Daily good news about people, places, things, business, sports, technology and more...no wars, violence, gossip and car chases here - just the GOOD NEWSZ!
Friday, June 20, 2014
William "Kyle" Carpenter receives Medal of Honor...
(CNN) -- William "Kyle" Carpenter lost most of his jaw and an eye when he fell on a grenade to shield a fellow Marine from the blast. His body shattered, one lung collapsed, Carpenter was nearly given up for dead after that 2010 Afghanistan firefight.
Then he spent 2½ years in a hospital as doctors worked to rebuild his body. But if you think he's bitter, think again.
"I look back, and I'm actually very appreciative I had those two and a half years, because those years put things in perspective more than a whole lifetime of things could if I wasn't there," Carpenter said.
On Thursday, he became the eighth living veteran of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award.
President Barack Obama presented the medal at a White House ceremony.
Carpenter was wounded in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 21, 2010, while serving as a machine gunner, according to the White House.
Carpenter and another Marine were manning a rooftop position during a firefight with Taliban insurgents when a hand grenade landed nearby, the Marine Corps said.
Carpenter rushed toward the grenade and his body took most of the blast, according to the Marine Corps. The other Marine, Lance Cpl. Nicholas Eufrazio, was also injured.
In a Defense Department video, Carpenter said he had to be revived while being evacuated by helicopter from the battle and was labeled dead on arrival at a field hospital. He later nearly died again at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he said.
"The enemy killed me. I came back, ran a marathon, completed a mud run and jumped from a plane. I won't ever quit. I am just getting started," he said in the video.
Carpenter, medically retired from the Marine Corps last year, is now a student at the University of South Carolina.
Ad-Tech Entrepreneurs Build Cancer Database after 7 year old cousin diagnosed with rare form of cancer...
Nat Turner was working as a Google Inc. GOOGL +0.77% product manager when he learned that his seven-year-old cousin, Brennan, had been diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia.
He observed the boy's dad traveling all over the country interviewing different cancer specialists about his son's case, all the while carrying stacks of DVDs and medical files, because medical specialists couldn't easily share information with one another.
Brennan's treatment entailed initial misdiagnoses, and eventually four bone-marrow transplants that drove the disease into remission. Mr. Turner and his former University of Pennsylvania classmate Zach Weinberg, with whom he had founded Invite Media, an ad tech firm acquired by Google in 2010 for $81 million, began building a new business gathering data on cancer treatments and outcomes over time. Vast amounts of data sit in doctors' and nurses' notes, unused, that might lead to insights about treatment efficacy, they figured.
But they faced a fearsome learning curve.
At first, they set out to create a second-opinion service that would make it possible for patients like Brennan and their families to pull up treatments and survival statistics. But after months of research, the two-time entrepreneurs concluded that their New York-based startup, Flatiron Health, would have greater impact if they changed the focus of their platform to connect doctors and cancer centers to one another, for the sake of sharing data that might help them make more informed treatment decisions. Their goal was finding and presenting the data. It would be up to oncologists to analyze it and make treatment decisions.
The duo spent longer than they expected convincing oncology chiefs and the facilities' chief information officers to give up some patient information. Some doctors and administrators, Mr. Turner says, weren't comfortable with the idea of sharing case information, which they felt was proprietary.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
10 year old saves her father's life with a little bit of help from Facebook...
A desperate and heart-wrenching Facebook post may have saved the life of one father in Logan County, West Virginia.
Last Tuesday, Gregory Vance was sitting on his porch with two friends as a violent storm swept through their neighborhood. The strong winds felled a large tree, and it landed on the three men, trapping them under the trunk, according to WOWK.
Vance's girlfriend and his two children, who were sheltered inside their home, frantically called out to him but received no answer, the outlet reported.
The family's cell phone service was down due to the storm and they don't have a landline. It seemed like they had no way to get help.
That's when Vance's 10-year-old daughter, Brianna, had an ingenious idea.
She realized she could still get online using their Wi-Fi, so she recorded a cell phone video of herself pleading for help and posted it to Facebook, KTRK reported.
"The lightning crashed and hit a tree by our porch, and my dad's almost dead," Brianna says in the video, as tears stream down her face. "He needs an ambulance please. Please call one for us if you have signal. We live in a yellow house."
Someone saw the child's panicked plea and contacted 911. Shortly after,firefighters arrived and freed the trapped men, WOWK reported.
"I was scared. I needed help. My dad needed help," Brianna told the outlet. "So I had to post that."
Her father and his friends were taken Logan Regional Hospital. His friends were released quickly, while Vance was treated for a broken collar bone and five broken ribs. KTRK reported that he returned home on Father's Day.
"I love you, dad, and I'm so happy you are home and happy to be your helper," Brianna reportedly posted to Facebook.
The 10-year-old has since been lauded for keeping a clear head under pressure.
"This is the real hero, that little girl," Henlawson Fire Department Lt. Tim Granger told ABC News, "And I hope she gets recognized for her heroism."
Lina Safar is using her illustrations to help child refugees...
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — When Lina Safar moved from her native Syria to Tampa with her U.S.-born husband in 2010, she assumed she would return occasionally, see her family, walk in her neighborhood and shop at her favorite markets.
A year later, her country was engulfed by civil war and Safar watched in horror from afar. Safar's father, a physician, was killed while helping the wounded. Her mother and brother fled and joined Safar at her Tampa townhome.
There's no way of telling when Safar will return for a visit, if ever. The 31-year-old children's book illustrator now remembers her country through her own paintings — and by helping Syria's displaced children. Safar recently illustrated a series of workbooks for Syrian refugee children as part of a program sponsored by Mercy Corps, a humanitarian aid organization.
Mercy Corps spokeswoman Andie Long said Safar's illustrations will be in books in English and in Arabic that train adults how to properly care for displaced children. There are also accompanying workbooks for the children.
According to UNICEF, some 5.5 million Syrian children have been affected by the war, with more than 1 million children living as refugees in neighboring Mideast countries.
"These are circumstances where the number of people affected is so enormous," Long said.
Safar studied art in Damascus and met her husband there. She was working with international publishers on illustrating children's books while in Syria, and continued when she married and came to the U.S. She said work on the project for Syrian children affected her deeply.
"I was constantly thinking about Syria. But not only Syria today, not the present, the sad situation, but going through a lot of memories, going through and trying to recreate the details of the everyday life I remember," she said.
The book titled "My Story" provides a way for the displaced children to write and illustrate their own histories, feelings and memories while giving them a measure of control over their lives. Safar's ethereal, colorful drawings frame open-ended questions such as, "My favorite animal is..." ''Our family traditions..." or "My goals are..."
"It was very helpful for me, to feel that I was able to contribute in one way or another," she said. "This was just a small piece of me that I could send back to those children and the people of Syria."
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Giving Back - Homeless man to run San Francisco Half Marathon for charity...
Ronnie Goodman might not have a comfortable place to rest his aching feet at night, but that’s not keeping this homeless artist from running 13.1 miles next month in San Francisco’s half marathon for charity.
Goodman, 53, has been living under a freeway in San Francisco for two years, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Still, he trains every day to fulfill his dream of running in the famed local event and his fans have found a way to make sure he will.
After reading about his love of running in the Chronicle’s original profile of Goodman, fans stepped in and donated $120 to cover his entry fee for the July race.
While Goodman could have certainly used the race as a way to raise additional funds for himself, he’s decided to give back to the organization that's helping him get back on his feet.
He's collecting money for the Hospitality House, an organization that empowers homeless and low-income people through a number of initiatives, including an art program that encouraged Goodman to pursue his passion.
The self-taught artist paints and draws works that explore both the beauty and diversity of his city, along with images of human despair, according to his website.
Goodman has set a pretty ambitious goal of raising $25,000 for the organization, according to the campaign’s website. Donors will be entered into a raffle to win one of Goodman’s original works.
Goodman feels confident he can reach his goal and is mostly looking forward to showing the Hospitality House just how grateful he is.
"This is my chance to give back to them," Goodman told the Chronicle. "That makes me happy."
Find out how you can get involved with the "Run With Ronnie" campaign here.
Celebrating a Love Story for the Ages...after 62 years apart Cynthia Riggs and Howard Attebery celebrate their first anniversary.
She was content to be alone, he was looking to fill the emptiness.
After 62 years apart, Cynthia Riggs and Howard Attebery now live happily and very much in love in West Tisbury. On May 25, Ms. Riggs and Dr. Attebery celebrated their one year anniversary as husband and wife.
“The word that comes to my mind is timeless,” Dr. Attebery said while sitting in the backyard of the couple’s home. “I can’t believe it’s been one year.”
Next month they’ll head down the Mississippi River on a paddleboat cruise for their honeymoon.
The couple met during the summer of 1950 while working at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, sorting and counting plankton at the San Diego laboratory. She was 18, he was 28. Their friendship grew over the course of the summer when they exchanged coded messages and notes. Ms. Riggs returned to Antioch College in Ohio that fall and the two fell out of touch. They reconnected over 60 years later in 2012, at first through an anonymous coded letter sent by Dr. Attebery that when translated read, “I have never stopped loving you.”
The couple celebrated their first wedding anniversary in May. — Mark Lovewell
What followed was months of daily correspondence and eventual courtship. Ms. Riggs flew out to visit Dr. Attebery at the end of the summer of 2012. The two were engaged within 24 hours.
Ms. Riggs is turning 83 this week and Dr. Attebery is 92.
“One of the things we both understand is obviously we have a limited amount of time, so we’re not going to waste time worrying about the little stuff,” Ms. Riggs said. “Who cares if the toothpaste is in the sink, that just isn’t important.”
The story of Dr. Attebery’s and Ms. Riggs’s courtship first came to light two summers ago at a storytelling performance at Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs for the Moth Radio Hour. The story gained national attention and even an offer for a television movie. The two became a symbol for never giving up on love, no matter the age.
For their one year anniversary, Ms. Riggs put together a picture booklet of their past year together. Dr. Attebery gave his wife a kite and they flew it together in the backyard.
A native of California, this was Dr. Attebery’s first real winter.
“It was a little hard to get used to — the winter underwear, the skull cap, it has to be learned,” he said.
A typical day in the Riggs/Attebery household included trips to Cronig’s Market, the post office and a walk outside.
“We’re exploring places I’ve never been to,” Ms. Riggs said. Some trails have become habitual, too. “Since Polly Hill didn’t have enough benches for us to sit down when we wanted to, we gave them a bench.”
“We always had a candlelight dinner by the fireplace,” Dr. Attebery said.
In the spring they added some chickens and goats to their backyard.
“We really enjoy the chickens, they’re part of the family now and they know it,” Dr. Attebery said as Ms. Riggs invited a chicken onto her lap.
“Before we got married one of Howie’s guy friends said to him, make sure you don’t get her pregnant,” Ms. Riggs said, laughing. “So we’re calling the chickens and guinea hens our babies.”
This summer, in addition to the trip down the Mississippi, the two will continue to run Ms. Rigg’s bed and breakfast out of their home at the Cleveland House. Dr. Attebery helps set up in the morning and makes coffee for inn guests.
“She gives me chores I can handle,” he said.
And the two are writing a book together about their late-in-life relationship.
“When Howie first contacted me and we started corresponding, we were emailing two or three times a day,” Ms. Riggs said. “We both kept it all, so we just put it together.”
The book includes an anecdote neither shared with anyone for 60 years. While they were working together at Scripps, the two took a camping trip up the coast.
“We took this little camping trip together that I never told anyone about,” Ms. Riggs said.
“We went up the coast to Sequoia and Yosemite, and we saw one of the relatives to make it legal,” Dr. Attebery added.
“And one night we slept in this orange grove,” Ms. Riggs said. They slept in separate sleeping bags, of course, “because this was 1950.”
“Under the perfume of the orange in blossom,” Dr. Attebery continued. “But then we didn’t know they irrigated it at two in the morning.”
Over the past year, Dr. Attebery has learned that Ms. Riggs snores and she has learned of his keen interest in snowy owls. And both are surpassing each others’ expectations.
“I had such a tough marriage before, I was really expecting somebody who even though he seemed really nice in his letters, I was expecting there’d be some rough spots,” Ms. Riggs said. “But there haven’t been. It’s not at all what I expected. He goes along with everything I say, which I’m not used to.”
Dr. Attebery said he was expecting “good times” and a “peaceful life.”
“My second wife died of cancer, and there was quite a period that I was alone. I was lonesome,” he said. “She’s filled up that loneliness. It’s gone.”
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Purple Toes....100's of strangers join in to cheer up woman with cancer diagnosis...
Nail polish can't cure cancer, but when applied correctly, it can sure help a cancer patient's outlook on life.
When Valerie Brosdal was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in August 2013, her husband, Ralph Kapostins, sought to lift her spirits by taking her for a pedicure. Valerie painted her toes purple, her favorite color, so Ralph figured he'd paint his nails purple, too, hoping to make her smile.
It worked, reports NBC Bay Area, so Ralph, inspired by his wife's smile, posted a photo of their purple toenails on Facebook. He asked others to share photos of their own purple-painted toenails in support of Valerie, and the idea took off.
It's #purpletoes Wednesday! Join our campaign and send us your purple toes . purpletoes@lungcancerfoundation.org pic.twitter.com/qCy6qEJ0lH
— LungCancerFoundation (@TheALCF) June 4, 2014
#PurpleToes Campaign: Using social media to support#LungCancerAwarenessMonth http://t.co/A53Eua2Qripic.twitter.com/bGajmzQYvk
— Melissa D. Mitchell (@Melissa_Dance) November 15, 2013
So far, Ralph told NBC, about 400 people -- "good friends, complete strangers, women, men, kids, entire families and pets, including dogs, cats and even a couple of horses" -- have shared photos.
No joke about the horses:
Support #LungCancerAwarenessMonth. Join the #PurpleToes Campaign:http://t.co/ow4FPoP4AV … >takes but a minute pic.twitter.com/eglQJU6dXX
— Natascha Thomson (@NaThomson) November 19, 2013
The project has been aided in part by a friend, Susan Woolf, who started a "Purple Toes Campaign" through the Lung Cancer Foundation, which allows anyone to submit a photo of his or her purple-painted toes for a living mural.
Valerie seems pretty thrilled.
"I've got a huge grin on my face," she wrote on Facebook in response to someone who had submitted photos. "Thank you!"
8 year old Claudia Burkhill makes miraculous recovery from inoperable brain tumor...
Claudia Burkill was diagnosed with Metastatic PineoBlastoma - an inoperable brain tumour - in June 2011. On four separate occasions her family was told she had days – in some cases hours – to live and had even begun to make preparations for her funeral.
But incredibly the youngster has defied all the odds to make a miraculous recovery - and get the all-clear.
Credit: Mirror.co.uk
Following an experimental Italian treatment called The Milan Protocol involving 44 sessions of radiotherapy and some of the highest doses of chemotherapy ever administered to a child, doctors have dramatically reversed their prognosis.
The family announced the news on the Facebook page they created to help raise money for cancer research.
Credit: Mirror.co.uk
Her latest MRI scan showed no evidence of a tumor. Her mother had this to say:
"Today is the very first day in a very long time that I can look into the eyes of our four stunning children and know that I don't have to plan the funeral of one of them in the very near future. The mere joy of being alive today far surpasses any other single day in my live so far."
Monday, June 16, 2014
Firefighter who took in his friends 6 kids after he died in 9/11 gets a big surprise...
A New York City firefighter who became a surrogate dad to the children of his best friend and fellow firefighter who died on Sept. 11 was today recognized for his selflessness by the star players of his most beloved sports team, the New York Jets.
“From one dad to another, I want to wish you an early Happy Father’s Day,” former New York Jets superstar Joe Namath said to Lt. Larry Mack in a taped message that aired during a live surprise event today on “Good Morning America.”
Mack was surprised at his firehouse this morning with an ultimate tailgate party that featured New York Jets’ cheerleaders, former Jets wide receiver Wayne Chrebet, his own two children and the six children of his late friend, Lt. Vinnie Halloran.
“I’m just blown away,” Mack said on “GMA,” which threw the tailgate party to kickoff its “Big Daddy of All Surprises” week to honor outstanding fathers.
After Halloran died, Lt. Mack stepped in to help his friend’s family, who lived near his own in Putnam County, New York. He took the Halloran children camping with his own family, spent time with them on weekends and shared with them the love he and their father shared for the Jets, whose home games they attended together often.
“I love those kids like my own,” Mack said.
At today’s tailgate party, Chrebet saluted Mack for his exemplary fatherhood and told him the team was throwing him the ultimate fan experience.
The Jets will host Mack, his family and the Hallorans in a private luxury suite for the New York Jets game against the Chicago Bears Monday, Sept. 22.
Jets’ Center Nick Mangold will also personally give the group a private tour of the team’s practice facility in Florham Park, New Jersey.
‘He Helped Keep Everything Together When We Couldn’t’
The Hallorans are grateful to Mack for all his support through the years since their father died.
“After my father passed away, he was someone who really stepped in,” Kieran Halloran, now 24, said. “He drove over, picked up a priest along the way to comfort my mom.”
Connor Halloran, now 26, said his family went through a tough time.
While many people sent notes of condolence or a casserole, Mack “was there in a much more real way,” Connor Halloran said. ”And he helped keep everything together when we couldn’t.”
His brothers, Declan and Jake, said Mack was a kind of father to them. Not only did he take them on trips and hockey games, but he was a role model for them and their siblings.
“He’s done so much for everyone around him and he has his own family through all of this. And for a lot of people managing your own is a lot,” Jake said.
Mack’s own children, 25-year-old Bryan and 22-year old Candice, are proud of their father for helping the Hallorans, and the Hallorans say they will never forget what Mack has done.
“I love him … his smile is like contagious and you just can’t help be happy whenever you’re around him,” Phelan, the 12-year-old daughter Vinny Halloran never met, said of Mack.
“I used to call him Uncle Larry when I was younger and I didn’t even know that if he was or wasn’t my uncle,” she added, laughing.
Jake Halloran said Mack is happy when he’s giving to others. He called Mack’s selflessness “an incredible example” to him and his siblings. “He himself is the gift and he gives that to my family … and so many other people,” Jake Halloran added.
Kieran Halloran says he knows Mack never had to do what he did for them. “I’d like to thank him for being around,” added Declan Halloran.
Mack is loved by her entire family, Marie Halloran said.
“The kids might not say it and I might not say it but he’s important to us and he’s a great example for his children,” she said. “He’s a great example for my children … we’re better for knowing him and having him in our lives.”
Father and daughter reunite after being apart more than 50 years...
TODAY
Barb Stewart and her father reunite on TODAY after 50 years apart.
At just 3 months old, Barb Stewart lost her biological mom to rheumatic fever. Before she died, Stewart's mother and father, Fred Herman, vowed they'd give their daughter a normal life with two loving parents —which meant giving her up for adoption to an aunt and uncle who raised her as their own.
"I had a really good childhood," Stewart, 59, told TODAY.
Barb Stewart
Barb Stewart and her 22-year-old daughter Natalie.
Barb Stewart
Barb Stewart's natural parents Fred and Helen Herman.
The Illinois mother of four found out she was adopted at age 6, and has wanted to track down her biological family ever since. While she did see her father once at the age of 10 at a family gathering, she wasn't able to stay in touch with him, or meet the rest of her relatives.
"It was something that was on the back-burner emotionally," Stewart said. "I did always wonder who they were and if they knew about me."
She looked for her family off and on over the new years but never got anywhere. She had old photos of her late mother, and knew that her father had remarried and had two other children.
One night, Stewart turned to Facebook and stumbled upon Josephine Herman, her father's second wife. Stewart sent her a short message and by clicking through her page, she discovered her half-brother and half-sister.
"I just cried," she said after getting a message back. "This is something I've wanted for so long."
Kyle Michael Miller
Barb Stewart reunited with her father Fred Herman on TODAY.
While visiting TODAY Thursday, Stewart finally reunited with her 84-year-old father, with a hug that left them both in tears.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Nick, a young man with disabilities, gets a call from his new employer...
In case you needed a little reminder that hard work truly does pay off, Nick here can do that for you.
According to BuzzFeed, Nick, who has disabilities, trained for seven months with an online program called eTrac, so that he could be prepared to join the workforce.
He recently underwent two interviews with Walmart for a greeter job and was eager to get the position. The company finally got back to him and Nick’s mentor, Josh, was there to film the long-awaited exciting moment. There are lots of high-fives, ear-to-ear smiles and jumping for joy that you might want to get in on when you watch this clip.
It’s a pretty phenomenal accomplishment considering how challenging the job market is right now.
The unemployment rate for people with disabilities currently sits at 12.7 percent. That’s more than double the unemployment for people without disabilities, which is 5.8 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Hiring Nick also shows Walmart’s commitment to empowering people with disabilities, something it came under fire for failing to do recently.
Last November, the company fought the Supreme Court to avoid paying disability benefits, according to Mother Jones. It also was criticized on a local level in October when a store in Durango, Colorado, fired a greeter with disabilities for clocking in late, but then later offered to rehire him.
Walmart also showed its appreciation for the hard work people with disabilities contribute to the company when it profiled Patrick, who has physical and intellectual disabilities, in an ad back in March.
Patrick works for works for Little Tikes, a Walmart supplier, and has overcome a slew of challenges to get to the place where he is today, but he says nothing can stop him.
"My whole life people have been telling me I have a learning disability. I guess they’re right," Patrick says in the ad. "Because I never learned how to give up."
10 year-old Tanishq Abraham graduated from high school this week - has future plans to cure cancer...
10 year-old Tanishq Abraham graduated from high school this week with a 4.0 GPA and a Mensa membership (a society for people with high IQs).
YouTube
"I sensed there was something different about Tanishq when he was 6 months old because he became very interested in clocks and numbers — he started counting and could point out numbers when he saw them in books," Tanishq's mother, veterinarian Taji Abraham, tells Yahoo Shine. "He would also stare very intently at photos and ask so many questions. I always wondered, 'Why is he so curious?'"
YouTube
By the time Tanishq was 2, he was adding and subtracting numbers. "I told my husband that Tanishq was very smart, but he said I was just a proud mom," she says.
By the time Tanishq turned 6, he was "pestering" his mother to take paleontology college classes.
Now he plans to attend Harvard, MIT, or Cornell. After that, he wants to enroll in medical school and then research a cure for cancer -- a goal he's had since he was 4.
It's hard to imagine he won't reach it with values like these.
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