The Cheerful Thread

[EC]

Nice/heartwarming stories only, please! Consider this the counterpoint to the Ridiculous News thread.

[EC]

104-year-old man celebrates birthday at fitness center

HOUSTON - Friends and family gathered at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center in Houston, Texas on Thursday to celebrate a 104-year-old man’s birthday.

The guest of honor was Dr. Charles Hurwitz, who is a staple at the community center where he works out on the treadmill and stairmaster three times a week.

Hurwitz was born on April 1, 1913, in Springfield, Mass. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and earned his master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin. He went on to get his Ph.D. from Ohio State University.

Hurwitz is also an Army veteran who served in the Philippines in World War II. He married Jean Parker in 1950 and has four children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

The centenarian worked as a research scientist at the VA Hospital in Albany, N.Y. from 1950 until his move to Houston in 1998 where he continued his research at Texas Children’s Hospital

http://www.ksdk.com/news/104-year-old-man-celebrates-birthday-at-fitness-center/427423061

[EC]

Man reunited with missing family heirloom

DOWNRIVER, Mich. - A Gibraltar man who made an emotional plea on social media in the hopes his missing trumpet would be returned has been reunited with the family heirloom

Chris French was on a frenzied Facebook campaign, searching for his beloved trumpet.

“My trumpet is an extension of me,” French said.

The father of two made videos and made pleas, desperate to track down the trumpet his father gave him when he was young.

"It is absolutely awful," French said before getting his beloved horn back. "I can't cry any more. My face hurts. Losing this horn is like losing a piece of my soul."

He and his family lost their mother last week to cancer.

A military family, they chose to donate many of her items to the Salvation Army in Trenton.

French said workers unloading the items Wednesday mistakenly took his horn, which he kept in his pickup truck.

The handcrafted 1980s-era sliver Bach Stradivarius, its case and new components are worth $3,000. It was sold the next day.

Allen Stone, who bought the horn for about $115,  was watching Sunday evening as French's story aired.

After a few minutes of chatting, Allen and French said they quickly turned from strangers to brothers.

French said his family covered what Allen paid for the horn. They also gave Allen tickets to a concert in Dearborn next weekend.

"The value of the trumpet itself isn't important," French said. "It's 32 years. I started playing this trumpet when I was 14 years old and I'm 45 now."

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/man-reunited-with-missing-family-heirloom

[Gefn]

I didn't know about this thread I need this today.

Bookmarking.

Bless the person who started it and all who posted (oh! It's @EC )

Thank you

[EC]

Doctors Perform Heart Surgery On Baby Still Inside Womb To Remove Tumor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is world-renowned for its fetal surgery in which an operation is performed on a baby still inside the womb.

Recently, in yet another historic procedure, CHOP doctors undertook a risky and delicate operation on a tiny fetal heart.

Health reporter Stephanie Stahl has the exclusive story of what it took to save an unborn baby named Juan.

After some setbacks, an excited family who learned they were finally going home to South America said goodbye to the team that saved their baby.

Baby Juan and his parents, Cecilia Cella and Pablo Paladino, are headed back to Uruguay where the infant has become a celebrity.

“We receive calls, messages from people we don’t know,” said Pablo Paladino.

Search Underway For Long-Serving Federal Judge In Pennsylvania

Since October, the family has been camped out at CHOP where doctors saved little Juan’s life with an intervention that is largely unheard of in many places.

“It was a hard time, crazy time, but we are extremely happy how everything was solved,” said Paladino.

More: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2017/03/30/chop-doctors-fetal-heart-surgery/

Baby now 3 months old and doing just fine.

[Sanguine]

Man reunited with missing family heirloom

DOWNRIVER, Mich. - A Gibraltar man who made an emotional plea on social media in the hopes his missing trumpet would be returned has been reunited with the family heirloom

.....

Nice story!

[EC]

Dolphin ‘plays’ with Golden Retriever off WA beach

A dolphin and a pet dog have been filmed splashing around together in the shallows of Western Australia's Rockingham Beach.

Video captured by local resident Brett shows a bottlenose dolphin circling the Golden Retriever close to the shore on Sunday morning.

The unlikely pair then engage in a game of chase, with the pooch pursuing the mammal along the coastline. 

At one point, the dolphin and dog appearing to swim alongside one another.

Professor Lars Bejder from the Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit told 9news.com.au the dolphin was likely exploring the coastline in search of fish.

Read more plus video goodness: http://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/04/04/13/29/dolphin-plays-with-golden-retriever-off-perth-beach#vMRMP2RTLzqYL7OU.99

[EC]

Incredible moment teenager walking in the woods shouts into a hole…and a man missing for a MONTH calls back before police find him days from death

A teenager who shouted into a hole expecting to hear an echo had the shock of his life when he heard the weary voice of a man who had been missing for a month call back.

Izaak Eglington-Watts, 19, was walking with friend Emily Thompson in Plymbridge Woods when they stumbled across a strange hole, and Izaak tried to hear his voice echo.

But instead, he heard a reply, as weary and injured James Thompson, 51, who had not been seen for a month, called back. 

It is believed the 51-year-old had been injured and crawled into the hole to seek shelter. He had been the subject of a huge police search

He told the Plymouth Herald: 'I was absolutely terrified. I did not expect a response back, but I am so happy he has been found.

'It was only out of curiosity that I went and had a look down it, I didn't think anything was going to be inside it.'

He said they'd come across the shelter and hole when they strayed from the path and got lost. It's believed Mr Thompson had crawled there for shelter after getting injured.

Had he not been found, he could have died as he was so emaciated and dehydrated.

Mr Eglington-Watts continued: 'I climbed down into it and asked Emily if she wanted to come in as well, but she said no. I kept shouting 'hello' over and over again to hear it echo, just out of fun and to make Emily jump.

More and video: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4389472/Teen-rescues-man-brink-death-shouting-hole.html

[EC]

Turkish cabin crew help woman give birth at 42,000ft

Cabin crew on a Turkish Airlines flight celebrated the arrival of an extra passenger at 42,000ft (12,800 metres) when a woman gave birth to a baby girl.

Passengers also assisted at the birth, which took place soon after take-off on a flight from Guinea's capital Conakry to Istanbul via Ouagadougou.

The mother and baby, named Kadiju, were taken to hospital when the Boeing 737 landed in the Burkina Faso capital.

Both are now reported to be tired but in good health.

"The cabin crew noticed that a woman passenger named Nafi Diaby, [who was] 28 weeks into her pregnancy, was suffering childbirth pains," a Turkish Airlines statement said.

"They promptly responded to assist her childbirth during the flight."

Most airlines allow expectant mothers to travel until they are 36 weeks pregnant but require a signed letter from a doctor from 28 weeks onwards which confirms the expected date of birth.

More (plus pics, of course): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39542828

Nice job, ladies. Nice job. 

[EC]

Shakira Built 7 Schools in the Poorest Areas of South America

Colombian-born musician Shakira is being hailed for helping to build a seventh school in the poorest districts of South America.

Her organization, the Pies Descalzos Foundation, has built six schools in Colombia since it launched in 1997.

The seventh school, Institucion Nuevo Bosque, will be opened in her home town of Barranquilla by 2019.

WATCH: Federer Builds 50 New Preschools in Africa, Mobbed by Kids on First Visit

The educational accomplishment is in partial thanks to the foundation’s collaboration with the FC Barcelona foundation and the “La Caixa” Banking Foundation.

In 2016, 25.7% of the area’s population lived below the poverty line. While announcing plans for the new school, Shakira made a point of explaining how educating a community is the best way for it to overcome poverty.

“When we started to build schools in Colombia 20 years ago, we chose remote areas where there was absolutely nothing at all – no infrastructure, roads or even potable water,” said the singer in a statement.

“We built schools where the government was absent and thousands of children didn’t have access to quality education. The transformation was immediate – jobs were generated, malnutrition plummeted, and the students responded well academically.”

http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/shakira-built-7-schools-poorest-areas-south-america/

[EC]

Virginia crossing guard celebrates 50 years of service in the same spot

For five decades and through all kinds of weather, Janet Haines has been standing at the intersection of Broad and Spring Streets in Falls Church, Virginia, ready to help kids safely get to and from school.

She started her career as a crossing guard on March 29, 1967, and has gotten to know generations of St. James Catholic School students. Last week, the 91-year-old was surprised when the school celebrate her milestone work anniversary with an assembly, cards, and gifts. Haines told The Huffington Post she enjoys the "pleasant work environment," and made no mention of retiring. Sister Mary Sue Carwile, the principal of St. James Catholic School, said Haines "always has a smile for everybody" and is a positive influence for her students. "I always call her our ambassador to the world of kindness and care," Carwile said.

http://theweek.com/speedreads/691314/virginia-crossing-guard-celebrates-50-years-service-same-spot

[EC]

Thousands of Strangers Help Teen Find Dad’s Long, Lost Army Buddy from the Vietnam War

http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,258270.msg1288942/topicseen.html#new

[Sanguine]

Thousands of Strangers Help Teen Find Dad’s Long, Lost Army Buddy from the Vietnam War

http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,258270.msg1288942/topicseen.html#new

Nice story.  I've got a thing for VN vets.  They had it rough, mostly after they got back, and most of them took the abuse and disrespect and got on with their lives.  And, my husband was a VNV.

[EC]

Real lemon aid! Girl, 4, sets up a lemonade stand to raise money for research into 'Childhood Alzheimer's' as her 19-month-old sister begins experimental treatment for the rare disease which affects just 500 kids

A Los Angeles girl is raising funds by selling lemonade to help her 19-month-old sister who is battling 'Childhood Alzheimer's'.

Emily McGlocklin, four, set up a lemonade stand in her front yard to raise money for a treatment that could slow the progression of her sister Marian McGlocklin's disease  - Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC).

Marian started experimental treatment earlier this week in Chicago for the condition which is often referred to as 'Childhood Alzheimer's'. She is involved in a new clinical trial of a drug developed to stabilize children in decline and halt the disease's progression. She will need this treatment every two weeks.

Emily McGlocklin told ABC 7 she set up the stand because 'it's for me... to know how much I love my sister'.

More and video: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4408662/Girl-4-sets-lemonade-stand-help-sister.html

[EC]

In further news of kids being awesome:

Upstate students bring prom to teen battling cancer

SPARTANBURG, SC (FOX Carolina) -

MeKayla Gist, 17, also known as the "Queen Warrior" can light up even the dimmest hospital room with her positive personality.

"For months of her having pain and limping, I just knew something was wrong, it was hard to see her going through her pain," MeKayla's mother said. "So I decided to take her to an orthopedic surgeon. And he looked at her knee and did some tests and x-rays," Jermeca Jackson said.

Doctors found MeKayla had a form of cancer, osteosarcoma in her left knee. She was diagnosed with cancer at the age of just 15-years-old, going through countless chemotherapy sessions, but with another large hurdle in the forefront.

"Then through all of that, we ended up having to amputate her leg to save her life," Jackson said. MeKayla pushed through cancer-free for about a year.

"We found out in February this year 2017, that she had a relapse of osteosarcoma on her right hip."

MeKayla needed an immediate surgery and wound up back at Spartanburg Regional.

There's a reason she's called a warrior and a queen, however. She wins every time, and inspires other kids while she's at it. 

"They can still be the homecoming queen, they can still get straight A's, they can still do whatever they want to do with the help from others," Gist said.

She's managed to put a check mark by a big list of things in her lifetime, with a smile on her face. But one thing she hasn't done is go to prom.

When her high school class at Chapman High School, heard about MeKayla's ongoing battle, they knew they needed to bring the party to her.

Students lined up to surprise her at the hospital in the lobby, and in a beautiful blue gown, MeKayla was named Prom Queen.

More plus video: http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/35162881/upstate-students-bring-prom-to-teen-battling-cancer

[EC]

On His One Day Off a Week, A Florida Man Devotes Himself to Restoring Veterans’ Tombstones to Perfection

Andrew Lumish spends his free time in an unlikely place: cemeteries.

The owner of a carpet and upholstery cleaning service has just one day off a week, but he doesn’t just relax on the couch. Instead, he spends about ten hours using his cleaning skills to restore veterans’ tombstones around Tampa, Florida, as “The Good Cemeterian.”

Lumish got his start when photographing a historic cemetery and noticing veterans’ gravestones covered with mold, mildew, and weather damage. “There were monuments for veterans who served in every conflict, from the Civil War and the different Indian wars, going nearly to the mid-1800s, and no one was taking care of them,” he says. “It upset me to see the condition they were in.”

To honor veterans for serving their country, Lumish taught himself how to properly clean graves. He found out the system the government uses for national cemeteries—including Arlington—and got to work.

More: http://www.rd.com/true-stories/inspiring/good-cemeterian-cleaning-tombstones/

[Cripplecreek]

Screw Cheerful you filthy hippy.

[Polly Ticks]

Young Cubs fan gets emotional after receiving surprise tickets to Wrigley Field

Nine-year-old Kolt Kyler couldn’t hold back his tears when his dad surprised him with tickets to see his beloved Chicago Cubs play at Wrigley field.

Kolt has been a die-hard Cubs fan his entire life. His older half-sister, Hannah Himes, said the tickets were well-deserved.

[snip]

In the beginning of the video, Kolt’s dad, Andy Kyler, said he was testing his work ethic that day, “and he never once complained,” said Himes.

https://gma.yahoo.com/young-cubs-fan-gets-emotional-receiving-surprise-tickets-201938097--abc-news-parenting.html


Very touching!

[Right_in_Virginia]

The 'good cemeterian': Incredible story of the Florida man who spends his one day off cleaning veterans' tombstones
Daily Mail/UK, Apr 21, 2017

Instead of spending his one day off resting, a Florida man spends almost every Sunday scrubbing and cleaning veterans' tombstones.

Andrew Lumish, an owner of a cleaning service, takes a bucket, scrubs and cleaning products to spend up to ten hours wiping away the time on tombstones in cemeteries around Tampa, Florida.

Lumish, 46, has made it his life's mission to restore forgotten and decaying headstones of military veterans in order to honor the contributions they have made to their country.

A particularly aged tombstone can take up to four months to fully clean and Lumish takes the time in between to learn about the person, in order to bring their memory and resting place back to life.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4432832/Florida-man-spends-day-cleaning-veterans-tombstones.html#ixzz4ev0ExtpQ



 

[EC]

Rescue Cat Visits Hospital To Help All The Patients Feel Safe

If there's one member of the intensive care unit at UC San Francisco who holds his head a little higher than most at this premier medical facility, it's Duke Ellington Morris.

Not many humans, much less a cat, have raised themselves, literally, from the streets to these halls of medicine.

Duke Ellington Morris, or just Duke, spends his days here as a therapy cat brightening just about every corner of the intensive care unit.

"He's an absolutely lovely, lovely cat," Elizabeth Fernandez, senior public information representative at UCSF, tells The Dodo. "He's so patient. I've watched him in action a number of times and he's given such consolation to our patients, and to our staff."

But Duke's outreach work began long before he graced the halls of medicine. Back in November 2010, he reached out from a cage at San Francisco Animal Care and Control.

And he found the heart of a 5-year-old girl named Isa Morris.

"My daughter fell in love with Duke," her mother, Jennifer Morris, tells The Dodo.

Isa and Jennifer were visiting the shelter when they came across Duke, who had just been brought in, half-starved, from a feral cat colony.

"We went into the cage area and Duke was very smitten by my daughter. So I figured the cat couldn't be all that bad," she says with a laugh.

More plus video at bottom of article: https://www.thedodo.com/duke-ellington-cat-medical-center-2226304254.html

[EC]

Should rename this the Weekly Cheerful Thread- good news is pretty thin on the ground.

Terminally ill man donates repaired bikes to Springfield students

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Two weeks ago, 22News introduced you to Bob Charland. Despite a terminal illness, the 44-year-old spends all day and night fixing up bikes for kids in need in the City of Springfield.

Many of these kids have never had a bike simply because their parents can’t afford one. On Thursday, Charland took us along for the ride to the William DeBerry School in Springfield, where he donated 35 finished bikes to students there. Little did he know, Springfield and State Police would show up to provide an escort.

From the minute Charland walked in the school and the kids saw the bikes, you could see just how much it meant to them. He said, “It’s really exciting to see all these kids so happy. Some of these kids have never had bikes in their life, so it’s amazing for me to do this for them.”

We’ve been covering Charland’s journey for weeks, and his story has been aired in Hawaii, Louisiana, Kentucky, Georgia, and all over the country. AAA saw our story and decided to sponsor Charland; they donated a helmet to every child on Thursday.

Bob has lived in Springfield since he was a teenager, and said his desire to give back to kids comes from his life as a mostly-single parent.  In fact, Bob was the first man to lead a Girl Scout Troop in Springfield in support of his daughter.  In addition to fixing up bikes, Bob also volunteers at the Willie Ross School for the Deaf, teaching them mechanical work. All this, on top of working his full time job as a mechanic at the Lyndale Garage in Springfield.

Although Bob said he had a minor setback this week.  He told 22News a group of kids cut open a fence at the Lyndale Garage where he works, and stole six bikes that were meant to be dropped off to students next week. So a reminder, if you need a bike, just ask.  Bob is happy to fix one up for you if you don’t have one.

There are several ways you can get involved to help Bob’s Bike Mission.  You can consider dropping off an old bike (or even a new one if you can’t rustle up a used one) to the Lyndale Garage on Warehouse Street in Springfield.

You can also consider donating to his GoFundMe Page, Pedal Thru Youth, to help him raise enough funds to buy parts for repairs.

http://wwlp.com/2017/04/27/terminally-ill-man-donates-repaired-bikes-to-springfield-students/

[TomSea]

Married for 69 Years, Illinois Couple Died Within an Hour of Each Other
Their 'love was so strong,' said a grandchild — 'you couldn't ask for anything more' in life

by HealthZette Staff | Updated 28 Apr 2017 at 11:01 AM

An Illinois couple married for 69 years died just 40 minutes apart on Saturday after hospital staff arranged for their beds to be brought close together. Isaac Vatkin, 91, held his wife Teresa’s hand as she succumbed to Alzheimer’s disease at age 89, The Daily Herald reported.

Staff at Highland Park Hospital separated the pair after her death, and just 40 minutes later, Isaac died from an undisclosed ailment, according to the news outlet.

Continued: http://www.lifezette.com/healthzette/married-69-years-illinois-couple-died-within-hour/?utm_content=buffere5fc8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

[EC]

Tacoma man's wallet returned after 13 years

Dated March 29, 2017, the note was written one month ago, but the story starts more than a decade before.

“He was on shift, so I called him and said, ‘You are never going to believe what you just got in the mail,’” Stacy McAuley said.

A wallet that firefighter Dean McAuley says he probably lost after a scuba diving trip in Langley about 13 years ago.

“Mr. McAuley, I found your wallet outside a Mexican restaurant years ago. I made several attempts to get it back to you, to no avail. I was reluctant to give it to your bank or the local police, as they would not make any attempt to return it to you. Just recently, I found it in my desk at work and found your address on the Pierce County assessor’s website. I apologize it took so long, but I had actually forgot about it after a while,” the note read.

The anonymous message was penned on a hotel notepad from the Inn at Langley on Whidbey Island and folded inside the wallet, which still contained $11, credit cards, McAuley’s driver’s license, even bank account numbers. Everything was intact, and McAuley said his identity was never stolen.

In fact, he doesn’t even remember losing his wallet. At the time, he had no wife or kids. He says he remembers panicking and canceling all his accounts at one time, but he was focused on his career.

More, plus rather charming video report: http://www.king5.com/news/local/tacoma/tacoma-mans-wallet-returned-after-13-years/435268815

[Sanguine]

Family of 7 Adopts 6 Siblings to Keep Them Together

[img width = 600]https://static.pjmedia.com/parenting/user-content/48/files/2017/05/Screen-Shot-2017-05-01-at-4.03.20-PM.sized-770x415xc.png[/img]

Christopher and Christina Sanders, an Ohio couple with five biological children of their own, just did something incredible. They have adopted six children who are blood siblings who didn't want to be separated. Now with a grand total of eleven children, the family is complete.

According to ABC5,

    When Christopher and Christina Sanders became foster parents, they made a deal with one another: Regardless of how many children came into their home, they would do what they could to keep existing families together and not sentence children to lives of being shuffled between different households.

    They kept that promise Thursday when they officially welcomed six new children -- all blood siblings who wanted to remain together -- into their family.

    "We were having a rough life (before)," 13-year-old Caleb told Judge Ralph Winkler in the Hamilton County Adoption Court.

    "And you feel like you're in a safe place now?" Winkler asked.

    Caleb nodded.
...

https://pjmedia.com/parenting/2017/05/02/family-of-7-adopts-6-siblings-to-keep-them-together/

Wow!

[GtHawk]

Wow!

God Bless them, but then I guess he already has.