A man named Stefan Shaw and his now ex-girlfriend Chelby were about to become parents for the first time. As any other couple, they couldn’t wait for the moment when they would take their child in their arms. Unfortunately, when Chelby was in the 20th week of pregnancy, the scans showed something devastating.
The fluid from the amniotic sag was gone and the baby had no kidneys. Stefan and Chelby were told that they wouldn’t be able to see their child enter this world alive and that broke their hearts.
However, despite the odds, their miracle baby Joseph was born seven weeks prematurely via a C-section.
Source: Stefan Shaw / BPM Media
Joseph didn’t only lack kidneys, but bowels and genitals as well. Despite all that, he was breathing. His legs were fused together and he resembled a mermaid.
“When I got to the hospital they said that from the waist down Joseph was like a fish,” Stefan said.
“I had never seen a baby like my son. He was like a mermaid, he was a unique, beautiful baby boy.”
Source: Facebook/Stefan Andrew Shaw
Knowing Joseph wouldn’t make it, Stefan and Chelby wanted to give their bundle of joy “the best send-off possible,” so they organized for him to be christened at the Royal Derby Hospital.
During the ceremony, doctors had to pump air into Joseph to keep him alive.
Stefan, who is now homeless, explained how his son was in his arms when doctors took the tube off and he died peacefully.
“It was very heartbreaking and extremely hard to let go of something that meant the world to you,” the heartbroken father told Derbyshire Live.
Source: Facebook/Stefan Andrew Shaw
Rest in peace, Joseph.
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Every parents’ biggest wish is for their children to be healthy and experience a happy childhood.
When a couple, Karen Rodas and Paul Bybkin, welcomed their son Nathaniel into the world, their happiness only lasted for 36 hours because that’s how long the baby lived. He was born with a condition known as Polycistic Kidney Disease (PKD) which affects the kidneys and causes cysts to grow. Sadly, this often leads to kidney failure, and that’s exactly what happened to baby Nathaniel.
In 2013, the pair was blessed with a daughter, Maddy. Unfortunately, what these parents feared most happened. Maddy was born with the same condition as her late brother, and her mommy and daddy were heartbroken. The girl’s tummy was swollen so much that it looked like that of a 9-months pregnant woman.
This time, however, things took a turn for the better and Maddy was given a second chance for life all thanks to her daddy who gave her one of his kidneys.
Before this life-saving surgery took place, sweet Maddy spent most of her life in and out of the hospitals and would spend her days sleeping even up to 18 hours a day.
Doctors informed the family that the chances of Maddy being a normal kid depended on finding a suitable donor.
As luck would have it, daddy was a match!
“With Paul and Maddy, two of my most precious souls, going under the knife, my nerves were a wreck,” Karen said, according to The Mirror.
The surgery was a complete success and both Maddy and Paul recovered perfectly.
“Daddy’s kidney has saved our little girl,” Karen added. “Now, she has boundless energy. Her massive tummy now just looks a little bit rounded and she is a happy and healthy two-year-old.”
Paul, on the other hand, believes he only did what every father would do for their kid.
“We have been on a rollercoaster – but any father would have done what I did, donating my kidney to Maddy. It’s part of being a parent,” he said, according to The Mirror.
“Now we are on a high and can watch Maddy grow up as a happy and healthy little girl.”
She would probably need to undergo another transplant surgery in 25 years time, but until that moment comes, she’s got many years to enjoy and live her life to the fullest.
We are so happy for this lovely family and wish them all the happiness life can bring. Share this lovely story with your family and friends to wish them well-being too.
We are so happy for this lovely family and wish them all the happiness life can bring. Share this lovely story with your family and friends to wish them well-being too.
A very tragic incident in which two young men lost their lives took place last Tuesday in Florida at around 10 p.m.
Passersby were distracted by a horrific crash. A car was driving along when it suddenly hit a tree and flew into the Sunrise canal. The person behind the wheel was 18-year-old Venkata Sai Krishnamurthy who was heading to a Taco Bell after a basketball game.
At the moment of the crash, a women could be heard screaming, “Oh, my son, my son he went into the lake,” a bystander recalled. The woman kept saying that her son couldn’t swim.
Another young man, 17-year-old Aden Perry, who was taking a walk with his mother, heard the screams and rushed to help the drowning man. He jumped into the canal, but around 15 minutes passed by and neither of them make it to the surface.
Source: GoFundMe | Aden Perry Good Samaritan and Scholarship Fund
“It did take [rescuers] a while to find the first person they pulled out. It was like 15 or 20 minutes,” neighbor Daniel Welborn told NBC Miami.
Krishnamurthy was pronounced dead at the scene while Perry was rushed to the Broward Health Medical Center before first responders performed CPR on him. Unfortunately, he was also pronounced dead shortly after.
“It’s just unfortunate, who knows what happened when he went in there to try to open the door, maybe he got caught up in it. It’s a very sad, very brave act to do something like that. It’s sad to lose your life over that. My condolences to the family,” neighbor Gary Grove said as he expressed his condolences.
Perry was a topper at Western High School in Davie. He was an awesome pianist whose dream was to become a neurosurgeon.
Perry’s devastated mother, Sarah, recalled what had happened before her son jumped into the canal to save Krishnamurthy.
“We were walking, actually having one of those great mom and son moments. We usually had our walk and talks when we would talk about anything — good, bad or ugly — and that was what we did.
“Next thing we know, we saw a car hit the tree and go flying into the lake. Immediately we started running, my son grabbed the phone and called 911, handed me the phone, so I could actually talk to them. He took the dog from me and kept running to where the lake was,” she added. Next thing she saw was her son getting into the water.
“I looked, and I turned around. My son had tied the dog up to the pole, and he jumped in the water without even thinking. The man who went in, he was screaming for help, and my son answered his call and just without thinking jumped in, and I was screaming, and I wasn’t able to jump in because I can’t swim. I saw his face, I heard his voice. It was ear-piercing. These are sounds I will never forget,” the heartbroken mother shared. “Part of me died in that lake with my son.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up by Sarah to start a scholarship in his heroic son’s name.
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When we speak of dogs, the first thing that comes to our mind is the word loyalty. It’s beyond believable how these creatures are willing to risk everything, including their own life, for the well-being of their owners.
Around six years ago, The Brousseau family adopted a dog from a shelter in Portland, Connecticut. Duke, the sweet canine who became part of the family thrived in his new forever home. He loved his humans to the moon and back and was grateful for the new life they offered him.
Shortly after the family’s baby was born, Duke found himself in a situation which allowed him to express his gratitude in an endearing manner.
Source: YouTube/ ABC News
In the middle of the night, while the parents were sound asleep, Duke entered in their room and jumped on the bed. He was shaking uncontrollably and tried to alert them that something wasn’t right. As he didn’t answer to any of the commands from his human mom, it raised a red flag.
She rushed to baby Harper’s room and realized that the little one wasn’t breathing. Harper was then immediately taken to the hospital where doctors managed to save her life in the nick of time! Luckily, everything turned out for the best but things could have end up with a tragedy had it not been for Duke.
Source: YouTube/ ABC News
The family is forever grateful to their heroic dog who saved their daughter’s life.
If you want to learn more of Duke and his heroism go to the video below.
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Jack Mook could be best described as a tough guy who wouldn’t let anyone approach him emotionally. Single and with no interest of getting married, this Pittsburgh police detective and 22-year Army veteran who served in the Gulf War spent his days living day to day.
Whenever he had some free time, he would go to the Steel City Boxing, a local gym run by a non-profit organization which helps underprivileged children. There, Jack would mentor kids and teach them how to box.
One day, two brothers entered the place. For no particular reason, Jack grew fond of them but didn’t do much to show that. The kids trained for some time and then, all of a sudden, they stopped visiting the place.
Jack Mook pictured with Josh and Jesse | Source: youtube.com/ABC News
Jack could sense something wasn’t right so he made it his mission to find them.
Eventually, he was able to locate the boys, Joshua, 15 and Jessee, 11, and what he learned about them broke his heart. He was aware they were coming from a difficult background but could never imagine the severity of their living conditions.
The boys’ parents were extremely poor and left them behind so the brothers ended up with some relatives who were abusive and neglectful.
Josh and Jesse Mook. | Source: youtube.com/ABC News
“He [Jack] was asking me about it and then I just cried,” Joshua told CBS News. They had no beds, no clothes, and were forced to sleep on the cold floor which was covered in dog’s feces. “I’m trying to sleep my life away. I go to sleep as early as possible so I can sleep until I have to go back to school” the boy added.
Those words touched Jack’s heart to the core. All of a sudden, the tough guy went soft and crushed. He couldn’t possibly imagine that children so young could live such difficult and miserable lives.
[Left to Right] Jack Mook, Jesse, Court Judge, and Josh at the official adoption hearing | Source: youtube.com/ABC News
Without hesitating even a bit, Jack told the two brothers they were coming with him.
From being someone who didn’t wan’t any commitments or responsibilities, Jack became a foster father, and then a father after he officially adopted Joshua and Jessee. “He’s still Coach, but we know he’s Dad, too. Most of all, he’s a savior. He’s my role model,” Joshua shared with Today.
The story of this beautiful family of three went viral and now many women were eager to meet Jack. One of them, Mary, made sure she “stumbles upon” him at a bar. The two hit it off and tied the knot. With her three children from a previous marriage and Jack’s boys, they now make the perfect family.
Mary and Jack Mook at their wedding | Source: youtube.com/CBS Sunday Morning
“I thought being single was fun because you don’t have any responsibilities,” Jack shared with CBS News. “But when you’re single, you don’t realize what you’re missing. I’m glad I let her break through that barrier and take me away from that life.”
It only took Jack to open his heart for his life to change drastically. His days of solitude are now in the past and he is a proud father and husband.
His boys are happy to have him and have the best lives they could ever hope for.
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Randy Jackson has been a huge part of the music industry ever since he was just a teenager. As a young child, he was surrounded by good music and that made him fall in love with it more and more.
“You had a huge jazz culture, a huge blues culture, a huge rock culture, everything that you can imagine,” Jackson told Hits Daily Double about his upbringing and the effect music had on him.
“So, a kid growing up loving James Brown, Motown, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin to death, getting turned on to the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke, Miles Davis and John Coltrane when I was 15… I couldn’t replace it for anything.”
“I immersed myself in music; that’s all I could think about. I practiced, took every lesson, listened to every record, hung out every place I could hang out where the music was happening. I really went for it. And that’s kind of the way my personality is, and what I do with almost anything I get into.”
Clayton Call/Redferns
He had his big breakthrough when he was just 17 and was invited to perform together with the iconic 1960s’ band John Fred and the Playboys. This established him as a potential big name in the world of music. Some time later, he got the chance to play alongside jazz drummer Billy Cobham and that added to his prominence as a musician even more. Everyone knew that Billy wouldn’t play with anyone who wasn’t perfect at what they did, so everybody’s eyes were on Jackson all of a sudden.
Over the years, he worked with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Tracy Chapman, Mariah Carey, Kenny G, Madonna, and many other celebs.
Shutterstock/Kathy Htutchins
Besides being very successful on stage, Jackson has been an eminent producer who creates magic as a studio musician. According to a Tampa Bay Times article, this renowned musician has worked on more than 1,000 gold and multiplatinum albums.
In 2002, Jackson embarked on the adventure called American Idol, the show which became a huge hit and attracted millions of viewers. It all started when he got a call from an agent who told him that the producer of the UK show Pop Idol, Simon Cowell, was taking the project to America.
“An agent friend called and said, ‘There’s a show starting that’s coming over here from Britain. You may want to check it out. Somebody mentioned your name. Make the call and see if you’d be interested,’” Jackson recalled in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“I called his people and learned it was headed by [Executive Producer] Simon Fuller, whom I’d known through the Spice Girls and Annie Lennox, both of whom he managed. “
Shutterstock/s_bukley
“I went to a bunch of meetings and really loved the concept, I did it—just thinking it would be something fun and interesting to do. I never knew or thought it would get this big.”
Overnight, everyone was obsessed with American Idol and Jackson was one of the people who made the show what it is today.
Working with Cowell, who is considered the strictest judge of all, wasn’t always an easy task. Jackson shared that during one of the episodes they were forced to take a two hour break because Cowell was mean with one of the contestants.
“I’ll tell you what, we really lucked out because none of us knew that we could have that chemistry. It was instant. But there were growing pains. The first day on set — the first hour — there was a dustup with all three of us because we couldn’t believe how crazy Simon went on this once contestant,” Jackson explained.
“‘You’re horrible, you’re terrible.’ We were like, ‘you can’t say this guy’s horrible! You can say his voice is horrible, but you can’t say that he is!’ So we stopped for like, two hours, had this whole powwow. We had some growing pains but Simon was who he was and we were who we were, you know.”
Shutterstock/Everett Collection
In 2013, after 13 seasons on the show, Jackson left it.
“I’m proud to have been a part of a series that discovered some incredible artists and will go down in history as one of the most successful television shows ever. A true original, Idol started it all. Onto what’s next,” he said in a statement.
As he was becoming more and more successful, his personal life has endured a lot of ups and downs.
Jackson was married twice. His first marriage, to Elizabeth Jackson, was dissolved in 1990. They had one daughter named Taylor. In 1995, Jackson married Erika Riker, with whom he has two children, a daughter named Zoe and a son named Jordan. In 2014, Riker filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce wasn’t finalized until five years later.
Shutterstock/s_bukley
In 2003, Jackson was diagnosed with diabetes type 2 and that was a wake-up call that his life and eating habits needed to change as soon as possible.
In his book, Body With Soul, the musician referred to the diagnosis as to “both a blessing and a curse.”
“It’s a curse to be saddled with a disease that’s life-threatening and that you can’t completely get rid of (though you can certainly manage it). But it’s a blessing to get that huge wake-up call.
“It was kind of crazy for me because it ran in my family, but you always think someone else is going to get it, never you. I got it.”
After undergoing a gastric bypass surgery and changing his eating habits, he was able to transform his looks entirely. Jackson lost over 100 pounds and he looked like a completely different person.
In an attempt to help others who struggle with managing their weight, Jackson co-founded Unify Health Labs.
Speaking of it, the musician told People: “This is me sort of giving back.
“Something that’s a simple solution because all of us probably have 50 bottles on the counter or 50 bottles in the bathroom of different vitamins and things that we take. The root causes of these certain diseases and trying to get your best health, it all starts in the gut. Gut health is really best health.
“You have to change the way you think about food. You have to almost have a complete divorce break up … and start back bit by bit and find out the things that work with your body and you also find out the allergies and really pay attention to how you feel.”
Shutterstock/lev radin
In addition to this, he also started the Randy Jackson Childhood Obesity Foundation, and became a spokesman for the American Heart Association’s Heart of Diabetes campaign.
“I want to spread the word that change, permanent change, is possible. I’m a new me, and I want you to be a new you,” Randy wrote in Today.
“Even if you’ve had the same bad habits for ten, twenty, thirty years — I definitely did — you can get used to a healthier lifestyle. Old dawgs can learn new tricks.”
His weight was an issue for him for so long, but today, Randy Jackson looks stunning.
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There is an extra special place in Heaven for people who open the doors to their hearts and their homes for animals in need.
Sadly, there are also those who abandon their pets and leave them on the streets.
Out of all dog breeds out there, Pit Bulls are considered to be most vicious. Their bad reputation is a result of human mistreatment towards them. They have been used for dog frights for so long that they now stand for aggression. But the Pit Bull from this story is fighting against this stereotype.
One day, a woman spotted a dog in a horrible condition sleeping on the trash. From what she could see, the Pit Bull was covered in mange and could barely move. She also smelled really bad.
Source: The Dodo Pittie Nation
In an attempt to try and save the dog’s life, she called animal services and told them to come as soon as possible.
When they saw her, the rescuers knew that the dog’s condition was very poor so they weren’t certain if anything could be done for her, but they knew they needed to do the best of their ability in order to save her.
One of the rescuers, Tracy, said: “Oh, she smells like she’s rotting from the inside out.” These words spoke a lot about the pain the dog was feeling.
Source: The Dodo Pittie Nation
They named the dog Lakita and took her to their facility. As no one claimed her after they shared photos of her online, they knew the poor animal was all by herself. They provided her with a medical treatment and gave her small portions of food. To everyone’s surprise, Lakita started gaining weight.
Under the pain she was going through, Lakita hid her vibrant personality, which came to light once she started feeling safe and loved by her rescuers.
Source: MisPits and Friends Rescue
Tracy took Lakita home to take care of her for some time. Once she started feeling better, the rescuers knew it was time for them to try and find the sweet dog a forever home.
They took cute photos of Lakita all dressed up and shared them with their followers along with her life story.
In no time, the perfect family came along, and today, Lakita is having a forever home and three human siblings who love her unconditionally.
Source: The Dodo Pittie Nation
What a beautiful ending!
For more on Lakita’s story go to the video below and don’t forget to share it with your friends. Maybe you’ll inspire them to adopt a dog from a local shelter.
Having a loving family is something we often take for granted, forgetting that there are thousands of children who are left on their own and strive to have someone in their lives to call their mom and dad.
The number of children in the foster care system is huge. Some get to end up in a forever home, but there are also those who age out of the system and struggle to find a place to stay. Many end up on the streets too.
In an attempt to help as many children in need as possible, Partnership for Children is sharing their life stories so that potential families get to know these children better.
Meet siblings William,11, Marshall, 10 and Aiden, 10. These lovely and charming brothers are looking for a forever home but they don’t want to be separated because they are very close to each other.
Credit: YouTube /Heart Gallery
Whatever these brothers do, they do it together. They even have nicknames for each other and call themselves Curly, Larry, and Moe, after the members of one of the most iconic and well-known comedy acts of early twentieth-century America.
According to Partnerships for Children, William, or Bobby, as he calls himself, is a year older than his twin brothers and is the quiet one. He has a helping nature and loves being there for others. Currently, he participates in martial arts and is extremely proud of his achievements. He is also drawn to swimming, coloring, playing Minecraft, building Legos, and dong puzzles, among the rest.
Credit: YouTube /Heart Gallery
Aiden is vibrant and has a competitive personality. What he enjoys most is going fishing and hiking in the nature and has a huge interest in reptiles. Although he appears to be fearless at times, he still needs reassurance.
Marshal, Aiden’s twin, is a boy with a creative imagination. He loves spending time with his brothers.
Partnerships for Children says the boys will “best benefit from a two-parent home with a mom and a dad and no other children. Their forever family will be dedicated to the boys and will stress the importance of the sibling relationship.”
The brothers can’t possibly imagine being separated and they pray to be adopted together. Asked what his brothers mean to him, Marshal answers that they mean friendship to him, while Aiden adds that they mean love.
They don’t like constantly going from one place to another and they hope their new family is out there waiting to welcome them into their lives.
“I’ve been here for three years,” Aiden says. “I had to move from one house to another, and the first house I had to move rooms. I’ve been there (at the ranch) way longer that these two. I got here first.”
These brothers spark positivity and are cute beyond words. We truly hope that their dream of finding a family together will come true in the near future.
