Dax Shepard choked up recalling what Kristen Bell did in his father’s final moments

Dax Shepard joined Anderson Cooper at the New Orleans Book Festival on March 11 to speak about the emotions running his life. There, he happened to mention the last few days he spent taking care of his sick father. In a clip of Shepard and Cooper's discussion shared on the All There Is with Anderson Cooper (@allthereis) Instagram page on April 7, Shepard told the crowd an "unbelievable story" about one deeply meaningful thing his wife, Kristen Bell, did for him while he was struggling to deal with his father's dying days. He called her a "gangster" for giving him that irreplaceable moment right before his father passed.

Shepard explained how there was an endless number of people visiting his dying father in the hospital and how much it overwhelmed him. Instead of being present with his father, he had to comfort the grieving guests, and it drained him. He went outside to sit in his car to calm down and get a breather when he happened to call his wife to vent. As Shepard recounts the scene, his face turns red, with his voice catching in his throat. 

Kristen picked up her phone immediately and responded, "It's okay. I'm here. Look to the left." For context, Dax and Kristen lived in California, and he was in Detroit to be with his father. He turned to the left and saw Kristen, who was seven months pregnant, standing outside the car. She did not tell him she was coming to see him but knew that he would be struggling, so she flew to Detroit, figured out which hospital Shepard's father was being kept in, and showed up for her husband. "Yeah, what a champ! You know?" Shepard exclaimed through tears.

Together, they went inside the hospital to see his father, and Dave Robert Shepard got to feel his daughter-in-law's belly before he passed. Shepard had written a blog about his loss, and Cooper wanted it out loud to the audience. "She lifted her shirt up, and he put his hand on her swollen stomach. He left it there for the better part of an hour. He was smiling from ear-to-ear, smiling contentedly, unable to put together a sentence, but still capable of connecting to the new family member we were creating. He wasn't going to make it to the birth, but that did not get in the way of meeting the new baby. It was an emotional and triumphant moment. One I will never forget." Even Cooper started choking up while reading but continued, "If I lived to be a thousand, I would still be in debt to my wife for giving him that one last thrill." Shepard could only say, "She's a gangster, y'all," with tears in his eyes.

Having someone to turn to while going through a personal loss or a journey of grieving can be a lifeline. A Pew Research Center study revealed that 74% of American adults say that they are highly likely to turn to their spouse whenever they need emotional support. Shepard was losing his father and was struggling to deal with his emotions. His first thought while being overwhelmed was to call his wife, even though he thought she was far away. On the other hand, the study also revealed that 48% of Americans look for emotional support from their mother, and 46% from their friends.

The post has reached 2 million views, over 108k people have liked it, and more than 1.4k have commented. Netizens praised Kristen Bell for the kind of person she is when her husband needed her most. Many others also shared similar stories, where family members and friends showed up for them at their lowest. @coach_colene wrote, "One of the things that I believe most is if you can’t do anything else, you can show up. It’s often the thing that means the most. This story is such a good reminder of that. Day 1 Armcherry here, and I have loved and will always love this story." @whenwedie added, "Never gets old hearing stories like this. Someone just showing up, no ask, no warning, right when it's needed most. That's everything!"

You can follow All There Is with Anderson Cooper (@allthereis) on Instagram for more such emotional interviews.

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