Category: Uncategorized

  • Perfect Match: 24-Year-Old Man Finds Fiancé and New Kidney Through Tinder
  • Reid Alexander, a 24-year-old man from Colorado, battled kidney disease before meeting 28-year-old Rafael Diaz. The pair matched on Tinder in August 2020 and are now married — and Diaz donated a kidney to his new husband.  Shortly after they started dating, Alexander shared that he suffered from Alport syndrome, a genetic disease that causes damage to blood vessels in the kidneys, among many other symptoms. In Sept. 2020, just weeks after starting to date, Alexander had to undergo surgery to prepare for dialysis, so Diaz stepped in to help Alexander recover. “He stayed at the hospital for me and drove me home and everything,” Alexander told USA Today. “He’s the first person to ever get me flowers, so, yeah, I kind of knew he was the one.” The couple got engaged in February and married in April, keeping the ceremony small so they could pay for their surgeries, but they plan to have a larger celebration in a year or two. Shortly after the wedding, Diaz began testing to learn whether he could donate a kidney to his husband. That is when they got the good news: he was a perfect match. Their hospital in Colorado initially told the couple that they would not be able to perform the surgery, so they went to doctors in Alexander’s home state of Indiana. In early June, the team at IU Health told the couple that they would be able to complete the surgeries, which took place in August — almost exactly a year after matching on the dating app. Alexander said he has recovered well and quickly, but still has some limitations. Diaz is happy to see his husband’s condition improve. “I’m just so glad. I’m so glad to see Reid all day and see how good he’s doing,” said Diaz. “It was the best experience of our life,” said Diaz, who noted he would do it all over again if given the chance. “It’s just incredible.” Image source: CNN
  • Lucky Dog! Pup Trapped for Five Days Rescued Successfully, Unharmed
  • On Oct. 7, a 12-year-old dog named Liza was out for a hike with her owner at the Minnewaska State Park Preserve, located north of New York City, when she fell into a narrow crevice. Liza could not be seen but could still be heard barking. The park staff tried to reach her into the night but were unsuccessful, so the local chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the New Jersey Initial Response Team joined the efforts on Oct. 12. The teams were able to get a special camera down the crevice to find Liza alive and unharmed. A member of the rescue team then went into the crevice with a catch-pole to retrieve the pup, using a hot dog to lure Liza through the loop of the pole. “This was a tight vertical fissure leading to an even tighter horizontal crack. Only Jessica Van Ord, our smallest team member, was able to squeeze and contort herself more than 40 feet from the surface to reach the dog,” Mark Dickey, the chief of the New Jersey Initial Response Team, said in a press release. “We were all concerned the dog had not survived until Jessica was able to get closer and hear movement,” Gina Carbonari, the executive director of the Ulster County SPCA, said. “The rejoicing on the surface to that news was just incredible and renewed everyone’s motivation to get this little dog to safety.” Aside from being hungry and thirsty, Liza was found in good health. After her initial checkup, the dog was reunited with her owners. Image source: Daily Freeman, Today
  • Homeless Chef Surprised With Food Truck: ‘Dream Come True’
  • The Dream Machine Foundation and its team are traveling the country to help as many people as they can. The organization is a nonprofit with a mission to make dreams come true for individuals all over the world — the people the organization serves are those who lack finances, resources or support to achieve their dreams. The group visited Colorado Springs and ran into Tony Rojas, a homeless chef who’s dream is owning a food truck. "We just fell in love with him and he started crying, but we looked into his eyes and this man, there's something special here about this man," said Charlie Rocket, who runs the foundation. The interaction was shared on TikTok, and the video received over 35 million views in 24 hours. In the video, Rojas can be heard saying, “I just wanted to cook food for people. I just don’t want to give up.” Rojas lost his job during the pandemic and has been living in a van with his wife for the past 18 months. The foundation also paid for a haircut and new clothing. To help Rojas achieve his dream, the foundation organized a fundraiser so that people could try some of his food. Thousands of dollars in donations poured in, and the foundation surprised Rojas with a $40,000 food truck. "It's surreal. It's like a baseball player going from triple A to the majors. You're in the big show now and it's time to perform and watch all these smiles who are waiting," said Rojas. Rocket said that Rojas never stopped chasing his dream despite his situation. "Tony is so special, even though he's homeless we can't judge people based upon where they're at in life because he was knocked down," he said. Find more information on how to donate here. Image source: Washington News Day
  • America’s Oldest National Park Ranger Also a Singer-Songwriter, Now Has a Musical
  • Betty Reid Soskin is not just any centenarian — she is the oldest active ranger in the National Park Service. She celebrated her 100th birthday on Sept. 22, and when asked how she feels being 100 years old, she smiled and said: “The same way I felt at 99.” Soskin is a park ranger at the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California where she often recounts her personal history with visitors in hopes that her firsthand account will resonate with others. “I think everyone’s story is very important. There is so much diversity,” Soskin said to The Washington Post. “It’s in that mix that the great secret of a democracy exists.” Soskin first started working with the National Park Service as a consultant in 2003, and a park ranger in 2007 at the age of 85. She realized she was often the only Black person in the room while sitting in meetings with the National Park Service, so she realized she wanted to make a change. “The history, as I had lived it, was nowhere in sight — not one minute of it,” she said. She has become known for saying: “What gets remembered is determined by who is in the room doing the remembering.” So, Soskin has made her room the park’s visitor center, where she has sat on a stool many times and shared her story with a room full of strangers. Music has always been an important part of Soskin’s life — she enjoys listening to it as well as producing it. She began writing songs in the 1960s, “at a point in my life when I was having trouble trying to figure out where I was going,” she recalled. “I found that I could sing things that I couldn’t say.” One of her most recent accomplishments is the creation of  her new musical based on anthems she wrote over a half a century ago, Sign My Name To Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid Soskin. While the musical releases Soskin’s songs back into the wild, the production also sheds light into the way her identity as a ranger has been enhanced by her previous life as an artist. The songs were shaping her life all along, even if no one else heard them until now. Image source: The Washington Post
  • When This Dad Asked for Birthday Wishes For His Autistic Son, Tens of Thousands of People Responded
  • Kev Harrison tweeted a photo of his 15-year-old son Daniel explaining it was his birthday and that his two wishes are to learn to drive and make friends. “Please wish him a happy birthday. Please show him you care,” tweeted Kev, who lives in Nottingham, England. Love started pouring in from strangers, celebrities and more, and the tweet has been viewed over 14 million times and now has over 124k likes. Kev decided to post the tweet after he and his wife, Catherine, read Daniel’s education, health and care plan — part of a government program to help support young people with special needs. In response to one portion of the document that asked what is important to Daniel or what he would like to do, he wrote “drive a car” and “make friends.” “It broke our hearts,” said the father. Daniel attends a special-needs school but has yet to form any friendships. “He walks around the playground on his own, in his own little world,” said Kev. Daniel is on the severe end of the autism spectrum. He is verbal but gives “standard responses only” and struggles to hold conversations. “He has been through a lot in his 15 years,” said Kev, who also has a 20-year-old daughter. “He is a lovely, kind, sweet boy. He does not have a nasty bone in his body.” To raise awareness about autism and make his son feel loved on his birthday, he decided to post on Twitter — and it went on to become the #1 most trending post in the United States. “It was astonishing,” Harrison said. “I didn’t think for one minute that the response would be anything like it was.” Mark Hammill, who plays Luke Skywalker in the “Star Wars” films, was one of many celebrities who reached out. “For my friend Daniel,” followed by a GIF that says: “The force is strong with this one.” Journalist Jake Tapper, actor Russell Crowe and activist Erin Brockovich are some other notable names who wished Daniel a happy birthday. “He was jumping up and down,” said Kev.  Many people did good deeds in honor of Daniel’s birthday. “I just paid for the order behind me at Starbucks,” one person wrote. “I donated to a local food bank,” said another. Kev is still combing through all of the responses, but he said, “If I have reached one person and made them look at another child differently, I’ve done my job.” Image source: The Washington Post
  • Atlanta Area Police Officer Helps Deliver Baby on Side of Highway
  • On Monday Oct. 4 around 7:15 a.m., Officer Patrick Burt with the Sandy Springs Police Department’s traffic unit was on patrol when he decided to check on a car stopped on the side of I-285 East. Officer Burt found a woman in active labor and immediately sprung into action. “There is no such thing as ‘routine’ in our line of work and every encounter might come with surprises such as this one,” Sandy Springs police posted on Facebook.  Burt helped deliver the baby and followed up with the mother and child at the hospital to find they “both were doing very well.” "It's not a normal part of the job," Burt told 11Alive. "I was ready to do what I'm going to do, what I have to do for my community or anybody that needs help. I'm there for them. So just to me, it was just another day, another part of the job." “I had two kids on my own, so I'm not a stranger to the birthing process. I've never done it myself as my firstborn but I noticed the baby was a little purple, which is kind of normal," said Burt.  "It's kind of uplifting to show the police in a better side of life right now," Burt added. "I'm glad I was able to be a part of that." Image source: Atlanta Journal Constitution
  • Sir Patrick Stewart Says English Teacher Spotted His Talent and Saved His Life
  • Sir Patrick Stewart, the English actor best known for his work in the Star Trek series, says he skipped exams in school and was failing his classes. “Frankly, I just didn’t see myself as a grammar school boy,” he told The Guardian. “Had I sat the test, I might have never met Cecil Dormand, a teacher at the secondary modern where I ended up, who would change my life when I was 12, by putting Shakespear into my hands for the very first time.” Stewart says he can still remember the very first words of Shakespeare that he ever read — “I have possessed your grace of what I purpose” — and was immediately hooked. The students referred to Dormand as “Cec,” and he was Stewart’s English teacher and form master. Cec cast Stewart in a play with adults, and he felt fearless on stage. Before leaving school at the age of 15, Cec asked Stewart if he had ever considered acting as a career. This is where it all changed for Stewart — he went on to have a successful acting career and served as chancellor of the University of Huddersfield, where he presented Cec with an honorary degree to express his gratitude.  Stewart also invited Cec to a luncheon celebrating his knighthood, which was presented by the Queen. Cec said: “What the heck am I going to call him now? For decades he called me Sir!” Image source: The Guardian
  • 97-Year-Old Woman Believes Motivation to Make it to Last Grandchild’s Wedding Helped Her Beat Breast Cancer
  • The pandemic had already delayed her last grandchild’s wedding, but 97-year-old Tennie Burket Ivy was determined to make it no matter what. Ivy was diagnosed with breast cancer in Nov. 2020, but could not fathom the thought of not seeing her last gradnchild marry the love of their life. “I had to go to that wedding. I had been to all three and it was in Greenville, South Carolina, and I said I’ve got to to get well for that,” said Ivy. “And I was never sick. No problems.”  She endured surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, none of which got her spirits down. As of Monday, Oct. 11, Ivy is cancer-free. “I give credit to the doctors, nurses, and the Lord,” she said. Although the pandemic delayed the wedding and her cancer diagnosis made her unsure if she would be able to attend, she beat all the odds and can say she saw all of her grandchildren get married. Ivy believes you are never too old to fight cancer, and she thinks she overcame it due to her healthy lifestyle and strong will to attend the wedding. Image source: Click2Houston
  • Texas Restaurant Operates on Pay-What-You-Can Model, Hits Milestone of 100k Meals Served
  • Taste Community Restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas is a nonprofit lunch eatery that operates on a pay-what-you-can policy in order to combat food insecurity in the community. The restaurant just hit a major milestone as it served its 100,000th meal. The team consists mostly of volunteers that work under head Chef Jeff Williams and the restaurant offers a seasonal menu that is swapped out four times per year.  In early October, the community was preparing for a big weekend — Red River Showdown weekend, which is when the Oklahoma Sooners play the Texas Longhorns. Taste Community Restaurant was also gearing up for a big weekend — when the restaurant closed on Friday, they were less than 10 customers away from the major milestone. “100,000 meals served,” said Taste founder and executive director Jeff Williams. “It’s been an amazing. An amazing ride. I’m so excited.” Williams opened the restaurant in 2017, and customers are invited to pay what they can, whether that be more than expected or nothing at all. “At first, people thought I was crazy,” said Williams. He was not sure if the idea would work. But now, he said he is still humbled and surprised by the generosity of his customers. “It’s a lot easier to give than it is to receive,” he said. The staff consists of 85% volunteers, and the restaurant recently started an apprenticeship program in partnership with the Tarrant County Area Food Bank and the Culinary School of Fort Worth that allows aspiring chefs to get certified while serving at the food bank and getting hands-on work experience at Taste. The program is tuition-free, but they are paid for their work at Taste. “We want people to realize they have a value to just being them and that we value them as a person," Williams said. “That they’re able to experience something they may not have been able to. It’s not just about putting calories down. It’s about providing them something that makes them feel special.” Image source: What's Up Fort Worth, Taste Project
  • Retired FBI Fourth-In-Command Becomes School Bus Driver to Help with Shortage
  • Over half of America’s school districts are experiencing “severe” or “desperate” shortages when it comes to school bus drivers, according to a report by Hustle. So, a man from Chesterfield County, Virginia has decided to step in and help. Michael Mason was the fourth-in-command in the FBI for 23 years, serving as executive assistant director. Mason recently retired and, instead of enjoying retired life, decided to take up a new occupation — as a bus driver.  Mason learned about the bus driver shortage in his community while watching the local news. “When the pandemic struck, there were so many people that were doing so many extra things. People like [reporters], who still have to get out here.” Mason told WTVR. “People like grocery store workers, people like telecommunications workers. All kinds of folds who still had to do their job. And I felt like I can be doing something to help in this post-pandemic recovery.” “I believe if all of us gave a little something, wow, how we could impact this world. How we could change this world,” he continued. Mason takes his new job just as seriously as he did his previous, ensuring each kid gets to and from school safely. “I’ve done some important things, but guess what? This is important, too” said Mason. Image source: CBS News