Six-year-old Dominick Krankall was looking forward to a fun time out with his friends when an eight-year-old boy who lives in the apartment below called him to go and play with him. Unfortunately, the eight year old didn’t plan to hang out with Dominic but had something else on his mind. According to Dominick’s sister, the boy was planning to hurt her brother, and that’s exactly what he did.
Minutes after leaving his home, Dominick started screaming at the top of his lungs. “Mommy they lit me on fire,” he could be heard saying, according to his sister, Kayla Deegan, who spoke to WNBC about the horrific incident.
The eight-year-old boy lured Dominick to a nearby shed in the backyard of the Louisiana Avenue home and then he, along with four other children, took out gasoline, poured it on a tennis ball, lit it up, and chucked it right into Dominick’s face. The boys then fled the scene and left Dominic suffering and fighting for his life.
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Currently, The Connecticut State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit is investigating the incident alongside the Bridgeport Fire Marshal’s Office, a state police spokesperson told WNBC.
Dominic was rushed to the hospital with severe burns on his face and legs. He is at the hospital’s burns unit and although he’s expected to recover, he has a long road ahead of him. According to his family, it would take months before he is able to go outside again. They are, however, happy that he could sip some soup after days of being unable to eat anything. He’s progressing very slowly but steadily and that’s what gives his family some hope.
“He will sip soup out of a straw as well. He’s such a tough little cookie,” his sister said.
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Although everyone’s happy for his little wins on the path to his recovery, Dominick’s face and legs are still covered in bandages and his family fears he would be left with scars.
In order to help them with the medical expenses, Deegan has started a GoFundMe page with a goal of $50,000 which helped raise over $480,000 so far. “He’s going to be scarred for life mentally and physically,” she added.
Dominic’s mother, Maria Rua, is adamant in a pursuit of justice for her son. She claims that the eight-year-old neighbor who attacked her boy has been targeting him for some time.
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“They called his name so he would turn around. They threw it at Dominick and left him outside alone to die,” Rua said. “He’s swollen with blisters. You can’t even see his beautiful eyes anymore.”
“This needs to be seen everywhere so everyone knows Dom’s story and what he had to go through, and the extent it went to for someone to hopefully do something,” the sister added.
The mother of Dom’s bully denies any wrongdoing by her son, WNBC reported.
Now everyone hopes for the best and prays for Dominic to recover completely. They also want to raise awareness about bullying.
The life story of Patrick Hardison from Mississippi is nothing less than a mind-blowing one. This man is the first American who has received a face transplant back in 2015 after his face and neck were left completely disfigured during a house fire.
Patrick’s life was a great one up until the day the tragedy struck in 2001.
He worked as a volunteer firefighter earlier in his life, so when he got called to help with a house fire, he didn’t hesitate. Sadly, once he entered the burning place, it collapsed on top of him and trapped him. He couldn’t move and his torso and face were severely burnt.
“[My mask] was melting to my face,” Patrick recalled. “My hose [was] already melted.”
“For somebody who does what we do for a living, I’ve never seen anybody burned that bad that was still alive,” friend and first responder Jimmy Neal told CBS News of seeing Patrick after the accident.
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Patrick suffered third degree burns on his face and scalp. He also sustained burns to his head, neck, and upper torso. The fire also claimed his ears, lips, most of his nose, and even most of his eyelid tissue.
“I didn’t actually see myself until probably November. I got injured in September,” Patrick told Fox News. “They had cut a little pinhole in one of my eyelids because they had everything covered, skin graft. I looked in the mirror and all I could do, I said, ‘this is it? I can’t do this,’” he recalled.
Over the years, this man was forced to undergo over 70 surgeries, as well as other procedures. He couldn’t close his eyes and doctors were able to put together flaps of skin to protect his vision, but he was still facing the risk of going blind.
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Patrick couldn’t eat without feeling excruciating pain. He just couldn’t get used to this life because he couldn’t look at himself in the mirror. Wherever he went, everyone starred at him, and he could barely stand being around people, even his children.
In order to hide and protect himself, Patrick wore sunglasses and a baseball cap all the time. He also had ear prosthetic.
“I had kids. It was just a tough time. I never got a day off from the injury. When you walk out in public, it was daily. And, you know, it’s just so — there’s no way to explain everything,” he told Yahoo! Sports.
“You go to the ball field, you have to prepare yourself for the kid that goes running off screaming.”
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Years went by and Patrick lost hope of ever having a normal life. But then, French woman named Isabelle Dinoire received a partial face transplant after her face was severely disfigured by her pet dog. This procedure was revolutionary. It was the first ever of that kind. Surely, it gave a glimpse of hope to Patrick who at that point was truly struggling.
Patrick met doctor Eduardo D. Rodriguez from the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York who told him he would do the transplant surgery if they find a matching donor. It wasn’t easy, but one day, out of the blue, a donor appeared. LiveOnNY, a nonprofit that coordinates organ donations in the New York area, had found a match. The face Patrick was about to get belonged to 26-year-old David Rodebaugh who had sustained a massive head injury in a bike accident and had been declared brain dead.
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This young man’s mother, Nancy Millar, decided to donate her son’s organs, including his face. “I said, ‘You better save his face. He has the face of a porcelain doll.’ And he’s a donor — we had talked about it,” Millar told People.
The thought of someone receiving her son’s face meant that David would continue to live on through the people whose lives he was about to save, including Patrick’s.
“When I met Patrick, I saw this strength, this strong, manly, burly kind of energy in him — that David had,” Nancy recalled.
“David wanted to be a firefighter, an I knew if this guy was a firefighter — he was willing to walk into a fire to save people and risk his own life — then he had the strength that David had.”
Youtube/Inside Edition – David
Finally, the day of the transplant surgery had arrived. The procedure lasted for 26 long hours and was performed by a team of 100 professionals.
The risk was enormous and Patrick was given a 50/50 percent chance of survival. Luckily, it was a huge success. Patrick received a new face, scalp, ears, and ear canals. He also received eyelids which allowed him to blink naturally and save his vision.
“Everything in life has a risk,” Patrick told Time Magazine.
“When it’s your time to go, you’ll go—whether you’re walking down the street and get hit by a car or you’re lying on the operating table.”
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After he recovered from the swelling and he learned how to talk and swallow again, Patrick met his donor’s mother. Nancy only had one request, to kiss Patrick on the forehead.
“I said, ‘Can I kiss your forehead?’” Nancy said. “That’s the one thing I wanted to do because every night before David went to bed when he was little, I kissed his forehead.”
“I’ve been waiting a year to meet her. I’m just very grateful,” Patrick added. “Without her, it wouldn’t have been possible. It’s like she’s family. We connected that easily.”
Twitter/PatrickHardison
Ever since the surgery, Patrick is taking anti-rejection drugs that prevent his immune system from rejecting the face, but he’s thriving. He didn’t only receive a new face but a new life too.
Today, he is divorced and is working on a book which he hopes would serve as an inspiration to anyone who believes there is no way out from the situation they have found themselves in. “Because I want to show the world that you can have hope. I wouldn’t want people that were like me years ago to think that’s it, I have to live like this. You don’t. You can accomplish anything,” Patrick says.
His survival and his recovery are dubbed miraculous. Thanks to Nancy, Dr. Rodriguez and his team, and Patrick’s strong will, today, he is a happy man.
No person can ever love you and support you more than your grandma and grandpa because they care for you as much as your parent do but spoil you a bit more. Those people who get to grow up around grandparents are the luckiest of all.
After his parents divorced, a boy named KC Shafer spent most of his days with his grandfather Charlie. KC felt most comfortable around this man who has always been there for him, supporting him, and taking care of him when his parents couldn’t do it.
When KC turned seven, he told his grandpa that when he grows older and finds the woman he would marry, Charlie would be his best man on his wedding. Of course, the grandpa knew it was just a promise made by a child and didn’t really expect KC to remember that promise.
Source: YouTube
Fast forward some years, KC met a girl he clicked with. He knew she was the one and asked her to marry him. They planned the wedding and were looking forward to the time of their life. One day, KC went to his gradpa’s home and had an important question to ask him. Charlie couldn’t believe what he was hearing. KC wanted him to be his best man. He never forgot about the promise he gave to Charlie, the one person who meant the world to him from the moment he was born.
This proud grandpa couldn’t stop tears of joy running down his face. He was proud of the man his grandson has become. All those life lessons shared with him were so worth it.
Source: YouTube
These granpa and grandson make the perfect family. For more on their story and their relationship go to the video below.
If you are among those lucky ones who still have their grandparents in their lives, make sure you remind them how much you love them and how much they mean to you.
A young girl’s life was cut short because she could no longer put up with the bullies who made her days a living hell.
McKenzie was a great student who loved her life and her family. Unfortunately, she fell victim of bullying by her classmates who wouldn’t stop calling her names and making fun of her because of her skin color. This lovely girl, who was just nine years old when her life tragically ended, had a hard time making friends. When she finally started hanging out with one boy, who was white, the rest of the class teased her even more.
Source: The McKenzie Foundation/Facebook
They would send notes to her with insults written on them and would steal her possessions and clothes.
The few times she decided to stand up for herself, McKenzie ended up at the principal’s office. She was accused of being a bully herself. It was her word against that of the rest of the students. So instead of protecting her, the school gave her detentions.
“It got to the point where so many were joining in on it and it became a daily occurrence” McKenzie’s aunt, Eddwina Harris, said.
The girl felt like there was no escape from the hell she was going through.
Source: The McKenzie Foundation/Facebook
Her parents were aware of their daughter’s struggles and contacted the school multiple times, but to no avail. Things were only getting worse and worse with each passing day.
“As time passed, it became clearer and clearer that no one intended to stand up for McKenzie,” Harris said.
Not knowing what to do or who to talk to, the girl’s parents went to the local police station. They begged them for help and brought McKenzie’s journal with them where the nine-year-old was documenting each of the cases of bullying, which were plenty. The police simply said that they couldn’t help.
Source: The McKenzie Foundation/Facebook
As their devastation of seeing their girl being sad all the time grew bigger, McKenzie’s parents begged the school to step in for their daughter over and over again, but the bullies’ parents had money and connections so nothing was done in an attempt to put a stop to this girl’s hell.
It seemed like the bullies had a free pass to tease and mock McKenzie every day.
Source: The McKenzie Foundation/Facebook
One day, McKenzie’s family was planning a birthday celebration for the girl’s cousin, but instead having a fun time, McKenzie took her own life.
When her mom went to the bathroom she saw her daughter hanging. She called ambulance but there was nothing that could be done. McKenzie was dead.
Her devastated mom and dad claimed that their daughter’s bullies and the school pushed McKenzie to death.
Source: The McKenzie Foundation/Facebook
As they were trying to cope with their pain, they knew there were other kids like their daughter out there who were victims of bullying so the family started The McKenzie Foundation, which teaches these kids how to make the situation better. They hope that schools around America would do all in their power to prevent bullying from taking place.
In the past, plastic surgery was considered taboo and not many people were willing to speak about it openly. Today, however, it is more or less normalized and more and more people decide to go under the knife for the sake of looking more attractive.
Often times, fixing those parts of our faces or bodies we don’t feel comfortable about leads to loving ourselves more. Such is the case with a woman named Pamela, a mother of two, whose hormones went wild after her second pregnancy and that resulted in her nose growing bigger and bigger and losing its form.
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As a teenager, she experienced issues with acne, just like most of us, but as she grew older her face looked absolutely flawless.
But as she gave birth for the second time, she was diagnosed with rhinophyma, a skin disorder that causes the nose to enlarge and become red, bumpy, and bulbous. It is believed that this condition results from untreated, severe rosacea, a chronic inflammatory skin condition that causes facial redness on the nose and cheeks.
In Pamela’s case, the condition was so severe that she was embarrassed to leave her home.
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“When I was 15, I had beautiful skin. Puberty set in, acne set in. It started to get really bad,” she said on the reality show The Doctors which she was part of.
“When my second child came, I noticed that the shape of my nose changed. And from that point on, my nose began to swell up.
“I was so embarrassed. It has stopped me from leaving the house, I’ve had anxiety for a long time,” Pamela said with tears running down her cheeks.
“There’s gotta be a cure for this.”
When she first appeared at the studio, Pamela didn’t know what to expect. She was courageous enough to appear on TV and ask for help for her condition.
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Dr. Ann C Zedlitz appeared with a video link and told Pamela she would do her best to help her.
“In the early stages, topical medications and some oral medications will suffice as the disease progresses, then we can utilize laser therapy. In the advanced stages, surgical intervention is required. I would like to do all these treatments at no charge, if you will accept them,” Zedlitz said.
The doctor further explained that Pamela’s treatment would consist of three stages. First, she was to undergo a CO2 laser treatment, where the goal was to de-bulk and tighten the skin using the micro-focused ultrasound Ulthera which delivers heat deep under the skin. After repeating this twice, Pamela was finally able to enter the final stage of her treatment, a special Pan-Facial Volumization.
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It took around three months for Pamela to look like her older self, if not better. When she returned to show again, no one could believe she was the same person from the first episode.
“I barely recognize you because you look so great,” ER physician Dr. Travis Stork said as Pamela entered the studio.
“I am excited about the new me,” Pamela shared. “I no longer hide behind my hair. It’s truly a new beginning, it was a prayer about 4 years ago, and you guys made it happen. I’m so grateful.”
Youtube/TheDoctors
Over the years, The Doctors helped a number of people regain their self-confidence. One of the cases which attracted the attention of millions was the one about an adopted girl without a nose. The girl, Ropa, was from India but was adopted by an American woman who explained that he girl was abandoned on the street and by the time someone spotted her, dogs had eaten her nose. The final result of Ropa receiving a prosthetic nose was incredible.
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We are so happy for everyone who gets to look the way they dream of. Plastic surgery can be life saving.
Moms are the best and the list of reasons why is endless. They work around the clock to satisfy each of their children’s needs and are always by their side. A mom will never give up on her kids, no matter what life brings and what kind of individuals their bundles of joy will turn out once they are all grown up.
And as we can go on and on about the things that dub moms the perfect creatures, I believe one would have a better understanding of what we have to say after they read the story of Ada Keating. This incredible woman is 98 years old and still takes care of her son as the day he was born.
Her son Tom, who is 80 years old, had to go to a nursing home, the Moss View Care Home in London, as he needed assistance. But it wasn’t long before his mom moved in as well. She felt like she had to be by her son’s side and help him with everything he needed.
“I say goodnight to Tom in his room every night and I’ll go and say good morning to him,” Ada, who is a former auxiliary nurse, said. “When I get back he’ll come to me with his arms outstretched and give me a big hug. You never stop being a mum.”
The story of Ada and Tom went viral and people say they are the perfect example that moms love their children forever.
The facility manager, Philip Daniels, told the Echo, “It’s very rare to see mothers and their children together in the same care home and we certainly want to make their time together as special as possible.”
Take a look at the whole story in the video below.
This is the story of legendary Diana Ross, a name associated with awesome music and entertainment like no other in the showbiz. Her talent made her a superstar even before she reached her teen years and now, at the age of 76, she’s still as stunning as she has ever been.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Ross was part of the pop/soul trio the Supremes during the 60’s. The group quickly became Motown’s most successful act during the 1960s and a best selling girl’s group of all time worldwide. Their songs Come See About Me and You Can’t Hurry Love remain huge hits until this day.
Their popularity was compared with that of The Beatles.The Supremes were prominent guests on The Ed Sullivan Show and appeared on the show more than 16 times. It was Ed who helped them gain mainstream attention and fame.
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In 1969, Ross landed a solo career which reached the success of the Supremes. During her career which spans 7 decades, Ross gave the world some everlasting hits which topped the charts in countries from all over the world.
Some of her greatest hits of all time are Ain’t No Mountain High Enough and Reach Out and Touch Somebody‘s Hand.
Ross was born on March 26, 1944. Her father was a US Army soldier and her mother was a teacher. They had six children.
During her young years, Ross showed interest in music and knew singing was her calling. She was surrounded by many talented people, and made friends with the likes of Smokey Robinson and Aretha Franklin where she lived at Brewster-Douglass district.
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Her charm and charisma opened the doors to Hollywood for Ross. She starred in the movie Lady Sings the Blues which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Other films she was part of are Mahogany, 1973, and The Wiz, 1978.
In 1980, Diana landed her album Diana which sold platinum. Among the songs were Upside Down and I’m Coming Out. In fact, the story behind the latter is a great one. It was written by Neil Rodgers, who was stunned at the number of people from the LGBT community who were obsessed by Ross.
“I thought, ‘Wait a minute. If I write a song for Diana Ross and talk about a disenfranchised part of her fan base and sort of make it for them, this would be an important record,'” Rodgers said. “No one thinks of Diana Ross necessarily on the frontlines of this, but [the gay] community and her [gay] fans love her and idolize her.”
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For her music and the great number of albums she has released over the years, Ross was nominated for a Grammy Award 12 times, but didn’t win any. Her impact on the world of music was however awarded with a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2012.
In 2016, Ross received the highest civilian honor from President Barack Obama, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and a year later, she was given Lifetime Achievement honors at the American Music Awards.
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Ross didn’t only affect the music industry, but her work inspired and touched many celebrities as well, among which Oprah Winfrey who spoke of the musician on her show.
“Imagine, for me, being 10 years old watching The Ed Sullivan Show on welfare, no possibility that I could ever sing, and watching her for the first time in a culture that had no Black people on television.”
“When you first see somebody on television like Diana Ross, who was glamorous and beautiful and represented literally possibility and hope—it was life-changing for me.”
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Ross was married two times and has five children, Rhonda Ross Kendrick, Tracee Ellis Ross, Chudney Ross, Ross Naess, and Evan Ross. All of them are related to the show business, with Tracee probably being the biggest star of them all.
Tracee has always wanted to be a singer just like her mother but was afraid people would expect from her to reach her mom’s success.
Speaking to Oprah earlier this year, the young star who won a Golden Globe for her role in the TV series Black-ish, spoke of the touching moment her famous mother heard her singing for the very first time, describing it as one of the most precious moments in her life.
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“She came out of the house, came out of the garage, got in my car, closed the windows, and I was, like, ‘Okay, here it is, mom, here’s me,'” Tracee said. “She pushed my arm and she turns to me and her face was covered in tears. And she said, ‘Finally.'”
We wish Tracee become as famous as her mom. She already has Ross’ talent, so we need to sit and wait.
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Ross has been residing in the fashionable Belle Haven district in Greenwich, Connecticut, for many years.The 1920’s-era mansion she bought back in 2006 is enormous. It has 11 bedrooms, six bathrooms, five fireplaces, a hot tub, pool, a tennis court and two apartments. She put the place on the market some years later for whooping $39.5 million. Greenwich is the most wanted place to have a home in by celebrities. Ross owns another mansion in West Hollywood as well.
We are glad our favorite singer is doing great. She spends her days with her grandchildren who make her life complete and enjoys her days.
Having a twin is a true blessing, to say the least. The bond between these siblings starts long before they are born, and many twins agree that sharing passion and love for the same things, clothes, and activities is more common than we think. And as twins come to this world with a built-in best friend, it’s fair to say that they are more privileged than the rest of us.
Science says how twins know if their sibling is sad or upset and are able to feel both their happiness and pain. Some call that “twintuition,” and apparently that’s a thing in the twins’ world. Wow, how cool is that?
One of the most famous twins we know of are actresses Mary Kate and Asley Olsen. They not only share same parents, but used to shared the set of the sitcom Full House. They would take turns filming scenes without the audience even realizing there are two girls playing the same character.
Although twins are sometimes referred to as ‘little peas in a pod,’ it doesn’t necessarily mean they are completely the same especially when it comes to their character. So even if you are well aware what one of them loves, never buy gifts or make assumptions for the other one based on that.
What is truly interesting about twins is that some of them are believed to communicate with each other using their own made-up language. So, in case they understand each other using strange words, sounds, and gestures and you don’t seem to be able to figure the meanings out it’s because you are simply not part of their tiny twin gang.
Merle and Stijn are adorable twins that are able to chew the rag even though they are just a couple of weeks old.
I bet you haven’t seen anything more adorable than these two in a long time. They just can’t stop laughing, and it looks as though they are telling each other jokes that only they understand.
This truly is the ultimate level of cuteness, don’t you think so?
It’s awesome how they love ‘talking’ to each other even before they learned how to speak. Merle and Stinj are a brother and a sister and fall into the fraternal category, which means they are not identical, but that doesn’t lessen the strength of their bond.
Judging from their expressions and the happiness they feel while they are around one another, we are sure they will grow to be best friends.
Make sure you check the video of the lovely conversation out. Oh, it will melt your heart.
