and how they're coping with the lasting effects. Ashbey and her son Beau survived a horrific mass shooting at a parade in Highland Park, Illinois. She recounts the terror of that day when a gunman opened fire, murdering seven people and injuring 48 others. Ashbey describes the chaos as thousands fled, her son's legs giving out from fear as he pleaded "I don't want to die" , and her determination to protect him. In the aftermath, Beau suffered severe PTSD — nightmares, inability to sleep alone for over a year, wearing clothes inside out and backwards for control. Ashbey transformed her pain into action, becoming a full-time gun violence prevention advocate, helping pass Illinois's assault weapons ban, lobbying nationally, and even crashing a press conference in Tennessee that went viral. She emphasizes the overlooked toll on uninjured survivors, noting her family has spent nearly $80,000 on therapy, and advocates reframing the gun debate around economic costs and domestic terrorism charges for mass shooters. Through years of therapy and music, Beau has made remarkable progress, recently demonstrating self-regulation when a loud bang triggered him at a concert. Ashbey expresses profound pride in her son's strength and her unwavering commitment to ensuring he knows she fought to prevent this from happening to others. Julian shares the pain of losing his closest friend, Brandon, who was killed by a drunk driver after surviving military deployment. Julian recounts their bond formed in basic training, their inseparable friendship, and the devastating dream he had the night before learning of Brandon's death. He also opens up about his own PTSD from a military assault that led to his medical discharge, describing how he scans for exits constantly and initially struggled to accept his new reality, even attempting suicide. His grandmother's words — "quiere decir que nadie sufre para siempre" (which means nobody hurts forever) — became his lifeline. Julian emphasizes the importance of his support system, therapy, and his service dog Nala in his healing journey. He advises others struggling with PTSD to find their "why" and overcome the barriers to asking for help, particularly those faced by first-generation immigrants and military culture. Chapters:00:00:00 Surviving a mass shooting at a holiday parade00:03:19 Managing sheer panic and a paralyzed child while fleeing00:06:35 Turning personal trauma into full-time gun violence advocacy00:09:51 Finding unexpected healing through music and concerts00:15:12 Reflecting on the hidden financial and emotional costs of gun violence00:19:32 Fighting through feelings of burnout and jadedness00:22:18 Coping with severe nightmares and behavioral changes after the event00:25:03 Remembering a fallen military brother and friend00:28:21 Receiving devastating news about a tragic loss00:30:46 Cherishing lighthearted memories and brotherhood during basic training00:32:20 Navigating a difficult transition out of the military with PTSD00:36:49 Finding strength, support, and the importance of asking for help Topics: Surviving the Highland Park parade shooting with a six-year-old childNavigating childhood PTSD, panic responses, and emotional regressionBecoming a full-time gun violence prevention advocate after traumaThe uncounted financial toll and therapy costs for uninjured survivorsMusic as immersive healing and a breakthrough moment at LollapaloozaMeeting best friend Brandon on day one of Air Force basic trainingCoping with the sudden loss of a military brother to a hit-and-runUnderstanding military PTSD, hyper-vigilance, and exit scanningRebuilding life after rock bottom with service dog NalaOvercoming mental health stigma and learning nobody hurts foreverFOLLOW THE SHOW►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storiesfromastrangerpod  ►Threads: https://www.threads.com/@storiesfromastrangerpod  ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storiesfromastrangerpodcast  FOLLOW HUNTER PROSPER►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hunter_prosper/  ►TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hunterprosper  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week Hunter talks to three strangers about meeting their perfect partners.Frank met his wife on Tinder following a painful emotionally abusive breakup that had caused him to give up on dating entirely. He initially suspected her profile was a bot due to her being out of his league in his own estimation. Their first planned meeting of 20 minutes stretched into six hours, described by Frank as feeling like time froze, similar to the movie "Big Fish". He knew she was "the one" approximately four hours into that first meeting. He told her he loved her roughly one week into dating, blurting it out during a phone call, and she said it back immediately. Frank described being loved by her as something that makes everything fall into place and allows him to be his true self.Manuel's greatest love is, whom he credits as the first person to give him permission to not be strong. He described an intense childhood that began with working at age 12, managing his parents' emotional conflicts, and caring for younger siblings, which left him guarded and unable to ask for help. Jillian broke through those walls by explicitly telling him he did not need to be strong for her and that he was allowed to simply be sad. Their first date lasted nine hours, covering four bars and ending with pizza at 2:00 AM. He described Jillian as abnormally intelligent, witty, funny, sensitive, and successful -- qualities he noted are rarely found together in one person. Manuel described being loved by Jillian as feeling primarily safe, like having a parachute or safety net.Billy is a Chicago-based man living with limb girdle muscular dystrophy, a rare progressive disease he was diagnosed with in March 2021, though he was born with it and showed no symptoms until his early 30s. A former athlete who played basketball throughout his life, he began losing his balance and falling approximately 13 years before the episode was recorded, gradually losing the ability to run, jump, and perform basic physical tasks. He described the aftermath as the darkest period of his life, during which therapy helped him begin to grieve and process his diagnosis. Billy channeled his experience into a creative reinvention, teaching himself to cook and bake and developing a passion for pizza-making, which he named "Tripping Billy" as a reference to his condition. Billy talks about meeting his wife Rachel, whom he feared would leave him after his diagnosis. Rachel proved to be a steadfast partner and caretaker, and Billy proposed to her by staging a fake charity celebration event to get her friends and his together in one place. He described her as his guardian angel and everything to him.Chapters:00:00:00 Finding love at your lowest point00:03:39 Experiencing an instant spark and a six-hour first date00:06:56 Overcoming emotional barriers and saying I love you00:10:21 Walking down the aisle with the love of your life00:13:31 Learning to drop your guard and accept emotional support00:16:55 Meeting through a dinner with strangers and connecting00:20:16 Overcoming fears of intimacy and finding emotional safety00:23:52 Building a supportive partnership through life's hard moments00:27:14 Receiving a life-changing progressive diagnosis00:30:38 Processing grief and finding purpose through culinary passion00:34:17 Turning personal adversity into community advocacy00:37:34 Finding unconditional love and lifelong supportTopics: Finding unconditional love when you least expect it Tinder date turns into a lifelong connectionOvercoming trauma through true partnership and safetyWhen you know someone is your soulmatePartnership giving permission to stop being strongDinner with strangers leads to meeting a life partnerOvercoming the fear of vulnerability and letting someone inDevastating medical diagnosis and progressive illnessReinventing your sense of purpose after receiving life changing newsBuilding an unshakable foundation of trust and lifelong devotionFOLLOW THE SHOW►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storiesfromastrangerpod  ►Threads: https://www.threads.com/@storiesfromastrangerpod  ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storiesfromastrangerpodcast  FOLLOW HUNTER PROSPER►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hunter_prosper/  ►TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hunterprosper  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hunter speaks to three strangers with one thing in common: they’re adopted.Alyssa is a Black woman who grew up in a predominantly white community as an adopted child of an Italian-American family, making her adoption visually apparent from an early age. Her biological brother found her and reached out via Facebook after their biological father drunkenly revealed her existence to him. Upon reconnecting with her biological family, her biological mother denied her and called her a catfish, which Alyssa describes as one of the most painful things she ever experienced. Despite this, she does not regret the reunion, stating she would have wondered for the rest of her life otherwise. Charley always knew she was adopted and initially viewed it positively, describing it as a gift. However, she experienced recurring feelings of loneliness throughout her life, particularly at night as a young girl. She had no desire to find her biological mother well into her 20s and even threw away research a college friend compiled about her possible birth mother. At age 46, she submitted a 23andMe test for medical background information, and at 47 received a message from a biological relative identifying a possible match to her birth mother. She met her birth mother, but found the relationship one-sided and stressful, as her birth mother never asked Charley anything about herself. After working with a therapist, Charley ended the relationship in a phone call from a parking lot, expressing both love and the need to set a boundary.Sean was adopted from the south side of Chicago, with his adoptive mother spending two years visiting him and his birth mother before taking him home. Sean does not feel anger toward his biological parents but describes living with constant uncertainty and unanswered questions for 25 years. He describes the feeling as "free falling," with a core piece of information missing from his life. He learned that substances were found in his birth mother at the time of his birth, which he describes as one of the most painful pieces of information he received. Sean credits a very supportive family and open conversations for helping him stay afloat, but still feels like a piece of himself is missing.Chapters:00:00:00 Navigating identity and non-traditional family bonds00:03:32 Processing rejection from a biological mother00:06:54 Reconnecting with a biological brother through Facebook00:10:05 Finding closure and setting boundaries after adoption00:13:33 Expressing gratitude to supportive adoptive parents00:16:15 Discovering biological relatives through DNA testing00:19:20 Breaking up with a birth mother for self-preservation00:22:48 Healing from past heartbreak and finding personal growth00:26:07 Reading real letters about adoption and loss00:29:18 Learning the truth about an early adoption process00:32:45 Uncovering biological origins and facing uncertainty00:36:10 Understanding birth parents through empathy and acceptanceTopics:Navigating identity as an adopteeReconnecting with biological familyFacing rejection from a birth motherSetting boundaries with biological parentsGratitude for loving adoptive parentsFinding family matches through DNA testingDealing with unanswerable adoption questionsOvercoming childhood feelings of isolationLearning the truth behind early adoptionEmbracing empathy and self-acceptanceFOLLOW THE SHOW►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storiesfromastrangerpod  ►Threads: https://www.threads.com/@storiesfromastrangerpod  ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storiesfromastrangerpodcast  FOLLOW HUNTER PROSPER  ►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hunter_prosper/  ►TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hunterprosper  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hunters speaks with three strangers who are remembering family members they’ve lost, or are losing.-Caty shares the story of watching her mother decline from primary progressive aphasia, a form of frontotemporal dementia. She describes first suspecting something was wrong during her senior year of college, noticing her mother misusing names and making uncharacteristic errors. Her mother was formally diagnosed in May 2022. Katie reflects on the pain of losing the close, almost mirror-image relationship she shared with her mother, the concept of anticipatory grief, and the one-sided nature of their current communication. She also describes finding comfort in signs she believes are sent by her mother, particularly through the song "Dancing in the Moonlight", and explains that she copes by living one day at a time, drawing on the perspective her mother's illness has given her.-Chris speaks about his aunt who passed away around 2010. Though she had no children of her own, she treated Chris, his siblings, and his family as her own, planning baby showers and showering them with gifts and attention. Chris expresses deep sadness that she did not get to witness his growth into adulthood and worries she will not be there for future milestones such as marriage or having children. He keeps her photo as his phone background as a way of staying connected to her memory, though he laments that he has forgotten the sound of her voice. He says that if he could have one more conversation, he would ask her for honest life advice, and credits his father, sister, and close friends with helping him through his grief.-Antony shares the deeply painful story of losing both parents at a young age. His father died from AIDS-related complications, and his last words were an apology to Antony's mother, who contracted the disease from him. Despite this, she continued to raise her four children with unwavering devotion, mourning her husband in black until her own death. Antony describes the heartbreak of his mother losing her voice before she died, leaving the family unable to say goodbye. He holds no anger toward his father, recognizing his suffering and the guilt he must have carried. Antony reflects that, despite immense loss, he feels the ongoing presence of his parents within him, particularly through sharing his mother's smile, and acknowledges that some wounds never fully heal.  Chapters:00:00:00 Adapting dreams after a mother's dementia diagnosis00:03:32 Identifying early symptoms and primary progressive aphasia00:07:03 Transitioning to adulthood and losing normalcy with family00:10:33 Navigating language loss and changes in communication00:14:38 Processing anticipatory grief and finding her guiding spirit00:19:10 Reflecting on a beloved aunt who acted as a mother00:23:24 Grieving lost future milestones and forgetting a voice00:27:19 Seeking life advice and finding support through family bonds00:30:38 Remembering a mother's selfless sacrifice and early hardship00:33:24 Uncovering family secrets, terminal diagnosis, and forgiveness00:37:18 Forgiving past choices and recognizing a father's unspoken love00:41:24 Carrying on a mother's legacy and living with griefTopics: Living with a parent's dementiaNavigating anticipatory griefLoss of language from dementiaRemembering a beloved aunt after lossThe quiet pain of forgetting a voiceUnderstanding a father's dying wordsA mother's devotion through illnessChoosing forgiveness over angerLosing a parent during the pandemicFinding signs and legacy after lossFOLLOW THE SHOW►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storiesfromastrangerpod ►Threads: https://www.threads.com/@storiesfromastrangerpod ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storiesfromastrangerpodcast FOLLOW HUNTER PROSPER►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hunter_prosper/ ►TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hunterprosper See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hunter talks to three strangers who were brought to the brink of death, only to be given a second chance at life. Meet this episode's strangers:- David recounts his close relationship with his mother, whom he sadly lost recently. It's a loss that is still fresh and painful. Before her passing, she had gotten him through his own catastrophic medical issue. While playing softball, David collapsed on the field, struck with a sudden cardiac arrest. Thanks to the help of a total stranger, David pulled through this harrowing event.- Art was drafted into the Vietnam War at the age of 19. He gives a tense and emotional account of his time in the war, of the friends he lost, and what it was like to come back home and deal with the immense trauma he experienced. - Karan was a seemingly healthy young person when he was suddenly diagnosed with end-stage liver failure in 2019 due to an undiagnosed, rare condition. Karan tells Hunter about the life-saving last-minute transplant and the long recovery process that saved his life.Chapters:00:01:21 David remembers his mother Debbie and their bond00:05:24 Navigating the rollercoaster of grief and final goodbyes00:09:32 The sudden cardiac arrest that stopped a baseball game00:13:32 Why some people survive fatal events and others don't00:17:21 Finding gratitude in pain and shattering daily anxiety00:21:25 Art is drafted at 19 to Vietnam to fight in war00:25:21 Surviving a year of monsoon season in the Vietnam jungle00:29:29 The reality of firefights and healing through brotherhood00:33:31 Karan in organ failure after rare disease diagnosis00:37:33 Trading the hustle for grandma walks and valuable time00:41:38 Learning that a mother knows how to give life twice00:45:35 Receiving a miracle organ transplant on the final dayTopics:- Surviving a sudden cardiac arrest- Life after a miracle organ transplant- True memories of the Vietnam War- Finding hope through deep grief- The support of a mother - Recovery from autoimmune disorder - The unique bond of veterans  Stories from a Stranger is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions in partnership with Higher Ground and AND Media. Music by Jackie Miclau.FOLLOW THE SHOW►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storiesfromastrangerpod►Threads: https://www.threads.com/@storiesfromastrangerpod►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storiesfromastrangerpodcastFOLLOW HUNTER PROSPER►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hunter_prosper/►TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hunterprosper See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hunter meets three people whose lives were upended by devastating illnesses. They share their stories of survival and how they refused to let sickness get in the way of living their lives.Meet this episode's strangers:- Sandra survived a catastrophic stroke and fell into a coma. Doctors told her mother that she would never wake up. Her mother refused to let doctors remove life support and proved Sandra could still hear by asking her to squeeze their fingers and move her foot. Sandra describes a visit to “paradise,” where she was told, “You have a purpose to fulfill,” before being sent back to her life. Now she walks Central Park for miles, has completed the New York City Marathon, and uses her story to show other stroke survivors that “it’s not the end.” - Cheri was a healthy 18‑year‑old dancer when a mysterious autoimmune disorder suddenly took away her ability to walk and move. Doctors told her parents to prepare for the worst as treatments failed, but Sherry—fully lucid inside a body that couldn’t respond—refused to accept that her life was over. She grieved the loss of the old version of herself, yet slowly shifted from “why me?” to “why not me?” as she rebuilt a new life.- Gil reflects on losing his closest friend, Tom, just before the pandemic and the years it took to process that grief. Then a routine blood test led him to a cancer clinic, where he spent ten days convinced he had only months to live before learning he had a chronic, slow‑moving leukemia instead. Those days staring “into the abyss” forced him to ask whether his life’s work really mattered, and then finding out he was not dying led him to not take life for granted.Topics:- Stroke recovery and near-death experiences- Power of family advocacy in hospitals- Overcoming autoimmune paralysis- Reclaiming identity through dance- Living with chronic leukemia diagnosis- Finding purpose through medical trauma- Shifting from why me to why not me- Importance of mental strength in healing- Building a legacy after a health scareChapters:00:00:00 Resilience of the human body00:03:30 Sandra’s Mother Fights For Her After Fatal Stroke Prognosis00:07:00 Returning From Paradise With a Higher Purpose00:10:30 Walking the New York City Marathon After a Stroke00:14:00 Anonymous Stories of Loyalty and Heartbreak00:17:30 Waking Up Paralyzed From an Autoimmune Disorder at 1800:21:00 Finding the Internal Fire to Survive a Crisis00:24:30 Grieving the Loss of Dance and a Former Identity00:28:00 Shifting From Why Me to Why Not Me00:31:30 Creating an Online Community for Chronic Illness00:35:00 How to Process the Death of a Close Friend00:38:30 Staring Into the Abyss and Assessing Life’s LegacySupport Our Sponsors: If you're struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/storiesStories from a Stranger is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions in partnership with Higher Ground and AND Media. Music by Jackie Miclau.FOLLOW THE SHOW►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storiesfromastrangerpod►Threads: https://www.threads.com/@storiesfromastrangerpod►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storiesfromastrangerpodcastFOLLOW HUNTER PROSPER►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hunter_prosper/►TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hunterprosperLISTEN►Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-from-a-stranger/id1895174119►Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/23b37bdf-ce71-4dad-9d25-9900b5d25d7c/stories-from-a-stranger►Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2naQZkPOvSgMzUMh9Z5ivs#OvercomingIllness #StrokeSurvivor #NearDeathExperience #MedicalMiracle #Resilience #FindingPurpose #HealingJourney #SurvivorStories #LifeAfterDiagnosisSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hunter Prosper meets two strangers who found inspiration in their hardest moments, and learns how one woman's cancer journey led her to find the love of her life.Meet this episode's strangers: - Marco shares the story of the man he knew instantly was the love of his life, the sudden disappearances that shattered him, and the cancer diagnosis that followed their final breakup. As a former dancer, he came to see his illness as his body mourning alongside his heart, and eventually transformed that grief into a three-part choreography, Safe from Sleep—bliss, loss, and journey—that brought him back to the stage after 20 years and all the way to Carnegie Hall.- Heather once abandoned her art because it felt “inconvenient” and too vulnerable to share. A sudden cervical cancer diagnosis and a hysterectomy at 35 shattered her dream of carrying a child and left her feeling “broken”. In the quiet of recovery at her parents’ home, she picked up old art supplies and rediscovered a talent that now brings her peace. Over time, she came to see her experience as a strange kind of gift that stripped her down to her “bare bones,” led her to meet her future husband.- Ismael is Heather's husband. He wasn’t looking for love when he moved to London and joined a group bike ride—only to realize, on that first ride, that he’d just met his future wife.Support Our Sponsors:If you're struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/storiesTopics: Turning personal suffering into art and purpose Reclaiming identity after a medical crisis Returning to professional dance at age 50 Grieving fertility and the path to motherhood Finding peace through art during recovery Healing family ties through unexpected love Navigating surrogacy and embryo preservationChapters:00:00:00 Introduction to transforming pain into purpose00:01:10 Marco on meeting the love of his life in New York00:05:04 Dealing with ghosting and emotional grief in 200100:07:35 Reconnecting with a lost love after 11 years apart00:09:50 Facing a cancer diagnosis after a second heartbreak00:13:48 Creating the dance piece Safe From Sleep to process trauma00:19:22 Reclaiming freedom and performing at Carnegie Hall at age 5000:29:18 Heather on letting go of dreams and reconnecting with art00:31:53 Surviving a cervical cancer diagnosis and a hysterectomy00:33:48 Using art and the gift of grief to find inner peace00:43:47 Navigating surrogacy and 13 embryos with husband Ismael00:52:01 Ismael on finding unexpected love and healing family tiesStories from a Stranger is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions in partnership with Higher Ground and AND Media. Music by Jackie Miclau.FOLLOW THE SHOW►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storiesfromastrangerpod►Threads: https://www.threads.com/@storiesfromastrangerpod►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storiesfromastrangerpodcastFOLLOW HUNTER PROSPER►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hunter_prosper/►TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hunterprosperLISTEN►Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-from-a-stranger/id1895174119►Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/23b37bdf-ce71-4dad-9d25-9900b5d25d7c/stories-from-a-stranger►Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2naQZkPOvSgMzUMh9Z5ivs#TurningPainIntoArt #TheGiftOfGrief #Harships #HumanConnection #Resilience #StrangerStories See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hunter Prosper meets three strangers at three different stages of life and asks them what love means to them. In this episode of Stories from a Stranger, we explore how love looks and feels different at every age—from the dizzying rush of a first crush to the quiet comfort of a lifelong partner, and the ache of wondering if love will ever come at all. Today, yesterday, and tomorrow, love is in the air.Meet this episode's strangers:- Sally, 96, who calls a college boy who gave her "a tingle" the love of her life, remembers the man who massaged her frozen feet on a ski trip and became her husband, and recalls the shock of being told she’d never have children, only to get pregnant on her honeymoon and become the matriarch of a sprawling family. She talks about losing her husband Joe, letting go of lovemaking, and living by her motto: “If you don’t ask, you don’t get.”- Ella, 18, has never been in love or in a long-term relationship and wonders if that makes her unlovable. After a string of talking stages that go nowhere, she’s left asking, “Am I the problem?” even as she still believes in love and tries to learn how to be happy on her own.- Tish, an artist who makes slice‑of‑life comics, had nearly given up on dating in New York when a quiet, gentle follower named Akeem messaged to say he loved her sense of humor and the way she sees the world. A first dinner turned into skating dates, Comic-Con cosplay, and a second date where she knew she’d marry him. Now married, they go to couples therapy even when things are good, determined to keep choosing each other and to grow together. For Tish, love is an anchor in a world where everything else changes.Their stories remind us that love isn't one thing. It evolves, it disappoints, it surprises us, and sometimes it finds us when we least expect it.Topics Covered:- How love changes at every age- Different experiences of romantic connection- Infertility and unexpected pregnancy- Family legacy and martriarchy- Aging and letting go of sexual love- Self-worth and self-doubt- Intentional partnership and couples therapy- Modern dating versus old-fashioned, lifelong loveChapters:00:00:00 Love Isn't One Thing00:01:02 Sally's Greatest Love: Bob Brown at Syracuse00:05:07 Meeting Joe: The Vermont Ski Story00:08:51 Fertility Struggles and Medical Trauma00:11:25 Joe's Proposal and Unexpected Pregnancy00:18:42 Life Philosophy and Letting Go of Dreams00:24:17 Ella's Story: Young and Searching for Love00:29:09 Tish's Love Story: Meeting Through Art00:34:11 First "I Love You" at Comic-Con & Proposal at Pine Bank Arch00:39:26 Understanding Love and Commitment00:44:55 Say Yes When It HappensStories from a Stranger is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions in partnership with Higher Ground and AND Media. Music by Jackie Miclau.FOLLOW THE SHOW►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storiesfromastrangerpod►Threads: https://www.threads.com/@storiesfromastrangerpod►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storiesfromastrangerpodcastFOLLOW HUNTER PROSPER►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hunter_prosper/►TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hunterprosper#StoriesFromAStranger #LifeAfterLoss #ActsOfKindness #SiblingLoss #HealingSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.