Uplifting Stories Thread

[China]

Town discovers a farmer had been secretly paying off their bills for years. They only found out after his death

 

For nearly a decade up until his death on New Year’s Day, a retired farmer in Alabama gave a local pharmacy $100 a month for patients who couldn’t afford their medication, without anyone knowing other than the store’s owner.

 

Roughly 10 years ago, Hody Childress of Geraldine, Alabama, gave a folded-up $100 bill to pharmacy owner Brooke Walker and told her to never tell anyone where it came from. He returned every month with the same instructions and another $100 bill.

 

“He said, ‘Don’t tell a soul where the money came from – if they ask, just tell them it’s a blessing from the Lord,’” Ms Walker told The Washington Post.

 

Over the last year, prescription drug prices surged at an average rate of nearly 32 per cent, with some drug prices exploding by 500 per cent, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

 

Americans pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs, with annual costs reaching roughly $1,300 per person each year.

 

Nearly 40 per cent of Americans or members of their family postponed medical treatment last year because of growing costs, the highest point in 22 years, according to January polling from Gallup.

 

Roughly 83 per cent of American adults say the cost of prescription drugs is unreasonable, according to last year’s polling from health policy organisation KFF. In 2019, the group found that roughly one-quarter of Americans have trouble affording them.

 

That year, about 3.5 million Americans age 65 and older struggled to afford their prescription drugs, and people of colour on Medicare or with lower incomes were more likely to skip them altogether, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

 

“Mr Childress was a kind, humble man,” Ms Walker told local NBC affiliate WVTM-TV. His family told The Post that Mr Childress – an 80-year-old US Air Force veteran and longtime Lockheed Martin employee – largely lived off retirement savings and Social Security payments.

 

“Each and every month, year after year, he would walk into the drug store and hand me $100,” Ms Walker told WVM-TV. “I kept my word of not telling anyone, even the family. Eventually, I did start taking a little money here, a little money there, just to help people who were struggling.”

 

Over the years, those $100 bills began to add up to thousands of dollars for patients without insurance or under-insured customers whose insurance did not adequately cover the cost of their medication, according to Ms Walker.

 

Nobody in the family knew about his monthly trips, but he revealed his donations to his daughter just before his death, she told The Washington Post.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Cancer survivor 'Mighty Quinn' delivers toys for kids going through treatment

 

In celebration of his 7th birthday, a Massachusetts boy who was diagnosed with cancer nearly four years ago collected a truckload of toys for other children who are currently undergoing treatment for cancer.

 

Quinn Waters, of Weymouth, was diagnosed with a brain tumor on Feb. 11, 2019, the day after he turned 3 years old.

 

He became known as "The Mighty Quinn" for his bravery and strength in the face of his cancer battle. He is currently stable after completing 30 rounds of radiation in all by April 2021.

While Quinn was undergoing radiation at Massachusetts General Hospital, the Mass. General for Children’s Department of Radiation Oncology held "toy closet Fridays," where children who were going through radiation got to pick a toy for themselves and their siblings.

 

Knowing the joy "toy closet Fridays" brought him and his older sister, Maggie, Quinn asked his parents to organize a toy drive for his birthday this year. They delivered the toys to Mass. General on Friday, with Quinn dressed as Spider-Man for the occasion.

 

"The kids with cancer can get a toy and there's a closet for the sibling. When Quinn was here, he could pick a toy for him and for me," Maggie said.

 

Quincy police helped the family make their delivery.

 

Click on the link for the full article and video

[China]

 

[EmirOfShmo]

 

[China]

 

[EmirOfShmo]

 

[China]

 

[The 12th Commandment]

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-taught-pet-parrots-to-video-call-each-other-and-the-birds-loved-it-180982041/

 

When humans are feeling lonely, we can call or video chat with friends and family who live far away. But, scientists asked, what about pet parrots? New research suggests that these chatty creatures may also benefit from virtually connecting with their peers.

-more at link

 

Had a boss once who had his travel severely limited because his African Gray would pull its feathers out when he was gone.  Nice to see a little interaction for these social creatures we keep solitary.

[skinsmarydu]

[EmirOfShmo]

 

[China]

 

[China]

Sailor and His Dog Miraculously Rescued After Two Months Adrift in the Pacific Ocean

 

An Australian sailor and his loyal dog were recently rescued after surviving two months adrift in the Pacific Ocean by eating raw fish and drinking rainwater.

 

54-year-old Tim Shaddock and his dog Bella left Mexico for French Polynesia back in April, but a few weeks into their 6,000 km journey, Tim’s catamaran was severely damaged in a storm, and they were left with no way to sail. The storm also knocked out all the electronics, so the Sydney-based man had no way of contacting anyone for help, or even cooking his supplies. The last time Shaddock saw dry land was in early May as he sailed out of the Sea of Cortez and into the Pacific during a full moon. He and his canine have been drifting in the Pacific ever since, taking shelter from the sun under a canopy, eating raw fish, and drinking rainwater.

 

 

When he spotted a tuna boat’s helicopter flying in the distance, it was the first sign of humans he had seen in three months. Luckily, the helicopter spotted him as well, and after the pilot threw him a drink, he flew away only to return with a speed boat from the María Delia fishing vessel. The two castaways were reportedly in a precarious state and in need of medical attention.

 

Bella, the catamaran’s canine passenger was an instant hit with the crew of the María Delia. Interestingly, Tim Shaddock had picked her up while traveling through Mexico, as, despite his attempts to find her a home, she kept following him everywhere. Even during their rescue, Bella refused to leave the boat before her human companion left.

 

Click on the link fo rthe full article

[China]

12-year-old hero captured on video: Wellington's Austen MacMillan pulls grown man from pool, gives life-saving CPR

 

Jason Piquette is a behavioral therapist who helps young adults gain strength by training in real-life situations. But 12-year-old Austen MacMillan summoned superhuman strength when it was Jason who needed saving.

 

In security video, you can see Austen pulling Jason up from the bottom of his family’s pool to the stairs. Then in the millisecond Austen turns to get help, Jason slips under the water. Again, the seventh-grade student makes the save.

 

"I pulled him out of the water to the shore over there," Austen said.

 

When he realized Jason wasn’t breathing, he knew what to do.

 

Click on the link for the full article and video

[China]

Rockefeller Center Christmas tree’s journey into a Habitat home

 

The holiday season is a magical time of hope, joy and togetherness for many families living in Habitat for Humanity homes. Whether it’s being able to build a snowman in the front yard, gather the kids around the kitchen table to decorate cookies or inviting friends over for warm apple cider, having a safe and stable home gives families the freedom to create memories that will last a lifetime. For some Habitat homeowners, the holidays are also a special reminder that their house is part Christmas tree.

 

A Christmas tradition
 

Each year since 2007, lumber milled from the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree has been used to help a family build their Habitat home. Tishman Speyer, the owner and operator of Rockefeller Center, generously donates that lumber to Habitat. Company staff members then build alongside a family, turning a Christmas tradition celebrated by millions into a place for smaller, but no less joyous, celebrations.

 

“Every year, Tishman Speyer generously donates one of the largest and most widely-recognized Christmas trees to Habitat,” says Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is a reminder to reflect, be thankful and to remember to give back to others among the hustle and bustle of the holidays. That symbol will live on as part of Habitat homeowners’ lives in their new houses.” A children’s book inspired by Tishman Speyer and Habitat’s partnership, The Carpenter’s Gift, is also a powerful reminder to give back. The heartwarming story follows the journey of a young boy whose wish for a decent home comes true in an unexpected way.  

 

For Habitat for Humanity International employees, a symbol of the longstanding partnership with Tishman Speyer is visible year-round. Several walls featuring exposed lumber from the 2018 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree are scattered throughout Habitat’s national headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. The lumber is branded with stamps from multiple years commemorating the annual tree lighting ceremony.

 

Click on the link for the full story

[China]

 

[China]

Pigeon found outside Florida hair salon reunites with owner after 15 months

 

A seemingly ordinary pigeon found outside a Cape Coral beauty salon turned out to be an unexpected Christmas miracle, reuniting with its owner after being missing for over 15 months since Hurricane Ian. 
 

Elizabeth Merriken was in the salon chair of Eva’s Hair and Skin Salon in Cape Coral when a bird started drawing people outside the front door. 

 

“I’m always finding homeless stray animals. So it was typical for me,” she said.

 

Merriken managed to grab the bird, and, upon inspection, she found a phone number on its foot.

 

The discovery unfolded when Tammy Pangburn, a massage therapist at the salon, noticed the pigeon exhibiting unusual behavior. 
 

“I had just watered the plant outside the door, and the water was dripping down. And I noticed this bird come up, trying to drink the water,” she said.

 

To their surprise, they realized the pigeon was not a wild bird but someone’s pet. 

 

“We called him to see if he was missing a bird, and he says it’d been missing since the hurricane,” recounted Merriken, describing the unexpected phone call that led to a heartwarming reunion.

 

The owner, who had lost the pigeon during Hurricane Ian more than 15 months ago, expressed immense joy at the unexpected turn of events.

 

Click on the link for the full article and video 

[Califan007 The Constipated]

 

 

[EmirOfShmo]

 

[China]

Hero bus driver saves 9 kids before school bus goes up in flames

 

A Louisiana school bus driver is being hailed a hero after she jumped into action and helped nine children off a school bus before the vehicle was engulfed in flames.

 

Kia Rousseve, a bus driver for Community Academies of New Orleans, was on her way to her fifth bus stop along her usual route on March 13 when she realized something was wrong and her mother's instinct kicked in.

 

"I put my motherhood on. I have a child, so I thought about them kids like it was my own child," Rousseve told "Good Morning America."

 

The 28-year-old said she first knew something wasn't right when the school bus she was driving started to lose power.

 

"The bus started acting crazy and started jerking and going real, real slow," Rousseve recalled.

 

The incident was caught on a nearby security camera. In the footage, Rousseve is seen pulling over, and a bystander runs to let her know that flames are coming from underneath the school bus.

 

Rousseve said she then quickly gathered the young students inside the bus, who are in kindergarten through eighth grade, and led them off and away from the vehicle.

 

 

Click on the link for the full article and video