Good News Thread

[Randy_Mann]

Good Samaritans carry 6-year-old boy's wheelchair in snow

A mom from Canada is praising two good Samaritans for carrying her son's wheelchair all the way home in the snow after it got stuck.
"My kids and I had brought some shovels ourselves, but not knowing how bad it was, [the snow] kinda took over us," she said. The mom had her other son and a friend with her as well. She found herself stuck in the snow with three kids, unable to get home. "I tried to call a cab but the taxi company said it would be a 25 minute wait," Shannon Ranger said.,,
...the other man said he thought it would be easier to pick up the boy in his wheelchair and carry him, rather than try and shovel the thick snow on the sidewalk.



"They ended up carrying him the better part of a kilometer all the way home," Ranger said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for sure.
It was very amazing to see such kindness," Ranger said.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/good-sa...chair-in-snow/

[Randy_Mann]

Single Mom Receives Life-Changing Gift of a Vehicle

Jasmine, of Philadelphia, didn't have a car and was spending five hours a day on the bus getting her three children to the places they needed to go, until Midas stepped in.




Jasmine said life hasn’t been easy.

“I break down at times and I cry, but I pray about it and I try to think about my kids and how I love them and what's best for them and that drives me to do what I need to do,”


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-...D=ansmsnnews11

[MaxJoker]

These two beluga whales have been performing for spectators at a water park in China for the last 7 years – but soon, they will be the residents of the world’s first retirement home for oceanic animals in show business.

Little Grey and Little White are the two whales currently living in a concrete tank at Changfeng Ocean World in Shanghai. For years, animal rights activists have been urging the aquarium to rehome the 12-year-old belugas to a healthier, more humane environment – but since the whales have been raised in captivity, they would be unable to survive in the wild.

Thankfully, conservation group Sea Life Trust has come up with the perfect solution.

The organization is transforming a rocky oceanic inlet into the world’s first open sea sanctuary for whales and dolphins.

Located off the coast of Heimaey, an island in Iceland, the bay is the perfect size and depth for the belugas at 344,000 square feet (32,000 square meters).

The whales are due to be moved to the sanctuary in March 2019. As it is being prepared for the belugas, Little Grey and Little White are undergoing essential survival skill training that will help them thrive in the wild.


The journey ahead may involve dozens of challenges, but wild belugas typically live for up to 40 or 50 years. If they adapt to their new home, then they could enjoy several more decades of life in their proper habitat.

Additionally, the sanctuary could then welcome more retiring aquatic performers in the future.

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by MaxJoker

These two beluga whales have been performing for spectators at a water park in China for the last 7 years – but soon, they will be the residents of the world’s first retirement home for oceanic animals in show business.

Little Grey and Little White are the two whales currently living in a concrete tank at Changfeng Ocean World in Shanghai. For years, animal rights activists have been urging the aquarium to rehome the 12-year-old belugas to a healthier, more humane environment – but since the whales have been raised in captivity, they would be unable to survive in the wild.

Thankfully, conservation group Sea Life Trust has come up with the perfect solution.

The organization is transforming a rocky oceanic inlet into the world’s first open sea sanctuary for whales and dolphins.

Located off the coast of Heimaey, an island in Iceland, the bay is the perfect size and depth for the belugas at 344,000 square feet (32,000 square meters).

The whales are due to be moved to the sanctuary in March 2019. As it is being prepared for the belugas, Little Grey and Little White are undergoing essential survival skill training that will help them thrive in the wild.


The journey ahead may involve dozens of challenges, but wild belugas typically live for up to 40 or 50 years. If they adapt to their new home, then they could enjoy several more decades of life in their proper habitat.

Additionally, the sanctuary could then welcome more retiring aquatic performers in the future.

This is a very heartening story but it reminds me of a sad one - Cuddles, the Killer Whale, which used to be an attraction at Flamingoland when I was still a child. No one knew any better then and no one realised how cruel they were being to take a creature from the wild and confine it like that. Cuddles died in 1973 after about 8 years in captivity, of a broken rib and a bacterial abscess which must have been extremely painful.

Since 1993 Flamingoland no longer keeps either whales or dolphins, because the John Major government introduced much tougher rules for zoos in general, which included regulations on minumum whale tank sizes much bigger than the one at Flamingoland. As far as I know, there are no captive Orcas left in the UK - I hope I am right about that.

[scoundrel]

I visited a friend this afternoon who is back home and convalescing after having been in hospital over four months being treated for the complications of liver disease. She could easily have died, and was on full blown life support for weeks at one stage, as she continued to deteriorate after being hospitalised. But now she is gaining in strength and getting about with a zimmer frame until she recovers sufficiently to manage with crutches and so on. 100% recovery is unlikely, but her prognosis is a lot better than I expected at one time. Also, her mind is back to where it belongs to be.

I am relieved and glad to have seen her so well and so determined to get fully mobile again. I will bake her an apple crumble for my next visit.

[old alal]

Originally Posted by scoundrel

I am relieved and glad to have seen her so well and so determined to get fully mobile again. I will bake her an apple crumble for my next visit.

With Custard. mmmmmm just don't put any Calvedos in it

Seriously, this sounds horrific. I hope all will be well soon.

[MaxJoker]

Man Given Second Chance at Life After Brain Tumor Vanishes Without Surgery or Explanation

Doctors are puzzling over how a man’s suspected malignant brain tumor suddenly disappeared without surgery – but the patient credits his miraculous recovery to faith and hope.

Paul Wood from Lodi, California first approached his doctor several months ago because he was having headaches and experiencing trouble walking unassisted.

After he was sent to a neurosurgeon at UC San Francisco, doctors suspected that Wood was suffering from a brain bleed – but then scans revealed signs of a brain tumor.

Rather than accept a dismal diagnosis, however, Wood turned to his faith and community.

Wood, who attends Gravity Church, was flooded with messages of support and prayers from his fellow church goers and local acquaintances.

Then, the day before his surgery, doctors were stunned to find that the suspected tumor had vanished.

“We do tests and we have medical technology and we try to come up with some conclusion. We’re like detectives – [but] sometimes things happen that we can’t explain,” Dr. Richard Yee told KOVR.

With the surgery canceled, Wood simply says that “it’s a miracle and that is the way God planned it.”

Regardless of whether his recovery is thanks to divine intervention, Wood hopes that his story will inspire hope in patients suffering from similar diagnoses.

[Randy_Mann]

Alabama students surprise colorblind drama teacher with corrective glasses

This is the touching moment an Alabama drama teacher was brought to tears after his students surprised him with color corrective glasses so he could fully enjoy their production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Emotional teacher breaks down after seeing colors with corrective glasses.


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...l-teacher.html

[tsunamiSD]

11-Year-Old Gets 3D-Printed Hands After Dad Meets Engineering Student in Uber
An 11-year-old girl born with a one finger on each hand has gotten a new pair of 3D-printed hands. Her father drives an Uber and after picking up a Notre Dame engineering student one night, the stranger offered to help the driver's daughter by designing her new hands. From there, students used 3D-printed designs available online and modified the hands to fit the little girl.

[MaxJoker]

A single mom has just won the largest lottery prize in her state’s history, and she has announced that she will be sharing the fortune with those who need it most.

Last month, 51-year-old Lerynne West was celebrating the purchase of her first home. She had just finished moving into the house in Redfield, Iowa when she and her sister stopped by a convenience store for pizza and coffee. While she was there, she picked up a Powerball ticket.

West has regularly played the lottery, but the most that she has ever won from a ticket was $150. When she recently checked her Powerball ticket numbers, however, she realized that she had won the $343.9 million jackpot – the largest lottery prize ever won in the state of Iowa.

Instead of spending the money on extravagant luxuries, she is using the money to set up the Callum Foundation, a charitable organization named after her premature grandson who died the day after he was born.

“I realize this is a life-changing moment,” West said as she claimed her prize at the Iowa lottery headquarters. “I’m excited to share my winnings with family and friends … I also plan to give to the causes and organizations important to my family through our newly-established Callum Foundation.”

The foundation will offer grants to initiatives that alleviate poverty and hunger, and improve education, animal welfare, and veteran affairs.

Additionally, West appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to say that she was kicking off her new career in charity by donating half a million dollars to The Travis Mills Foundation, an organization that facilitates long-term support for veterans and their families.

Though she is taking a charitable approach to her winnings, West did add that she was excited to buy a new car that would be big enough to carry all of her grandchildren for future field trips.