Sliver of Hope

[SubGod22]

Elephant Fitted With a Prosthetic Foot So He's Able to Walk Again - LOOK

When one is dealing with elephants, everything becomes a bit bigger, a bit more extreme—such as in this video when CPR is delivered via two veterinarians jumping up and down on the animal’s ribs like a moon bounce.

Similarly, Chhouk, an 11-year-old Asian elephant living at the Wildlife Alliance conservation organization in Cambodia, walks with a 44-pound prosthetic foot made out of recycled car tires and tow truck strapping.

Chhouk’s foot had to be amputated after it was caught in a poacher’s snare, but thanks to some $1,450 in funding every year from the Paradise Wildlife Park in the UK, the multi-ton animal gets a new prosthetic every 6-months, allowing him to walk, swim, and even run without difficulty.

“The level of care that he gets is brilliant and he has a great life now. There’s no better feeling,” said 27-year-old Cam Whitnall from England who runs the Paradise Wildlife Park and Big Cat Sanctuary with his family.

“Because he’s still growing, it needs replacing often and we’ve been sending payments to cover that. They’re made out of recycled rubber and some Velcro to tie it up,” he said. “They weigh about 20kg (44 pounds) and we actually got them to send one over and it’s sitting in my office currently.”

There's something about those who have a heart for helping our animal friends that makes me feel good.

[shoxlax]

Thanks, Sub. I see good people, even our youth, doing great things every day. One just has to filter out the noise to see it.

[SubGod22]

I've said it before, and I'll say it many more times in the future, but I truly believe most people are good and want to do good. Some maybe don't act upon certain things for one reason or another. Some maybe don't know how to do things or simply think they can't make a difference. But deep down, most of us are good. The news thrives on chaos and negativity and that's a big reason I've pretty much stopped watching the news, locally or nationally. I keep tabs on things but I don't need the negativity they put out.

I much prefer seeing and hearing about good things. Uplifting things. Encouraging things. Inspirational things. If a story I share gives someone some of that then that's fantastic. I just want to make sure that with all the negativity around us all, especially those who get deep into the political turmoil, that there's at least something positive to be seen if you choose to look for it. Not everyone wants positive and I get that. But I hope those who do want some positivity can enjoy the occasional post here.

I'm glad that you see the positives out there and hope you can continue to do so.

[SubGod22]

Magician Performs Tricks for Shelter Dogs So Their Enthusiastic Reactions get Them Adopted - Watch

John Stessel normally performs his A-list magic show to adoring fans and celebrities, but he has found another, equally enthusiastic audience for his tricks.

Stessel routinely performs now for shelter dogs at the St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in New Jersey, where their adorable reactions help to get them adopted.

Reactions to magic? Yeah, dogs are smart, and making treats and toys disappear before their eyes evidently leaves them flabergasted and determined to find out the secret.

“One of my small little superpowers is I can just help dogs show off in a way that they couldnt without me,” Stessel told Inside Edition. “Typically in the video the dogs just go nuts and they all have really different reactions.”

Stessel must take 4-5 antihistamines because, as it hapens, he’s frighteningly allergic to dogs. Hives are a common sight on set.

His work pays off, and most of the dogs in the video below have gone on to find permanent homes and loving families.

Video in the link.

Anything that helps dogs find loving homes is approved by me. And props to this guy for doing this while being very allergic to the dogs. That's a guy with a good heart.

[SubGod22]

Video of news coverage at the bottom of the article. I love this story so much. Probably because it involves dogs, but I love strangers stepping up to make someones day.

Hundreds Of Dogs Show Up To Celebrate Man's 100th Birthday

Residents of a San Jose community came together on Sunday to celebrate the 100th birthday of beloved local resident, Dr. Robert Moore.

Robert's daughter Alison put out the word on the Nextdoor app, asking people to dress up their dogs and parade them in front of their house to help their dad celebrate the milestone.

Alison told NBC Bay Area she was hoping for maybe 20 dogs to show up - but the response was incredible.

More than 200 dogs and their owners came by to wish him a happy birthday. There were dogs in cowboy hats, tuxedos, pups with disabilities, pulling carts and canines in classic cars. The line stretched all the way around the block and down the street.

Robert, accompanied by his family, was deeply moved by the outpouring of love and admiration from the community.

"My father, he was so touched. He pet every single dog that came through. Every person brought the dog up to him. It was so lovely," Alison said.

Dogs make everything better.

Everything.

[SubGod22]

Speaking of birthdays

Incredible Turn Of Events As Community Rallies To Save Little Girl's Birthday

A Texas community came together to celebrate a little girl whose birthday party seemed destined for despair.

"My little girl has counting down the days until her birthday party," mom Lex Fitzgerald said. "She's been so excited to celebrate with all her classmates and friends."

Despite Willa's excitement, the guests she had invited failed to arrive.

In a last desperate act, Lex posted on her local Facebook group in the hope a few families in the community might be available to join them and turn the day around for her daughter.

"If anyone has young kids and looking for something to do right now, no one showed up to my daughter's birthday party," she wrote online. "It's her first (and likely last) party. We'd love to celebrate with you."

"I didn’t want to have to tell my little girl that no one was coming to her birthday party," Lex said. "Quickly, I thought to reach out to my local Facebook group and send out a so called 'bat signal' of sorts to other families out there."

"The response was life changing," she said.

Families dropped what they were doing, grabbed presents and balloons, and flocked to the restaurant.

"Within MINUTES families were showing up ready to share the day with Willa," Lex said. "We went from not a single person at her birthday table to not a single table open."

[SubGod22]

There are a lot of good people in the world. Some simply do more than others.

"Mother Theresa of Vietnam" Ms. Huynh Tieu Huong Overcame Decades of Homelessness to Help Hundreds of Orphans

In Vietnam, a remarkable woman has adopted 346 children after overcoming a life of incredible hardship which started when her parents left her on a doorstep as a foundling.

Huynh Tieu Huong, whom national media has dubbed “Mother Theresa of Vietnam” runs a non-profit organization dedicated to the adoption, support, and free offering of loving kindness to foundlings, orphans, and homeless children. Thanks to support given by donors and volunteers, these 346 children are all able to receive education, safe places to sleep and play, and the proper medical care to ensure they reach adulthood healthy.

Huong herself doesn’t really know when she was born. An ID found on her didn’t include a surname, but did say 1968. In the years following the war, An old homeless woman dedicated what was left of her life’s energies toward trying to help Huong find a home—which she did in the hands of a young couple from the city of Vinh Phu.

These turned out to be sexual predators, and it took the neighbors to help her escape a permanent fate of sexual exploitation. Her life then became year after year of vagabondry, until she found a baby girl left on her doorstep when she was about 19 years old.

She adopted the child, and in this act of generosity, the universe finally began to smile on Tieu Huong, who met a Chinese man who gave her the money to rent an apartment and start a business. When she could readily support herself and her daughter Anh Dao, she started volunteering at the Vietnam Relief Association in 1993, helping orphans and the elderly.

[SubGod22]

Mom Is 'Overwhelmed' By Stranger's Kind Act To Daughter With Cancer

A mother was overwhelmed by the kindness of a stranger who bestowed a generous gift upon her child battling cancer.


Indie shopping / Credit: Siobhan Bon Senior on Facebook

Siobhan Bon was shopping at a mall in Sheffield, UK, with her daughter Indie who is currently undergoing cancer treatment. She is battling leukaemia and is now in her fifth round of chemotherapy.

While in the Apple store, a man came up to Siobhan and said "My son had cancer, I know how you're feeling". He then looked at Indie and said "I've got something for you" and handed her £100.

The man revealed his son had also been treated for cancer and was now 10 years in remission.

"Both me and him was absolutely bawling out eyes cuddling in middle of Apple shop," Siobhan said. "Everyone looking at us but for that minute someone knew exactly how I felt."

Indie was "over the moon" at the cash gift from the stranger, saying: "Mummy, I'm rich!"

The man's generosity meant Indie, an aspiring TikTok star, could afford to buy new make-up and skin-care products and create a brand new video on the app.

And telling them his son was a decade in remission gave them both hope.

"I never got his name and I so wish I did, " Siobhan wrote on Facebook. "If you see this thank you!"

In a world often filled with negativity and hardship, stories like this remind us of the incredible power of compassion and the difference we can make in each other's lives.

[WuDrWu]

Everything but "aspiring TikTok star" is wonderful in that article.

[SubGod22]

Everything but "aspiring TikTok star" is wonderful in that article.

She's 10

[SubGod22]

A bit different, but you gotta respect it.

Hotel Honors Honeymoon Gift Certificate it Gave to Kansas City Newlyweds 40 Years Ago

Big corporate hotel chains have never lacked criticism and customer complaints, but in downtown Kansas City, one Marriot is honoring a promise that its representatives made almost 40 years ago.

Tim and Melinda O’Brien got married in 1983 and wanted to go “where nobody would think to look for us” for a fast honeymoon getaway.

They selected the Radisson Muehlebach hotel, but due to unforeseen circumstances, they didn’t stay there long enough for the important part.

Fast forward to 2023, and the couple is preparing to celebrate 40 years of partnership, and that’s when combing through their wedding album they came across a gift certificate certifying that “anytime you stay at the Radisson Muehlebach during your anniversary month, your room rate will be the same as your original honeymoon rate.”

Back then, that was just 38 bucks. How times change.

“I wonder if they’ll still honor this,” Tim O’Brien thought to himself.

To the credit of the hotel—now a Marriot instead of a Radisson—they did, and while the room they stayed in no longer exists, they had some very comparable ones.

Honestly, I wouldn't have even checked, but props to them for doing so. And props to the hotel for choosing to honor it.

Based off of a quick Google search, it appears that rooms at this hotel average about $200 a night.

[WuDrWu]

She's 10

That's pretty much my point.

[SubGod22]

Family Adopts Elderly Neighbor as 'Honorary Grandpa' for Holidays and Heartwarming Daily Moments (LOOK)

After moving to Texas from the East Coast, a family “adopted” a neighborhood senior who jumped in to welcome them.

Sharaine Caraballo and her husband Wilson met 82-year-old Paul Callahan in March last year when Wilson began working on their recently purchased home and he offered him a ladder to work with.

From then on, it didn’t take very long for the family of eight and their new neighbor to become close and for Paul to take on the role of de-facto grandpa.

A retired Texas Instruments manager, Paul’s wife sadly passed away six months before the family moved into the neighborhood and Sharaine thinks her family provided an important refuge for Paul.

“One of my biggest fears was meeting our new neighbors. I was wondering who they were going to be and what they were going to be like,” said Sharaine, who is originally from Pawtucket, New England. “When Paul welcomed us into the neighborhood I knew I had made the right choice.”

I always enjoy stories like this. And I'm not entirely sure who the winner is in this one as it seems both sides are bringing quite a bit to the table. It just works and makes me smile.

[SubGod22]

I also love when I see groups rally around their own.

His Dream Was To Hike The WCT. When The Airline Lost His Luggage, Strangers Stepped Up

A Utah man was able to fulfill his dream of hiking the West Coast Trail (WCT), thanks to the kindness of strangers.

Cragun Foulger had long dreamed of completing the 45-mile hike along the west coast of Vancouver Island. The WCT is an iconic backcountry, multi-day backpacking trail that is a bucket list challenge for many hikers.

But Foulger's trip to Vancouver Island earlier this month was almost ruined after his airline lost all of his hiking gear.

"I kind of went through all the cycles of grief in about 15 minutes," he told the CBC.

Foulger had previously spent a lot of time on the "West Coast Trail, Beautiful British Columbia" Facebook group preparing for the trip. Once he accepted that he would not be going on the hike, he posted a message to the group to explain what happened and to thank everyone for their support in planning the trip.

"There was a huge outpouring, just a deluge of people saying, 'No, you can't do that'," Foulger said.

Group members offered to pick him up and supplied him with a backpack, tent, poles, sleeping bag and other necessary equipment.

Video at the bottom of the link.

[SubGod22]

Man Whose Dog Ran Away While He Was in a Coma Is Reunited Thanks to Strangers on Internet

Waking up from a coma, a man was devastated when he learned his dog had gotten lost, but his luck turned around after the help from a local dog rescue organizer.

Bubba Nulisch was hospitalized with a bacterial infection and put into an induced coma on April 18th.

After waking from his coma three weeks later he was desperate to see his four-year-old dog Bullet.

However, while still in the hospital, Bubba received a call to tell him his beloved pooch had gone missing from his home in Grand Prairie, Texas.

On the suggestion of some of the hospital nurses, he immediately took to Facebook and asked for help in lost pet groups in the hope someone had spotted Bullet in the area.

He had adopted Bullet after being forced to retire from his truck driving job for medical reasons in October 2015 and says the dog pulled him out of a “deep depression.”

As it happened, someone had seen him—43-year-old Kim Joppie who runs a dog rescue in Dallas. Bullet had made it to Joppie’s rescue center on June 4th, and after she learned who he belonged to, she stepped up to make sure he was back at Bubba’s side as fast as possible.

Neutered and microchipped, Joppie drove the dog out to Bubba and was delighted with what happened after she arrived.

“When they were reunited, I can’t describe the pure emotion that came from him,” said Kim. “They were so bonded. It was so beautiful, and I’ve never seen anything like it.”

The value of our dogs is immeasurable. I can't imagine how devastated I would be had something like this happened to me.