Buzz
As the week comes to a close, here’s a collection designed to bring a little cheer. If you’d like to start with a more perplexed look, make sure to check out the offbeat list too.
This week’s stories include a wartime love tale with a happy conclusion, a skydiving great-grandmother, and a potentially life-changing medical breakthrough. We also have two stories featuring lawn-mowing good Samaritans.
10. It’s Never Too Late to Give
After giving his kidney to his neighbor, 84-year-old Frank Dewhurst from Austin, Texas, became the oldest living kidney donor in the United States.
Linda Nall has been battling lupus since 1986. In recent years, her condition worsened, leading her to begin dialysis. The typical survival time for someone in their seventies on dialysis is about five years, which coincidentally aligns with the waiting time for a new kidney in Texas. Determined to take matters into her own hands, Linda put up signs on her car and yard asking for a kidney.
Late last year, while walking through the neighborhood, Frank spotted Linda’s sign. He recalled a story about some golfers in their sixties who had donated a kidney to one of their own. He thought to himself, if they could do it, why not him?
Frank underwent testing and was found to be in excellent health. His kidney function had not declined significantly, which is often the case for people his age. He donated his kidney to Linda and, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, surpassed the previous oldest living kidney donor by 85 days.
9. Lawn and Order
Matt Siltala, a police officer from Orono, Minnesota, made a difference by taking a break from his duties to mow the lawn of an elderly neighbor.
Siltala and his colleague, Officer Jay McCoy, responded to a welfare check call for an elderly resident. While she was fine, Siltala noticed that her lawn was overgrown and that she had no one to tend to it. Not one to avoid a bit of hard work, he grabbed a lawnmower and started cutting the grass.
Officer McCoy captured a photo of his partner serving the community. Later, someone from the Orono Police Department posted the picture online, joking that McCoy should have taken the trimmer instead of just sitting by.
There was widespread praise for Siltala's effort to go above the call of duty, and many others reached out offering to help the elderly resident in the future.
8. Turning a Negative Into a Positive
The English rock band Radiohead thwarted an attempted blackmail plot by releasing the stolen music themselves and donating the proceeds to charity.
Last week, hackers made off with 18 hours of music recorded by the band during the making of their 1997 album OK Computer. They began selling the individual tracks for prices ranging from $50 to $800, depending on the track length. They demanded $150,000 to return the entire archive.
Currently, the band does not know who was behind the leak, though they are aware it originated from singer Thom Yorke’s digital “minidisk archive.” Rather than paying the hackers, Radiohead decided to undercut them and made the full archive available for just £18. It will be available for a limited time, with all profits going to the environmental movement Extinction Rebellion.
7. Chief for a Day
The good fortune keeps rolling in for 10-year-old Blake Hegner from Cincinnati, Ohio. Not only did he triumph over cancer, but he also fulfilled his dream of being police chief for a day.
Blake has been battling leukemia for the past three years and recently learned that he is in remission. To celebrate, the Matt Haverkamp Foundation Fundraiser and the “Light the Night” Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Cincinnati teamed up to create a remarkable experience for the young boy. On Tuesday morning, Lieutenant Steve Saunders officially appointed Blake as the city’s new police chief.
Saunders described organizing the experience as a “no-brainer” and a “win-win,” which he hopes will foster better relations between Cincinnati’s police department and the community.
6. A Wartime Romance Rekindled
A love story 75 years in the making reached a joyous conclusion when a US soldier was reunited with the French woman he fell in love with during World War II.
In 1944, K.T. Robbins was sent overseas to serve in the war. He was stationed in the French town of Briey when he met and fell in love with 18-year-old Jeannine Pierson nee Ganaye. Their romance was brief, as Robbins had to leave for the Eastern Front two months later. The couple parted ways, unsure if they would ever meet again.
After the war, the soldier returned to the US, and neither could make the journey to find the other. They each married someone else and started new families, though both are now widowed. However, Robbins kept a photograph of the woman he had never forgotten for 75 years.
Last week, he made the journey to France to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day. In the days leading up to his trip, he showed Jeannine's photograph to several French journalists, expressing his wish to reconnect with her family. When he arrived, the journalists had a surprise for Robbins: They had found Jeannine, and she was waiting for him.
The two shared an emotional reunion. Once again, their time together was cut short, as Robbins had to leave for the D-Day ceremony. But this time, they both agreed they wouldn’t wait another 75 years to meet again.
5. Firehouse Baby
Firefighters in Chicago found themselves in an unusual situation: They had to deliver a baby after a mother in labor stopped in front of their fire station.
It was an ordinary Tuesday morning for Engine 14 in the River West neighborhood of the city. But things quickly took an unexpected turn when a car pulled up with a pregnant woman in the back seat. A friend was driving her to the hospital, but the baby had other plans. With the birth approaching rapidly, the firefighters sprang into action.
Luckily, the firehouse was led by Captain Barbara Ohse, a former nurse and mother of three. The delivery went smoothly, and EMTs soon arrived to assist. Both mother and baby were transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where they were reported to be doing well.
4. Mowing Lawns Across the USA
Rodney Smith Jr. recently completed his fifth nationwide tour of all 50 US states. He offers free lawn mowing services to those unable to do it themselves, traveling across the country to lend a hand.
Hailing from Huntsville, Alabama, Smith founded the Raising Men Lawn Care Service, which he primarily runs through social media. He shares his next destination by posting a photo of the state sign online.
Requests from those in need flood in once Smith announces his plans. These are often from disabled individuals or single mothers. On his current journey, Smith is focusing on assisting military veterans.
At 29 years old, Smith embarked on his latest 'tour' on May 5. His travel costs are funded through donations, and this time, Delta Airlines even sponsored his trips to Alaska and Hawaii.
Smith has also launched a program where children mow lawns in their communities in exchange for T-shirts, ear and eye protection, and new equipment.
Looking ahead, Smith aims to expand his services globally with a seven-continent tour. When asked about mowing lawns in Antarctica, he jokingly added that he also clears snow.
3. Revolutionizing Blood Transfusions
A groundbreaking study published in Nature Microbiology reveals that researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada have discovered enzymes capable of transforming type A blood into the universal type O.
Blood is always in high demand in hospitals due to its vital role in numerous medical procedures. There are four main blood types: A, B, AB, and O. Each patient must receive blood that matches their specific type.
Blood types are defined by specific sugar molecules called blood antigens, with type O being a unique exception. Often referred to as the “universal” blood type, type O lacks these antigens and can be safely transfused into any individual.
Clearly, type O blood is the most valuable and in-demand blood type. It is particularly crucial in emergency rooms where medical professionals may not have the time or resources to determine a patient's blood type.
For years, scientists have been exploring ways to convert one blood type into another. Early attempts involved using enzymes to remove the sugar molecules that characterize type A blood, making it universally compatible. However, these efforts yielded limited results and weren’t practical for use.
A team from UBC, headed by Stephen Withers, began examining enzymes found in human gut bacteria. They tested numerous enzymes to identify any that could produce proteins capable of removing the A-specific sugars.
Initially, their attempts were unsuccessful, but they eventually tried combining two enzymes from the Flavonifractor plautii bacterium, which produced excellent results. This method was later confirmed to work on human blood, converting type A into type O.
Though further research is required to ensure that the enzymes don’t alter other components of the red blood cells, this breakthrough could significantly increase the availability of universal blood.
2. Skydiving For A Good Cause
A great-grandmother from Eagle Creek, Oregon, took to the skies last Sunday by jumping out of an airplane to raise money for a veterans' charity.
Shirley Romig, although 73 years old, recently found a passion for skydiving. She is also committed to raising funds for Paws Assisting Veterans, a nonprofit that provides service dogs to veterans in need. Combining her new hobby with a good cause, she started doing sponsored skydives.
Her most recent jump occurred last Sunday at Beaver Oaks Airport, with her mother, daughter, and great-granddaughter cheering her on. The brave skydiver raised money to help provide a service dog for disabled veteran Ralph Hatley. Romig stated this is “a risk she’s willing to take any day” as long as it benefits those who have served.
1. Fluffy Buddies
At just seven years old, Alex Walker discovered that hospitals can be lonely places for children. Determined to brighten the day of young patients, she decided to share the joy of fluffy companions with a few friends.
Having been diagnosed with epilepsy as a baby, Alex spent a lot of time in the hospital. Her constant companion during those visits was Sky Bear, her stuffed animal, who was always there for comfort.
One day, Alex noticed that other children in the pediatric ward didn't have any toys. Wanting to share her stuffed animals with them, she learned that the toys had to be new. Using her Chuck E. Cheese money, she bought teddy bears to gift to those kids in need.
Thus, “Alex’s Fluffy Buddies” was born. Within just over a year, she raised $22,000 and purchased toys to spread joy to children in hospitals. Her most recent delivery took place this Tuesday when she made her way through the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital, pulling a wagon packed with stuffed animals that was even larger than she was.
Alex’s new goal is to deliver 100,000 teddy bears.
