Sliver of Hope

[Kung Wu]

Here's a great story right out of Wichita ...

Couple credits fate for being there to help children dumped on side of NW Wichita road

[SubGod22]

How to Save An Elephant With CPR? Jump Up and Down on its Chest to Revive Her (Watch)

After pulling her out with a hydraulic digger arm, dramatic footage shows the vets jumping up and down on her chest to revive her, during which time the one-year-old calf was helped to scramble out of the hole.

Mercifully, the mom woke up suddenly, after a three-hour rescue ordeal in mud, high grass and pouring rain. After the two cross the road and enter the forest, the lead vet can be seen nearly collapsing with relief.

There's video in the link if you're interested.

[SubGod22]

A son doing something special for his mom isn't a big surprise, but I wanted to share it anyway.

She Lost Her Hair Battling a Brain Tumor. Her Son Grew His Hair out to Make Her a Wig

Melanie Shaha doesn’t mind being sick, but she does mind looking sick. For 15 years you’d never have known that Melanie had a benign cancer tumor on her pituitary gland.

Two successful surgeries in 2003 and 2006 couldn’t get rid of the tumor permanently, and in 2017 she was prescribed radiation therapy. Three months after starting the new treatment, she lost all her hair.

“Not having hair, you stick out like a sore thumb and well-meaning people can say things that break your heart,” Melanie told TODAY.

However, what started as a joke by Melanie’s 27-year-old son Matt around the dinner table in 2018 soon became a plan. Matt had recently graduated from a university with a dress code that limited hair length, and was looking forward for a bit of time au natural. He agreed he would grow his hair out to make a wig for his mom, who admittedly attempted to dissuade him as the inches accumulated.

[ShockerDropOut]

25-Year-Old Runs into Burning Home and Saves 5 Kids - Gets Rewarded With $500K and 'New Lease on Life'

Normal people doing extraordinary things.

[SubGod22]

25-Year-Old Runs into Burning Home and Saves 5 Kids - Gets Rewarded With $500K and 'New Lease on Life'

Running inside, his cries allegedly woke 4 children and a family friend from their sleep. The oldest of five, 18-year-old Seionna Barret, had gathered together her siblings and prepared to go down the stairs from the second floor where they encountered Nick.

Once outside however, Seionna told Bostic that her 6-year-old sister wasn’t with them. Running inside through the back door, Bostic described the fire in the Lafayette, Indiana home as having created a “black lagoon” of smoke on the ground floor.

But after checking all the bedrooms on the second floor, he still had not found the youngster.

“He moved to a window to exit the house when he heard a child’s cry coming from downstairs,” write city reporters who spoke with the rescuer. “Nicholas [had] an inner dialog with himself. He knew he was there to get that child out, and even though the fire and smoke downstairs frightened him, he would not quit.”

Wrapping a t-shirt around his mouth, he crawled through the blackness, following the sounds of the girl’s cries.

He then found her, proceeded back through the smoke, ran upstairs, smashed a window with his bare hand, and jumped down onto the lawn where a fire and rescue team had arrived and were beginning work to put out the fire.

[SubGod22]

Here's another one with some local connections. Also, I'm surprised that I've never heard of this charity.

Fantasy Wonderland of 500,000 Balloons Gives Sick Kids Most Uplifting Fundraising Event Ever - LOOK

On Friday and Saturday, a hotel in Orlando came alive with vibrant colors and breathtaking flair after more than 400 balloon artists from around the world constructed a wonderland to benefit sick children.

The ballroom in the Hyatt hotel became a life-sized replica of Give Kids The World Village—a 90-acre, whimsical nonprofit resort in Kissimmee, Florida which provides critically ill children and their families with magical week-long vacations at no cost.

Balloon artisans from 22 countries built life-sized replicas of the Village’s seven iconic ‘neighborhoods’ using a half-million biodegradable balloons to recreate Under the Sea, Candy Land, Dinosaur Land, and more.

Sponsored by Pioneer Balloon Company, all the proceeds from the $20 tickets go towards fulfilling the wishes of critically-ill children and their families.

“We are very excited about bringing the wonder and excitement of balloon artistry to Orlando while raising funds for such an impactful nonprofit,” said a spokesperson of Pioneer Balloon Company founded in 1917.

There are some pretty impressive pictures of the setup as well as a news video in the link, where they do give a shout out to Pioneer Balloon Company and Wichita.

[Shockm]

I lost my wallet many (30+) years ago. I found the wallet at a store, but a credit card was gone. Someone used one of my cards that was missing before I found the wallet, and he was found and arrested. I had to go to court and testify, about when and where I lost it. Ultimately, I didn't lose anything (except time), because the credit card company took care of it, and of prosecuting the criminal too.

The sad thing today, is that I suspect, in many places, this crime wouldn't be prosecuted today. That just emboldens criminal activity, and loses law abiding citizens money, imo.

[SubGod22]

This one fits wit the thread.

Teen Finds Woman's Purse and is Rewarded With $17,000 After He Delivers it to Her Door

Adrian Rodriquez found the green handbag in Ralph’s parking lot in Chula Vista, California, two weeks ago. Instead of bringing it inside the store, he decided to deliver it himself to the woman’s front door.

Although the owner, Eliana Martin, wasn’t there, the purse was left with the roommates, and the home’s surveillance video was later used to track down the high school graduate to show him some love.

“I looked into the Ring camera, and I was like, ‘Oh my God. He’s such a young kid’,” recalls Melina Marquez. “We need to find him and just give him a little piece of gratitude.”

She and Martin posted the striking image on social media, and found the young man who returned the bag, which contained $20 and a wallet full of credit cards.

“My mom always told me since I was little to always do the right thing when nobody’s around,” Adrian told NBC News. “I didn’t expect nothing back, honestly.”

“If someone found my stuff, I’d want them to bring it back to me,” said the humble youth.

Honestly, I don't think most people would have done this. I once had a wallet fall out as I took my keys out of my pocket to leave a place of business. When I emptied my pockets when I got home, I noticed it was gone. I called the place to see if maybe I left it inside and then drove back into Wichita. I did find my wallet, but cash and cards were gone. Thankfully it was easy to cancel them quickly and no harm was done, outside of waiting a week or so for replacement cards to arrive. So I know this doesn't always end well.

[SubGod22]

The random circumstances that can come together to be a life-saver. Again, not sure if this completely fits in this thread, but it's an amazing story.

Tourist Survives 18 Hours at Sea By Clinging to a Soccer Ball

Strong currents swept a 30-year-old man out to sea while he was on a beach vacation—but reminiscent of the movie Castaway, he now has a soccer ball to thank for his survival.

The Macedonia man spent 18 hours holding on to the partially-deflated leather ball in the Aegean Sea before he was rescued 15 miles away.

Though a good swimmer, Ivan was growing tired when his luck changed, and the rainbow-colored ball came floating toward him, reports Serbian news site, Telegraf.

When news broke about Ivan’s real-life ‘Wilson!’ experience, a pair of Greek children reported that the colorful ball ended up in the sea 10 days earlier when they were playing football on the island of Lemnos—80 miles away.

A lost ball from 80 miles away saves your life. That's pretty crazy. You just never know what chain of events will come together and make a difference.

[SubGod22]

Not sure if this really belongs here, but I'm doing it anyway. It made me smile and who doesn't love a good story involving a dog?

Family Left Stunned When Their Dog Escaped-Only to Return Later With a Ribbon From a Dog Show

When Peter saw that the gate had swung open, he thought ‘oh no’.

Little did they know that John Wilmer had spotted Bonnie by the side of the road while on his way to a dog show in Surrey where he was entering his own two dogs.

Soon after, the family’s fears were eased when Paula spotted a Facebook post by John hoping to locate the pet’s owners. He was running late for the dog show and asked, ‘does anyone know this dog’?

John then decided to enter Bonnie into the competition. He thought “I might as well enter her into the ‘best rescue dog’ category”.

And she returned to her family with a third place ribbon!

[WstateU]

President Muma, Dr. King and AD Kevin Saal better fuel up the Gulfstream and head to Houston STAT...

[WstateU]

NewsBreak - This San Antonio man has given away $150 million. And wants to gift $250 million more.

This man is a graduate of the University of Wichita

[SubGod22]

NewsBreak - This San Antonio man has given away $150 million. And wants to gift $250 million more.

This man is a graduate of the University of Wichita

So far, Najim has awarded $156 million in grants and pledges, but if that was enough, he has also pledged another $250 million to the foundation over the next 10 – 15 years.

Organizations he has supported include:

• Carver Academy
• Respite Care of San Antonio
• Brighton School
• KIPP Aspire Academy
• Hope for the Future
• The Children’s Shelter
• Morgan’s Wonderland, San Antonio

The biggest focus for Najim is education.

So far, Najim has awarded $156 million in grants and pledges, but if that was enough, he has also pledged another $250 million to the foundation over the next 10 – 15 years.

Organizations he has supported include:

• Carver Academy
• Respite Care of San Antonio
• Brighton School
• KIPP Aspire Academy
• Hope for the Future
• The Children’s Shelter
• Morgan’s Wonderland, San Antonio

The biggest focus for Najim is education.

[1972Shocker]

[SubGod22]

Not going to lie, this one hit me in the feels a bit. I think having a number of niece's and a nephew I've seen how things like this can impact a child and that it really doesn't take a great effort to do some good at times. Right person, right place, right time.

Airline Captain Writes Note to Tooth Fairy For Girl Who Lost Tooth on Plane

Lena and Laura Larmon were at the tail end of a long travel period, with a return leg from Norway to Greenville-Spartanburg Int. Airport, South Carolina, interrupted in New York with a 36-hour delay. Finally stepping off the plane must have felt like bliss, until at the baggage claim, when 6-year-old Lena realized she had lost a tooth.

“We tried to walk back to the airplane, but security was closed. It was 2 a.m.,” mom Laura told Good Morning America, adding that Lena was “crying and very emotional,” when she realized that, without the tooth to place under her pillow, there would be no corresponding visit from the Tooth Fairy.

That’s when United Airlines Captain Josh Duchow, seeing Lena’s distress, stepped in to help. With his captain’s bearing, and official uniform, there would be no doubt that a quick written explanation from “Captain Josh” would be an acceptable receipt for the Tooth Fairy’s records.

“Dear Tooth Fairy, Lena had a tooth fall out on her flight to Greenville,” wrote Duchow, who piloted the flight. “Please take this note in place of her tooth.”