- All right y'all we put it out there
and your response was overwhelming.
From acts big to small,
people all over the country took extra time
to get to know their neighbors.
There are too many stories to talk about
all of them today,
but this hour I'm sharing some
that really stood out for me personally
so the first started on this stage.
You might remember this proposal from a few weeks ago
Victoria popped the question
to her girlfriend, Emily, who said yes.
Well they are back with an amazing
Good Neighbor story as a result of this show.
Hey, what's up ladies?
(applause)
- Thank you for having us back.
- [Kelly] Yes!
So what happened after the show?
- [Victoria] Okay so we were a little bit nervous
for the show to air to be honest with you
because where we're from it's not necessarily
accepted like it is a lot of places, you know?
So, but afterwards we got a lot of positivity
a lot of people reached out to us
and sent us messages wishing us well
and things like that.
So and then we actually linked up with
a few ladies that live about forty-five minutes from us
using the Good Neighbor challenge that you started.
- Yeah.
- [Emily] Well they actually knew
that we were going to be spending most
of our holidays alone, so they reached out
and asked us to spend the holidays with them
and it's just a great demonstration of your show
and your campaign that one little thing...
- [Kelly] Well Mr. Rogers in the one that inspired us
to start it so years and years later
it's still working. Thank you, Mr. Rogers.
(applause)
So Alex, what inspired you to reach out?
- We saw the genuine love that these two shared
and being a lesbian in the deep south
you've got to stick together. We're all neighbors.
(applause)
- I love it. Good job, y'all.
We also have some people in the audience who say
their lives were forever changed by Mr. Rogers
and his show. Where are Beth and Kathy?
Hi Beth and Kathy! Yes, you! (laughs loudly)
So y'all can stand up if you want.
So Beth, you have a very special connection
to that song, correct?
- [Beth] Yes, I do.
Well growing up I spent two and a half years
having non-stop seizures as a child
and as a result of that I had no friends.
Every time Mr. Rogers came on the TV
I felt like he was talking right to me.
I felt like I was the only friend in the world
that he was talking to.
- [Kelly] He did have that,
he just looked directly into the camera
and that's what they say that he always
was picturing one person on the other side.
- [Kathy] Oh, absolutely Kelly.
I get still emotional today.
- [Kelly] I am as well.
- [Kathy] As a result of her seizures
she was diagnosed with a very rare encephalitis
and no one really knew the cure.
It was scary, she had to have half her brain removed.
- Oh my gosh!
- [Kathy] So before the surgery
I noticed that every time I put Beth
in front of the TV, in front of Mr. Rogers,
she wouldn't have a single seizure.
It's so well-known even Mr. Speedy Delivery
knows about it, and they think they should study it,
and we were asked to call him Fred,
and he called Beth and spoke to Beth
in every puppet voice.
- [Kelly] How cool are you? That is special.
- What did you say?
- I told him things that I didn't even
tell my own mom and dad.
Like I was afraid I was going to die
and leave my brother.
- [Kelly] Oh my god.
- [Kathy] So fast forward, Bethy has surgery,
and the surgery goes well
but that night she fell into a deep coma
and unbeknownst to us, Mr. Rogers had been calling
the Ronald McDonald house every night.
- [Kelly] To check on her?
- [Kathy] To check on her. And then finally
a nurse said, "Kathy there's a man on the phone
"claiming to be Fred Rogers, and it sounds like him
"but really?"
(laughter)
You know I answered the phone and he said,
"Kathy, I've been so worried, how is she?"
And he didn't know us from Adam,
and I said, "You know, it's not good,
"she's in a coma."
and he said, "I'd like to come."
And I said, "Mr. Rogers, it would be a waste
"of your time, she won't even know you're there,"
and he said, "I'm coming, only,
"just one request, no press.
"I don't want any media, I just want
"it to be a special meeting between
"Beth and I." And he came with a little
clarinet case from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
and he laid the clarinet case on her bed
took out every puppet,
and for an hour gave her this incredible show.
She woke up several weeks later
and the first person, after our parents,
we called was Mr. Rogers,
and his first words were, "Praise God,
"I've been praying everyday."
And we're so grateful that you're doing this,
and thank you so much.
- I am very excited
that y'all came to share that story.
It's very powerful.