Kids grow up very fast, so parents do all in their power to spend as much time with them as possible before they become grown ups who have families on their own. Taking a bunch of photos of their bundles of joy is just one way of making all the unforgettable memories last.
Josie Rock is a devoted mom who would do anything for her children. One day, as she was taking pictures of her 4-month-old baby Asher, she noticed something off on one of the photos.
“I was just taking pictures of him and the lighting happened to change in our room, the flash caught the reflection, and his eye was glowing white,” Josie told Fox News. One would say it was just the light and wouldn’t think something serious could be going on, but Josie’s motherly instinct told her something was wrong.
“I knew right then and there that Asher had cancer. It was chilling, to say the least. He was just a baby,” she added.
She recalled reading of a case where parents discovered their son had retinoblastoma, a disease in which malignant cancer cells form in the tissues of the retina, after noticing “the glow” in the eye on a photo. In order to be sure, she took more photos of Asher and showed them to her colleagues at the hospital where she works as a nurse. They thought it was nothing to worry about, but she decided to trust her gut and took the boy to the pediatrician.
“I remember the color drained from her (the doctor’s) face after she did the proper examination,” Josie said. “She turned the lights off and looked at his eyes and said, ‘Something’s not right.’”
Sweet Asher was officially diagnosed with retinoblastoma and had to undergo a surgery to remove the tumor.
Today, Asher is 7 years old. Over the years, he was forced to visit the hospital numerous times so that doctors could run a bunch of tests. The doctor who treats him, Dr. Thomas Olson, pediatric oncologist and hematologist at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, says these things can be subtle.
“He finished chemo in 2015. The problem with retinoblastoma is it can pop up in other places. Over time, he had a few new ones pop up and they were lasered.”
Josie believes that every parent out there should no the signs. She says she will never stop advocating if that means saving someone’s life.
“The way I see it, if it saves just one other child from having to go through what my son has, then I have done my job as a cancer parent,” she posted on Facebook. “I will never stop advocating for these children.
“Once you are placed in shoes, such as mine, and the millions of other parents of children suffering (and many losing their battles), then you’ll really understand our passion.”
We are very happy everything turned out for the best for Asher all thanks to his mom and her instinct that she decided to follow and trust.
Life is unpredictable and can take us to strange and new places when we least expect it. Sometimes, no matter how much we want something, things just don’t turn for the best, and other times, everything goes smoothly, just like the career of southern beauty Donna Douglas.
Donna was born Donna Ione Smith on Sept 26, 1932 in Pride, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. When she was young, she probably never assumed that she would end up in the Big Apple and would become one of the most famous actresses of her time.
Youtube/VideoBGood
Louisiana was definitely not the place to be for Donna as her beauty and aspiration were asking for more.
When she was 16, she married Roland Bourgeois and had a son at the age of 21. Shorty after, however, young Donna divorced and decided to pursue a career as a model. She was crowned “Miss Baton Rouge” and “Miss New Orleans” in 1957 and she landed a job as an ad-model for a toothpaste company. From that moment on, Donna, who was a quiet and naive young lady, somehow became aware of her abilities and longed for more.
Once in New York, she went to an audition for the role of Elly May on one of the most successful TV series, The Beverly Hillbillies. The series first aired in 1962 and reached number one just three weeks after the first episode.
It portrayed the life of the Clampett family. The father, Jed Clampett, played by Buddy Ebsen, became a millionaire overnight so he and his family moved from the hills of the Ozark Mountains to Beverly Hills, California. However, changing places didn’t change their hillbilly manners, and that’s where the comedy who everyone loved started.
Youtube/Classic TV Channel
When Donna traveled for the open-call audition from New York to California, there were 500 other girls who were dreaming of getting a role in the series. Speaking of the time, she recalled how the producers asked her to milk a goat. “I had milked cows before,” she told AP 2009. “I figured they were equipped the same, so I just went on over and did it.”
Donna added, “I thought my heart was gonna pop wide ope. All I could do was bob my head up and down. I wanted my folks back home to be proud of what I did.”
Youtube/100huntely
After the audition, as Donna headed home, she got involved in a car accident and ended up in the hospital. But that didn’t prevent her to show up at the testing a few days later. Luckily, she got the role, although she was completely unaware at the time of how important and how everlasting Elly May would turn out to be.
On the set of The Beverly Hillbillies, Donna made friends with actor Max Baer Jr, who played the role of Jethro Bodine, son of Jed’s cousin Pearl, a borderline dim-witted man who was good at math.
According to the book Dashing, Daring, and Debonair: TV’s Top Male Icons from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, Donna said of her friend, “He gave me a hard time then and still does. But we all were like a family. Max could complain about any one of us (for whatever reason), but do not let someone else say something about one of us. Boy — would Max really let that person have it. He’d defend us just like with a real family member.”
Youtube/FactsVerse
But then, amid its popularity, the show was canceled in 1971 and that decision surprised both the fans and the cast. “I didn’t know it was going to end,” Donna said speaking to the Lincoln Times News. “They kept telling us we would be coming back for next season and then they would say no and kept see-sawing back and forth. We never had a farewell finale.”
The same year the show was canceled, Donna married director Robert M. Leeds, but the pair divorced in 1980.
As Donna herself once said, the show didn’t only bring her enormous popularity and love, but also best friends for life. One very special person in her life, who remained her closest friend until the end of his life was Buddy Ebsen, who portrayed the role of Jed, Donna’s TV father. She always spoke of him as “a wonderful man, very much like my own father, a quiet, reserved, and caring person.”
Youtube/Classic TV Channel
When he died in 2003, the actress was heartbroken. She told The Bay Net, “Most of my scenes were with Buddy, and most of Max’s with Irene. Buddy was just a wonderful man. I related to him so easily. The night before he died, Max and I went up to the hospital to see him.”
After The Beverly Hillbillies, Donna played in a number of TV shows and movies, including Frankie And Johnny, where she starred along with the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.
Youtube/Movieclips
When she felt like she had it enough from television, Donna started working as a real-estate agent and although she sold million dollar homes, she didn’t really enjoy that job. “Oh no, I wasn’t good in real estate,” she said, “You know why? Because I’ve learned I’m a service person. I’ll tell ’em what’s good about the house, but I’ll tell them what’s wrong about it, too. And you don’t do that!”
Sadly, Donna passed away of pancreatic cancer in 2015 in a hospital near her hometown of Zachary, Louisiana. Her last job in Hollywood was that in the 2013 movie Chronicles of Life Trials.
Youtube/Movieclips
“We lost a dear family friend today…The world knew her as Ellie Mae Clampett. A Beverly Hillbilly. But we knew her as our precious Donna who never met a stranger, had style and grace, had a kind heart, always wore pretty pink, and loved people,” the post by the Southern Gospel Update read. “I’m thankful for the time we got to spend with her and all the wisdom and lessons that the kids learned from her! I will forever hear her whistle and “y’all come back now, hear. See you on the other side, my friend.”
Donna’s portrayal of Elly May was nothing less than legendary. Rest in peace!
There are people out there who pray to God every single day to bless them with a child, and there are also those who fail to take proper care of their little ones, neglect them, abuse them, and make their lives a living hell.
The following story comes from Odessa, a city in Ukraine.
Police got a call about a flooded apartment and went to check what was really going on. The neighbor who called them told them how water started running down from the apartment above. They also revealed something shocking. Apparently, when they tried reaching the woman above, they realized she wasn’t home, but her 3-year-old son was.
When they arrived at the scene, the officers couldn’t believe their eyes. A toddler, completely naked, was hiding under the bed and was chewing on plastic. As it turned out, his mother, Natalia, left the boy all by himself while she went out partying with her friends. What’s most, this wasn’t the first time for the toddler to be locked inside without supervision.
The poor boy was starving. There was no food and the place was extremely filthy and infested with cockroaches. He only managed to find some sugar, and when there was no more, he started eating the plastic package. As he was thirsty as well, he tried getting some water and that’s when he left the water running. Had it not been for the flood, God knows what would have happened to him.
“I saw water pouring down my walls and ran upstairs trying to find Natalia,” the neighbor told local media. “When I realised [the toddler] was home alone, I called emergency services.”
The boy was taken from the apartment by the social services and his mother only came home the following day. She was taken in for questioning by the police and will be charged with child neglect and failure to fulfill parental duties.
“The child lived in horrific unsanitary conditions,” said Yulia Nikandrova, the head of the Children’s Protection Service. “The apartment was infested with cockroaches and contaminated with dirt and filth. There was no food. The boy was neglected and covered with bruises.”
They are trying to strip Natalia of her parenting rights and the boy will likely be placed in an orphanage.
Drake Geiger, a 16-year-old boy, lost his life after collapsing during football practice. The tragedy took place at Omaha High School.
Shortly after his parents dropped him off for his practice on August 10, the coach called them and told them that their son was rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, nothing could be done.
TRAGIC NEWS: this is 16-year-old Drake Geiger. His sister tells me he collapsed during football practice at Omaha South Tuesday. Drake tragically died yesterday. Thinking of his family and his friends. pic.twitter.com/73Bj7GagBZ
The boy’s father, Scott, recalls the last words he said to his loving son were: “Be tough, kid.”
“The coach called me, said they did their first 10-minute drill, and he went up got a drink, came back, sat down, and fell over. Said he had only been at practice 10 minutes… said the EMTs were there taking him up to UNMC,” Scott said as per 6News. “We got up there, doctor came and told us he was extremely overheated, and he was very, very sick.”
Drake was 6-foot-3-inch and he was a healthy young man. The family was told that the cause of death was a heat stroke. However, an autopsy will be carried out. According to KETV News, the heat index at the time of the football practice was 106 degrees.
Drake was just days away from getting he’s driver’s licence. He was described as a shy boy who loved playing football and hanging out with friends. According to his dad, Drake was looking forward to getting back to school.
#HEARTBREAKING: #Omaha South High School #football player, Drake Geiger, collapsed during football practice Tuesday afternoon. His family tells 6 News that doctors couldn’t revive his heart.https://t.co/DCFiwqNnn0
In times of grief, we sometimes utter words we don’t mean. The truth is that the pain can be so overwhelming that our judgment is clouded.
What one single black father living in a ghetto shared on Reddit made many feel both emotional and worried.
The 22-year-old user started his post by speaking of his late wife who was his high-school sweetheart. The day he married her was the happiest day of his life.
“I loved her more than anything. In our second year of college, she ended up getting pregnant. As a sidenote, her parents and my parents are horrendous, abusive and overbearing. We struggled to cut off contact (I went full after my wife passed away) and when she got pregnant, her parents threatened to cut off all financial support if she aborted.”
After giving it a lot of thought, she decided to keep the baby and her pregnancy was a tough one. Unfortunately, she died while giving birth to her child, a healthy baby boy.
Representational Image (Source: Getty Images | Photo by PeopleImages)
The father went home with his son. “I was all by myself. I had a kid, no support from family (I do have two little brothers but they’re eight and eleven), no support from my in-laws (as far as I’m concerned, they killed my wife), and all my friends being poor 20somethings working minimum wage jobs. I originally planned to go to med school and that’s where most of my friends are now,” he wrote in his post.
He went on and described his first year of fatherhood as hell. He had no idea how to raise a baby and was left all by himself. His late wife’s parents didn’t want to have anything with him and most of his friends were still in college working for minimum wages.
“I had no idea how to raise a child. I worked two jobs and my son was bounced around with my friends, who rotated looking after him while I was working. I worked 12am-8am overnight where I’d leave him with my best friend. Thankfully he was not a fussy baby and slept through most of the night. At eight o’clock, coming home from work, I’d swing by and pick him up and then spend time with him, probably end up falling asleep in chunks with him waking me up screaming, then I’d be off to work again at 3pm-9pm where I worked part-time at a drugstore. I’d call up whichever friend was available and struggle to find someone to keep him. Sometimes I wouldn’t be able to and I’d have to call sick for work. Typically I’d sleep through both my lunch breaks for either job.”
Representational Image (Source: Getty Images | Photo by Image taken by Mayte Torres)
And then, he wrote how he just hated the baby. “He’s sleeping next to me in his cradle and looking at his squishy little face I just… I hate him. I hate this stupid f**king kid. Well, not entirely. When he snuggles next to me the few hours I have off, I get a rush of affection for him. But most of the time, I hate him.”
On the little one’s first birthday, there was no cake and no party. Instead, this man spent the day crying and thinking of his wife. “This isn’t his birthday, this is the day my wife died. If she had been here right now, then I wouldn’t be all by myself with a one year old. Who I literally hate more than anything in the world.”
A lot of people tried to console him, telling him things were going to be better for him and his boy.
“First off, I’m so sorry for your loss. Your son is absolutely blameless. Your wife would want you to love him and even more so because she can’t. Please seek counseling. Journal your feelings,” one user wrote.
“Think about how you felt when your parents were abusive. You didn’t deserve it and neither would your baby,” another added.
“Your son is a bit part of your wife and really one of the few things left of her. I can’t even imagine what you went through…” commented another user. “Remember he is very much your wife and I’m sure she’d be proud of you for trying to get the best father you can be to your son.”
Representational Image (Source: Getty Images | Photo by Ariel Skelley)
There were also those who advised him to seek professional help and go to therapy, but everyone somehow knew that deep down he was a good father who was simply unable to cope with his loss.
In the comments section, the father later wrote: “I don’t hate him. I love this tiny man more than anything. I’m just overworked and underslept.”
We truly hope he will be able to overcome his grief and will find strength to move on with his life with his boy by his side.
Few actors impacted the film industry and the showbiz as profoundly as Lucille Ball did. Her lead role in the all-time favorite show I Love Lucy made her an icon admired by millions even years after her death.
On August 6, the day she was born, her daughter Lucie Arnaz posted a touching tribute on social media. “So many celebrations coming up to honor you, Mom,” Arnaz wrote. “Your radio show is being replayed after 50 years on SiriusXM. There is a feature film coming out of your life and a wonderfully insightful documentary, a new educational tool, even a Tribute Barbie!!!! What else could you want?
“I hope you’re proud,” Arnaz added. “Happy 110th heavenly birthday. We love and miss you every day.”
Wikimedia Commons
Arnaz was lucky enough to have Lucille as her mother and someone she could share the screen with. The mother-daughter duo worked on a number of projects together. Some of the Lucille’s shows Arnaz appeared in were The Lucy Show and Here’s Lucy. Later on, Arnaz had her own show, The Lucy Arnaz Show, co-starred opposite Neil Diamond in The Jazz Singer, and went on to have a successful career in musical theater.
Lucille was married to her co-star Desi Arnaz. Except for Lucie Arnaz, the two also had a son, Desi Arnaz Jr. Being children of two celebs was a true blessing, although it had certain drawbacks.
“What is it like to be the daughter of famous people is what it is like to be the daughter or son of two busy people, two working parents that are not home a lot,” Arnaz said in an interview with Arlene Herson.
“So that is the downside. These are people that the entire world owned part of them too.”
Wikimedia Commons
Lucille Ball was a true icon. Over the years, she made many laugh with her incredible wit. She passed away in 1989 at the age of 77, but her legacy is still alive.
Lucille wasn’t just an actress, but she was a pioneering TV producer who ran the major TV studio Desilu Productions. It was among the rest known for shows such as Star Trek and Mission Impossible.
The upcoming movie titled Being the Ricardos, starring Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem in the main roles, will feature the lives of Lucille and Desi. We are looking forward to it.
Lucille Ball and Lucie Arnaz in Here’s Lucy, 1973 (Public Domain)
Happy Birthday in Heaven, Lucille Ball.
Below is a video of one of the iconic scene from Lucille’s show.
This is probably one of the most incredible rescue stories you will ever hear. It involves a shipwreck and a man who managed to survive for three whole days at the bottom of the ocean. Yes, you’ve read that right, and here are the details.
A tugboat sank as it was trying to pull an oil-tanker off the Nigerian cost. As most of the members were left trapped inside their rooms, the cook, Harrison Okene, was inside the bathroom the moment a gigantic wave capsized the small boat.
Source: Raw Pixel – NASA
Okene was able to find an air pocket at the engineers office and stayed there, hoping someone could rescue him before it was too late.
During those three days, Okene went through an ordeal. As he was waiting for a miracle to happen, he heard a strange noise. Unfortunately, it was the sound of sharks tearing the flash off the bones of his crew-mates’ bodies. He was praying those creatures don’t get near him, and soon after, he could hear them swimming away.
Okene found two flashlights, a vest, and a bottle of coke, but still, it couldn’t help him get anywhere. He then built a small platform out of a mattress to avoid getting hypothermia.
Source: YouTube Screenshot – Associated Press
When Okene heard sounds again, he was certain the sharks came back for him and he knew he couldn’t fight them, but then, he felt a human hand touching his. It was one of the divers who were in the process of recovering the bodies of Okene’s friends. They could never imagine there was someone who survived the shipwreck.
Luckily, they could get near Okene to give him some water and diving apparatus. Soon, Okene was led to the rescue team’s decompression chamber.
Finally, after three long days and against all odds, Okene stepped on ground.
His survival story was out and impressed millions of people who were left stunned and shocked. Many couldn’t help but comment how lucky he was for getting a chance to be alive.
Source: YouTube Screenshot – Associated Press
For more on this miraculous story, check out the video below.
Don’t judge a book by its cover, they say, but the truth is that we do judge others based on their appearance without even knowing a thing about their personality or their life. Bikers are one of those people society labels as fierce, tough, and troublesome. Truth is most of these people are just gentle giants.
Take Joe Panz and his biker buddy G for example. They are always going an extra mile for the animals in need of help and protection. Their former organization, Rescue Ink, has changed the lives of a huge number of dogs over the years.
It all started when they saw a photo of an abused Pit Bull used as a bait dog by some cruel people. The poor animal was covered in wounds and his ears were missing. It was obvious it suffered excruciating pain, and sadly, there were more dogs like him out there. The photo’s caption, which was shared by Humane Society, said that the Pit Bull was rescued from an illegal dog-fighting ring in Kentucky. It turned out that info was more than enough for Joe and G to take a flight to Kentucky and take matters in their own hands.
Source: YouTube/ Mmdukat
After a thorough investigation, they gathered enough information about the illegal ring and handed it to the authorities. The ring was soon closed and all the dogs were rescued and placed at shelters.
It felt so good for all those dogs to be rescued that the friends founded the Rescue Ink organization. “When we pull up, they don’t know what we’re going to do,” one member, Anthony “Big Ant” Rossano said. “They don’t know what we’re capable of doing. So it helps out big time.”
Source: Facebook/ City of Long Beach, New York
Now, although the organization is shut, many of the former members are still heavily involved in rescuing animals.
As for the Pit Bull that started all of this, they named him Rebel and gave him a forever home.
