We asked her to leave her. She wanted to stay with us. We’ll be together soon

By
Monica Pop
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Cora’s story started when her parents learned they were expecting her. At first, everything seemed normal, but as the pregnancy progressed, the family received some devastating news. The little one had an abnormal heart, or half-heart syndrome (HLHS). She also had a hole in her diaphragm.

The day the parents learned how grim their unborn daughter’s condition was and that she could not possibly live with such flaws, the father decided her to be named Cora. “My husband Derek chose the name “cora” for the sandwiches at Cheesecake Factory because it resembles the Spanish term “corazon”, which means heart. I cried and replied ‘It’s beautiful’ when he suggested it,” Cora’s mom shared.

Courtesy of Shannon Welton

The parents did all in their power to transfer their medical care to the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital.When they finally switched, doctors there ruled the hole in the diaphragm out. That was great news and meant the baby still had a chance.

On the day when the induction was supposed to take place, mom Shannon received a phone call and learned the birth of her baby needed to be postponed for some time because of an infection in the hospital’s operating rooms. Later, however, the rooms were closed and she was transferred to OHSU in Portland, Oregon.

Courtesy of Shannon Welton

Shannon described the moment the process of birth was about to start and what was happening afterwards. “I puked again, and I could feel Cora attempting to give birth. My nurse was urgently calling for a doctor to come to my room while on the phone. I remember being terrified as I glanced at Derek. ‘…She’ll have to deliver Cora herself!’ I muttered to him. I knew Cora would require quick medical attention after she was born, and I was terrified she wouldn’t get it because she was due right away and we didn’t have a doctor.”

The doctor then appeared and this mom was told to push. Baby Cora Orianna Lee Welton was born on May 28th, 2019, at 7:09 a.m., weighing 6 lbs 15 oz and measuring 19 inches long.

“She was pink and sobbing when she emerged, and she was placed on my stomach. She had a lot of hair, a cute dimple on her chin, and the most gorgeous blue eyes I’d ever seen,” Shannon described her baby girl.

Courtesy of Shannon Welton

“Cora underwent several echocardiograms, a CT scan, and was prescribed prostaglandin to keep a vessel called the Ductus open so that blood could flow back to her heart from her lungs. Cora’s prescription made her forget to breathe on occasion. We saw her during a nasty apnea period the day she had her CT scan. This was the first time our child had experienced something so terrible.”

The sweet baby had her open-heart surgery at just two days old. “It was sad to see Cora after the surgery. Because her chest was still open, we had to wear masks in her room. She was very pale due to poor oxygen saturation and blood pressure. She appeared to be huge and lifeless. They administered Cora a variety of drugs over the next several days in an attempt to boost blood flow to her lungs. Her body began to swell as a result of the numerous medications she was taking,” the mother explained.

Courtesy of Shannon Welton

A day after the surgery, the couple’s older daughter, 21-month-old Chanel, met her baby sister and was over the moon.

Sadly, Cora’s SATS and blood pressure weren’t improving. Doctors then discovered that her pulmonary arteries were narrowed. 

As a result, the surgeon decided they needed to wash out Cora’s chest. Sadly, this didn’t really work and they booked her for a cardiac catheterization the next day to try to figure out what was causing her blood pressure to be so low.

Courtesy of Shannon Welton

“Cora went to the cath lab the next morning for her surgery. On her shunt, they used a stent to keep a blood channel open. They thought it was a success when she came out! Her SATS had improved, and they were optimistic that this would be all she needed. And she did fantastically well for the next two days! Epinephrine, one of her blood pressure meds, was successfully weaned. She also had a Peritoneal Dialysis drain to assist remove fluid from her abdomen and give her kidneys room to begin working. Because of the fluid and drugs, she was quite bloated. Because of the fluid, her birth weight had doubled by one week after she was born. It was painful to see her grow that large. However, the PD appeared to be assisting her! The Lord had heard our prayers and had answered them!” Shannon explained in her post.

“Our tiny girl, though, began to struggle once more. Her doctors suspected she could require more surgery, but they wanted to have a CT scan first to figure out what exactly needed to be fixed. Because the CT scan revealed nothing remarkable, they assumed she had pulmonary hypertension, which means her lungs’ capillaries were constricted. As a result, they prescribed Cora a medicine to assist dilate her pupils. Fortunately, this appeared to be of assistance! They kept a tight eye on her over the weekend, hoping for continuing progress.

“A phone call from the PICU woke us up at 1:07 a.m. on Monday, June 10th. As Derek answered my phone, I can still hear it clearly in my mind. ‘Is this Cora’s father?’ Cora was having a very difficult night, according to her, and they had maxed out her Epi, but her pressures were still too low. They were preparing to put her on ECMO, or an artificial heart and lung machine. An hour later, Ashok called to inform us that she had been placed on ECMO and that another surgery would be performed first thing in the morning. We were terrified. We were well aware of the gravity of ECMO. It’s as though you’re on life support. That so many people who try it never get off.”

Cora had her second open-heart surgery. The doctor explained that if this surgery wasn’t successful, there was nothing more they could do surgically for baby Cora.

The following day, Cora opened her tiny eyes and was removed off ECMO two days after her second surgery. She was fitted with a feeding tube and the progress was evident.

As she needed to shed more fluids, she was placed on hemodialysis to help her body rid itself from the fluids. The family went to check on their daughter, but the moment they sat in the car they received a phone call. The nurse told them Cora wasn’t doing well and was receiving CPR.

After 90 minutes of CPR, they could finally reconnect her to the ECMO circuit. When they went to check on her on Father’s Day, Cora was swollen.

“A head ultrasound revealed a few small regions on Cora’s brain that were damaged after 90 minutes of CPR. The doctors hoped the damage wouldn’t be severe, and it didn’t appear to be because Cora was still awake and wiggling. They did, however, connect her to an EEG for a day to monitor her brain activity. They were able to remove the EEG the next morning because everything appeared to be normal! She received a new breathing tube because the one she had was beginning to leak, a new IV, and a Bronchoscopy to clear her lungs over the next few days. The 20th of June was a memorable day. Since the first time she went to surgery, Cora has looked her finest. She really appeared to be so lovely and at ease,” Shannon explained.

Courtesy of Shannon Welton

Her heart was ready to beat on its own, but her lungs weren’t so they relocated her ECMO cannulas from her chest to her neck as a result. Doctors said that if everything went properly, they would seal her chest. She went to the OR for the third time.

“However, unlike her previous two procedures, this one did not proceed as planned. We had the first of several unpleasant conversations with the Cardiologist on Saturday morning. Cora’s Aorta was bleeding uncontrollably. That night, they gave her a liter of blood because they were afraid she wouldn’t make it through the weekend.”

Over the weekend the bleeding stopped, but the parents now needed to make a decision. According to Shannon’s post, they were given three options, “Stay at Doernbecher and continue on our current path, start comfort care and let her go, or transfer back to Seattle Children’s Hospital in the hopes that she would improve enough to be a candidate for a heart and lung transplant one day. We were devastated to be forced to make this decision.”

Courtesy of Shannon Welton

They decided choosing Seattle was possibly the best they could go with, but at the same time, they were aware that their girl’s time on Earth was coming to an end.

“We opted to spend the entire day with our darling Cora on Wednesday. It had been a difficult day. I changed her diaper for the first time, nurse Holly clothed her in a cute outfit I provided, and we both got to hold her for a few hours. A selfless photographer from the Portland area took family portraits for us. We sang songs to Cora, read books to her, and expressed our gratitude to her for everything she has taught us. We were happy for her to begin her Heavenly mission, even though we knew we would miss her terribly.

“On the morning of June 27th, 2019, we dressed up to say our goodbyes to Cora. We put on the nicest clothes that we had with us. Cora’s hair was rinsed, and I used a washcloth to carefully wipe her body. I swaddled her firmly and put her in clean clothing with our favorite headband. Chanel kissed Cora on the forehead when we picked her up. We advised her to say her goodbyes. ‘Bye-bye, Baby Cora,’ she said. My mother said her goodbyes and escorted Chanel away from Cora, leaving Derek and me alone.”

Courtesy of Shannon Welton

Baby Cora was gone. From her mother’s arms, she slipped to the arms of God.

“Finally, she peacefully transitioned from my arms to the arms of our wonderful Savior. She had finally found relief from the stresses of life,” Shannon wrote in her post.

Courtesy of Shannon Welton

Rest in peace baby Cora. You are dearly missed.

This story and the photos have been shared by Cora’s mother, Shannon Welton.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.

Please SHARE this heartbreaking story with your family and friends on Facebook to honor Cora’s short but meaningful life.

Bored Daddy

Love and Peace

He’s been in foster care for most of his life. At 13, all this boy wants is a chance to be someone’s son

By
Monica Pop
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13-year-old Tim from Texas has spent most of his life at the foster care system. He ended up there at the age of just three, and sadly, 10 years later, he still hasn’t found a forever family to call his own.

The sad reality is that a number of children never get a chance to be adopted. They simply age out of the system and are left to fend for themselves, with many of them ending on the streets, unable to find a job or a place to stay.

Tim has always dreamed of having someone to call him their son. In fact, he wanted that so badly that his caseworkers flew with him to the other part of the country so that he could be on the Wednesday’s Child program where he was given the chance to ask from the viewers to help him find a home.

This loving boy, who has been going from one home to another, said he’s a true angel and that his potential family won’t ever have any problems with him.

Throughout the program, photos of Tim from different stages of his life were shown on the screen. Back in the day, when he first entered the system, he had big bright eyes full of hope, but as years went by, he started losing that spark because he got tired of looking for security with a forever family.

“Kind of like being in a prison without walls. You got runners, but then where you gonna [sic] go if you run? Absolutely nowhere but right back to where you ran from,” he explained. “I know I want a mom and dad at least,” Tim added.

Image Credit: KHOU11

In a mom, he’s hoping to find someone caring and understanding. “Someone that cares, who’s always worried. I may seem embarrassed sometimes (by her worrying) but she’ll still be wondering if I’m OK. She’ll ask how my day is every time I walk through the door,” Tim said.

He dreams that his forever father would be his personal hero. Someone who will throw a ball around with him and teach him about what it means to be a man. “If I go outside, he’ll go outside with me. He’ll give me some normalcy.” Tim said.

He also said that he would love it if the family has other children too because he really wants to have siblings.

Finding a family means he would no longer need to care what his life would be like after he reaches 18.

“Freedom. Freedom to go out the door when I want and them not worrying about me coming back or not, because they know they can trust me,” this sweet boy explained.

For more information on how to adopt Tim please contact LaQueena Warren at [email protected].

Please SHARE Tim’s story!

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Love and Peace

Couple adopts little girl from war affected country rejected for her looks, she later becomes a famous ballet star Michaela DePrince

By
Monica Pop
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Most times, all a person needs in order to thrive is a little TLC. Without that, we may feel vulnerable and never gather the courage to shine, just like one little girl named Michaela DePrince, born Mabinty Bangura on January 6, 1995, who grew up in an orphanage and was dubbed a “devil’s child” because of her vitiligo.

This girl’s father was killed during the Sierra Leone’s civil war and her mother died of starvation. Not knowing what to do with her, Michaela’s uncle placed her at an orphanage when she was just three years old. There, children were ranked from 1 to 27, with number 1 being the favorite child. Michaela was ranked 27. Everyone believed that she was possessed by an evil entry because of the white spots on her skin. Speaking of those times, Michaela recalled: “They thought of me as a devil’s child. They told me every day how I wasn’t going to get adopted because nobody would want a devil’s child.”

Life in Sierra Leone was tough. The civil war began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), with support from the special forces of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), intervened in Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government. It lasted 11 years, leaving over 50,000 dead.

One night, as Michaela was walking back from school with her teacher, they came across three drunk soldiers. When the three men noticed the teacher was pregnant they cut her stomach open to see whether she was carrying a boy or a girl. When they saw the fetus was a girl, they cut off the teacher’s arms and legs and one of them stabbed a machete into Michaela’s stomach. She then blacked out, but doctors managed to save her life.

Source: Michaela DePrince/ Facebook

During those tough times, Michaela stumbled upon a discarded issue of Dance Magazine. “There was a lady on it, she was on her tippy-toes, in this pink, beautiful tutu. I had never seen anything like this, a costume that stuck out with glitter on it, with just so much beauty. I could just see the beauty in that person and the hope and the love and just everything that I didn’t have. And I just thought: ‘Wow! This is what I want to be,’“ she recalled.

Luckily, her dream came true after she was adopted by an American couple who lost their three children. Once in the States, Michaela, who was five at the time, was enrolled into the Rock School of Dance in Philadelphia. Her new mom and dad, Charles and Elaine DePrince, were perfectly aware of the girl’s love and passion for dancing and did their best to support her.

Once, she asked her ballet teacher whether the white spots on her skin would stand on her way to success to what the teacher replied that she didn’t even notice them as she was way too busy admiring her dancing.

As she grew older, some of her other teachers told Michaela’s mom that she could not pursue a career as a ballerina because of her skin color, saying that they didn’t want to put “a lot of effort and money into the Black dancers because they just get fat and get big boobs and big thighs.”

These words only made Michaela work even harder. “I’m still trying to change the way people see black dancers, that we can become delicate dancers, that we can be a ballerina.”

Today, the little girl that was once dubbed “the devil’s child” is an ambassador for War Child Holland, which helps kids affected by conflict all over the world. She is a famous ballerina, a soloist at the Boston Ballet, featured in Beyoncé and Madonna music videos, and starred in the film adaptation of the ballet Coppelia.

Even though you might have had a terrible past and even though you might have been through a lot and might be still going through a lot, if you have something that you love and that makes you happy and that gives you that feeling inside to continue growing up and that makes you want to have a good future then you should focus on that and not focus on the negative.”

Take a look at the video about Michaela’s life journey and SHARE this inspiring story with your family and friends on Facebook.

Bored Daddy

Love and Peace

Kirk Douglas’ children didn’t get a penny from his fortune after his passing

By
Monica Pop
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Kirk Douglas will always be remembered as a Hollywood icon and an unforgettable actor. His career spanned seven decades, a time during which he played in a number of classics which are popular even today.

What is special about this actor, who passed away on February 5, 2020, at the age of 103, is that his life story went from rags to riches. As he described it in his best-selling autobiography, The Ragman’s Son, Kirk’s family lived in one of the poorest parts of New York and they were “on the lowest rung on the ladder.” His parents were Russian Jewish immigrants and no one wanted to give his father a job besides the neighborhood they lived in was known for the many factories.

In order to provide for his family, Kirk’s father worked as a junk dealer, or a ragman.

Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kirk explained that residing in Amsterdam, New York, meant “living in the East End, the opposite side of town from the rich people on Market Hill. It meant living at 46 Eagle Street, a run-down, two-story, gray clapboard house, the last house at the bottom of a sloping street, next to the factories, the railroad tracks, and the Mohawk River.”

Despite the unfortunate conditions his family was living in, Kirk knew he would be successful one day. However, on the way to stardom, he worked around 40 different jobs which ranged from newspaper boy to dishwasher.

“I also was a hard worker. I’d invent jobs, like selling soda and candy to workers at the mill at the end of our street. Amsterdam was one of the largest mill towns in the country. There were dozens of factories but no jobs for Jews.”

Shutterstock/Bart Sherkow

Kirk’s love for writing, reading, and acting was born because of one special teacher, Louise Livingston. She was a huge lover of poetry and passed that passion to young Kirk. As he couldn’t possibly collect enough money to attend university, his teacher encouraged him to take a leap of faith and ask for a scholarship at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. He took all his school awards and transcripts along with a letter of recommendation written by Mrs. Livingston.

Once he got enrolled with scholarship, Kirk started working as an actor at the Tamarack Playhouse on Lake Pleasant.

It was then that he decided to change his birth name, Issur Danielovitch, to Kirk Douglas because his real name was seemingly “too unwieldy” and “too Jewish” for Hollywood back in the first half of the 20th century, according to what the actor told People.

Getty Images

In 1941, Kirk had his Broadway debut, but then the war started and he enlisted to become part of the army. While serving as a communication officer on a submarine, Kirk got injured in an accident and was discharged from the Navy as a junior grade lieutenant in 1943.

Once home, he could turn to his acting career. One thing led to another and he got cast in the 1946 film The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers whose producer, Hal Willis, noticed Kirk’s talent during a show. In 1949, the actor received his first ever Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for the movie Boxer.

Although he starred in a number of Oscar winning movies, including The Bad and the Beautiful and Lust for Life among the rest, he never won a competitive Academy Award. Then, in 1996, he was awarded an honorary Oscar for “50 years as a creative and moral force in the motion picture community.”

Shutterstock/Featureflash Photo Agency

Kirk Douglas was married twice in his life. He and his first wife, actress and model Diana Dill, stayed together for eight years and welcomed two sons together, Joel and Michael Douglas. It was his second wife, Anne Buydens, who he considered the great love of his life. They were married until Kirk’s passing in 2020. He also had two children with Anne.

“I had been a big movie star with two Oscar nominations by the time I met Anne, and I believed that any woman would be flattered if I asked her out. Anne was the one who turned me down,” Kirk recalled about the time he met Anne.

He persuaded her to be his publicist for the 1953 film Act of Love and that’s when she fall for him as well. They married in 1954.

Shutterstock/Bart Sherkow

Thanks to his successful career, Kirk made a fortune. At the time of his passing, he was reported to had had a net worth of $61 million. However, reports are that his children didn’t receive a penny from his money. Instead, he left everything to the charities and causes he held near and dear to his heart his entire life.

Even his son Michael Douglas, whose relationship with Kirk wasn’t the perfect one, said his father was a generous and charitable man. “Kirk’s life was well-lived, and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet,” Michael Douglas said in a statement.

During his life, Kirk and Anne gave plenty of money to charity through their Douglas Foundation.

Shutterstock/Kathy Hutchins

The relationship between Kirk and his son Michael had its ups and downs and things got even more heated when Michael persuaded his father to sell the rights to the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Kirk agreed and expected to play the lead role in the film, but Michael chose Jack Nicholson instead.

“So Michael asked me if he could try to produce it, and I said: ‘Sure!’ Next thing I know, he has a director lined up, and it’s all go. So I said to him: ‘Great! When do we start rehearsing?’” Kirk Douglas recalled in an interview with The Guardian.

“Not you, Dad,” Michael replied. “You’re too old.”

“I couldn’t believe it!” Kirk added. “So I said: ‘Who’s playing my part? Jack Nicholson? Never heard of him. Well, at least it will be a flop.”

Both Michael Douglas and Jack Nicholson received Oscars for best picture and best actor respectively.

Shutterstock/Kathy Hutchins

Kirk Douglas left a legacy and will always be remembered as someone with a heart of gold who never forgot where he came from. He spent his life creating beautiful movies and helping others. May he rest in peace.

Dog refuses to leave grave – then a woman sneaks closer to find the truth

By
Monica Pop
-

I am sure most of you remember the story of the German Shepherd who was seen laying on the grave of whom we were told was her owner she dearly missed. The faith of this dog broke the hearts of millions of people into a million pieces. However, it turned out that it wasn’t the real story behind the photo that went viral in a blink of an eye. 

The true story of the life of this dog is also heartbreaking, but the good thing is that after her ordeal, this dog that stole our hearts got her happy ending. 

Photo credit: Facebook / Vesna Mihajloski

It turns out the mother dog was a stray who was desperately trying to find a safe place for her litter of puppies. Eventually, she chose the graveyard and dig a hole into one of the graves. 

Photo credit: Facebook / Vesna Mihajloski

This unusual event took place at the graveyard of Novi Beograd, Belgrade, Serbia.

Photo credit: Facebook / Vesna Mihajloski

This brave mother and her babies were spotted by an animal lover who decided to take things into her hands and take them off that place to a safer one. 

Photo credit: Facebook / Vesna Mihajloski

The mom was a very cute dog that wasn’t afraid of people and was happy to approach the rescuers who offered her some food. It was as though she could sense they were there to lend a helping hand.

The hero who took part in the rescue was a woman named Vesna Mihajloski. She was more than happy to welcome the whole dog family in her home. 

Photo credit: Facebook / Vesna Mihajloski

Both the mother and her cute babies were given the medical care they needed. But most important of all, they were provided with lots of love, kindness, and affection. 

The sweet pups are now all grown up and healthier and happier than ever. They enjoy their days running around and bonding with each other, their dog mommy, and their human mommy. 

The mother is glad and grateful for the second chance for a better life for her and her offspring. 

Photo credit: Facebook / Vesna Mihajloski

We hope that each of the members of this beautiful dog family will find their forever home and will spend the rest of their lives surrounded by people who would love them endlessly. Until then, they have all the time to snuggle and be by each other’s side.

Please SHARE this story with your family and friends on Facebook!

Bored Daddy

Love and Peace

Everyone on the planet should see this 1 minute animal video

By
Monica Pop
-

Nothing speaks love and compassion louder than unlike animal friendships that light our days like sunshine rays on cloudy days.

The most watched ad of all time featuring different species sharing happy moments together reminds us of the beautifies of life. We don’t have to be same in order to respect each other.

The Android ad spreads the message that says, “Be Together. Not The Same” through series of images between animals of different kinds that found friends in one another. So if you’ve never seen a dog and a dolphin swimming together, or a bear and tiger nuzzling than this is your chance.

“Friends Furever” will make your day as it did to the millions of people who got to see it.

This video is definitely a must see. Check it out below and don’t forget to SHARE it with your family and friends on Facebook!

Bored Daddy

Love and Peace

Scientist reaches professor who supported her love for bugs when she was 4

By
Monica Pop
-

The impact adults can have on children is immense and that is the reason why we should always mind our words and our behavior when we are around youngsters.

The following story is touching and inspiring. It is about a little girl who was obsessed with bugs so much that she eventually grew up to pursue a PhD in biological sciences and is now working with aquatic invertebrates such as crustaceans as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

When Rebecca Varney was just four years old, she would spend her days catching bugs and taking care of them. Her father recalled that he didn’t like the bugs so he would tell his daughter they would be better of out in the nature so she wouldn’t keep them at home.

Rebecca Varney, at 4, in her favorite bug T-shirt on her way to the University of California at Berkeley to visit the Essig Museum of Entomology. (Mary Jo Grothman-Pelton)

The parents believed that Rebecca’s love for bugs was just an infatuation, but they were wrong. As time passed by, she got to love them even more. So, one day, the parents encouraged their daughter to write a letter to the University of California at Berkeley.

“My name is Rebecca and I have a bug collection. I read about yours and it is bigger than mine is. Can I see it? Also, I have a question. Do walking sticks have knees? Sincerely, Rebecca,” she recalled writing.

Shortly after, she was invited on a tour at the Essig Museum of Entomology. The professor in charge spent time with Rebecca explaining everything about the bugs. At one moment, he told her that she could attend a college which gives whole classes about bugs and that she can spend her life researching them.

What the professor didn’t know was that his words would stick with the girl her entire life. He let her hold a hissing cockroach and a live scorpion, and explained how walking sticks have knees.

“And then he shook my hand and said ‘It’s been a pleasure to meet another scientist,’” Rebecca said in the Tweet she posted recently. The reason she shared the story of this experience she had as a child was because she was trying to track down the professor who gave her the tour. Sadly, it wasn’t as easy as she thought because over the years, some of the professors passed away, and others retired.

Vernard Richard Lewis, then a professor of entomology at the University of California at Berkeley, encouraged Rebecca Varney’s love for bugs. (Steve Fossum)

After some time, someone mentioned that the professor in question could be a man named Vernard Richard Lewis, the first Black entomology professor at UC-Berkeley and one of several faculty members who gave tours of the Essig Museum. Rebecca’s mom couldn’t recall whether the professor was black, but when they mentioned that he let Rebecca pick up some hissing cockroaches and scorpions, he said, “Oh, that was me, I always had those around.”

He remembered that his schedule was always busy, but still, he always found time for children like Rebecca.

“Do I remember meeting her specifically? No. I talked to thousands of kids, and I visited schools, and made sure to give them time,” Lewis said. “Why? Because my grandfather was the one who instilled in me the love and passion of nature. He had that infinite patience, he never told me ‘no,’ and I was a wild kid, bringing all the bugs back home — black widow spiders. I was nuts.

“So all those kids, Rebecca included, when they get all excited, I see me.”

Vernard Richard Lewis, then a professor of entomology at the University of California at Berkeley, teaches students how to conduct bug races at Washington Elementary School in Richmond, Calif., in 2006. (Robin Tabuchi)

We are so glad Rebecca found the man who encouraged her love for bugs. Meeting him back in the day certainly had a lot to do with her choosing her current profession.

Please SHARE this heartwarming story with your family and friends on Facebook!

Bored Daddy

Carrot Top made a fortune from his shows – this is how much the comedian is worth

By
Monica Pop
-

If you are into comedy, chances are you are very familiar with the unique and very much creative style of one of the most prominent comedians there are, Scott Thompson, or better known as Carrot Top.

Born in Florida, in 1965, to a father who worked in NASA and helped build spaceships and trained astronauts, and having a brother who went into the Air Force Academy and became a jet pilot, Carrot Top sometimes felt like the “oddball.” His family, however, supported his passion throughout the years.

Carrot Top knew he wanted to be a comedian since he was pretty young. However, as there aren’t any schools out there that teach comedy, he would often stood in front of a mirror and tell jokes.

Youtube/LIVEKellyandRyan

It wasn’t until he heard that a comedy club in West Palm Beach, which had a show on the radio, announced they were holding open mic nights that he tried performing in front of audience. The first time he went, he only watched what others did, and the following week, he just knew he was ready to do it himself.

“I put together what I thought was an act, and I showed up. The woman said, ‘You were so funny, but the stuff you’re doing is all about [your] college,’” he recalled.

“She said, ‘Everyone that comes to this club is not going to be in college. They are going to have jobs, and there might be 40-year-olds, there might be 60 year olds. It’s going to be a collection of different age groups and occupations, so your stuff has to be a little bit more general.’”

These words were what helped Carrot Top add uniqueness to his acts and use a bunch of props, smoke bombs, and flashing lights.

Youtube/LIVEKellyandRyan

“When I started touring at the beginning of my career, I had two trunks and a strobe light,” Carrot Top told the Los Angeles Times in 1995.

“Things got pretty crazy pretty fast, and before I knew it, I had a team touring the country in an 18-wheeler with 35 trunks full of props.”

After a number of appearances in shows such as The Tonight Show and Regis & Kathie Lee, he was slammed by other comedians. Dom Irrera said, “I don’t consider him a stand-up. I consider him a clown.”

Youtube/MyTalkShowHeroes

But this didn’t crush Carrot Top’s self-esteem. He never spoke negatively of those who criticized his work. On the contrary, he always answered back with style.

“I think what I do is very creative and clever,” Carrot Top said speaking to Los Angeles Times in response to the criticism .

“A lot of comics don’t look at it that way. [That issue] always comes up. It kind of eats at you after a while. Why are so many people bitter and jealous in this business? Everybody has their own style. If you went to the movies every week and everybody acted the same way Tom Cruise did, boy, wouldn’t that suck?”

Lisa Lake/Getty Images

Show after show, Carrot Top became a famous name in the industry. Even today, there are some who don’t find his comedy attractive, but he has his base of fans who love what he does.

Ever since 2005, Carrot Top performs at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. He does over 200 shows each year.

From the moment he first took the stage until now, his appearance has changed drastically and the media started writing that he was on steroids and did a bunch of procedures on his face and body. The comedian denied everything and claimed that he gained muscles by spending long hours at the gym.

“That’s 35 years of working out. Maybe five years ago, I decided I’d worked out enough,” Carrot Top told Esquire in 2015.

“I quit cold turkey. Didn’t go to the gym for maybe a year. Then I started running. That’s where I am now. I just kind of wanted a normal build.”

Kevin Winter/ACMA/Getty Images for ACMA

During a roast on Comedy Central back in 2013, he recalled one comedian telling him, “Jesus, Carrot Top, when are you gonna stop with all the plastic surgery? You look like the guy from The Mask or something.’” Carrot Top answered back saying, “I’m sorry that I look good,” during an appearance on Oprah.

“For a while I had gotten really big. I didn’t do steroids or anything, I just worked out a lot, and I never had any plastic surgery. I can see why people would think that since I got really big for a while, but I never had any work done,” he told Florida Today.

“I mean, if I was going to have plastic surgery, I would look better than this! My crew, my family, and my friends all know I work so hard I wouldn’t have had time to get work done if I wanted to. That was absurd.”

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Carrot Top has an estimated net worth of around $70 million and lives in a 4,300 square feet house with a swimming pool, three bedrooms, and two-and-a-half baths.

According to the 2015 Esquire piece of writing, Carrot Top’s house was constructed “by the same builder who built Céline Dion’s palatial desert estate.” The site further added that  materials left over from the larger job, including pilfered floor tile and the kitchen’s rustic beams,” got a spot in his home.

Besides comedy, he has tried himself as an actor too. He appeared in a 2002 episode of Scrubs and other shows such as N.Y.U.K and ComiXspotlight. He also had some more minor, uncredited roles in The Hangover and Larry the Cable Guy’s Christmas Spectacular.

Carrot Top attends the official gift lounge presented by Míage Skincare during the 64th annual GRAMMY Awards at Topgolf Las Vegas on March 31, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Getty Images)

Whether you love his comedy style or not, one thing is certain, that Carrot Top has made quite a career.

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