Wife Played Husband Their Wedding Song over FaceTime as he Passed Away from the Coronavirus

By
Monica Pop
-

No country is spared from the coronavirus pandemic. People are left wondering when this madness is going to end so that they can get to their old way of living again. But will we be able to ever live as we did before the spread of this virus? No one knows for sure, because as we hear of more and more people dying from it, we become more and more frightened and isolated from one another.

What we need to understand is that behind all those numbers we are presented with every day for the past couple of months are real people who lost their lives and were completely alone when leaving this world.

Joe Lewinger began experiencing COVID-19 symptoms around St. Patrick’s Day and died from complications of the virus just two weeks after the diagnosis.

His wife, Maura, wasn’t allowed to be by his side but doctors were kind enough to let her FaceTime with Joe. He passed away listening to their wedding song and Maura telling him how much she loved him and how much he meant to her.

“I played our wedding song for him. And then that was it.”

Maura shared her family’s devastating story with CNN’s Erin Burnett and opened her heart and soul. She says how Joe was a very healthy man and how his mild symptoms turned severe in a very short time.

Joe was a respected member of the community and worked as an assistant principal and a basketball coach for the catholic school team in Long Island where he and his family lived. This man was a father of three and described by everyone as loving, devoted, and caring.

After he was admitted to hospital, Joe was given anti-malaria medications to treat the virus, but his condition only worsened as days passed by. Maura was heartbroken she couldn’t be by his side during those tough times, but eventually, she found a way to show him her support and love using FaceTime.

“The country is getting used to remote learning and we had to get used to virtual caregiving and virtual marriage in just being there for each other,” she said.

“I saw him and I begged him not to leave us and told him we all need him,” Maura added.

As the family stayed home, they were waiting to hear some good news and hoped Joe would be back home soon, but that didn’t happen.

“We have thrown the kitchen sink at him and I’m afraid he doesn’t have more time,” the doctor told Maura.

She then asked to FaceTime with her husband for one last time.

“I thanked him for being the most amazing husband, for making me feel cherished and loved every single day,” she said.

Moments later, Joe passed away.

Maura is now begging others to stay home and help in the fight against the deadly virus that left her children without a father.

“People are just not being careful. People are being so invincible-feeling and they think it can happen to them,” she said. “You cannot, cannot, be with people that are not in your house. As sad and lonely and everything that is, you must, must stay with only the people in your house.”

We are deeply saddened by this family’s loss. Rest in peace Joe.

5-Year-Old Wakes from Surgery With No One by His Side, Nurse Approaches and Holds Him Tight

By
Monica Pop
-

Hospitals are for many a frightening place to be, but when it comes to kids, they experience visiting these places in a more stressful manner than adults. 

A five year-old-boy named Shade Thompson had to undergo two surgeries in a very short time. His mom Layla told Liftable how he was having troubles walking as he only took steps using his toes, not his entire feet. The doctors at the UPMC Susquehanna Health in Williamsport, Pennsylvania took care of Slade and he was recovering just great. After the surgery, the boy had to use a wheelchair for two months, though. 

“He’s been through a lot this last year,” Thompson told WNEP-TV.

“We had been in the children’s hospital,” she went on, “so we were kind of nervous just going to a hospital to have it done.”

After he recovered completely, he underwent another operation. This time the doctors had to cauterize Slade’s tonsils, adenoids and both sides of his nose. The surgery was successful and he was about to wake from the anesthesia. 

“Kids don’t typically come out of anesthesia very happy,” Slade’s nurse, Annie Hager, told WNEP-TV.

When Slade woke up and realized he was still at the hospital without his mom by his side, he got really scared and started crying. Luckily, the nurse who went to check on him was there to comfort the sweet boy and tell him that everything went well and that his family was waiting outside. 

Nurse Hager really did an amazing job. She was there for Slade and she saved the day. 

“When I told him mom couldn’t be there, he asked if I would snuggle him and I said, ‘sure will,’” Hager explained.

View this post on Instagram

I dont post things very often but this little guy touched my heart, and his mama's beautiful kind words and actions have brought tears to my eyes twice now! A few weeks ago Mr. Slade came out of surgery to the recovery room and was my first patient of the day. Let me tell ya, this little man was by far the bravest 5yr old I have ever met! Most kids scream their way out of anesthesia (to no fault of their own, it's a pretty normal response to all the stuff we give them) but Slade, although crying at times, was calm and sweet, but obviously scared and in some pain. All he wanted was his mommy who wasnt immediately available. He asked me if I would snuggle him and take care of him. I jumped right in that bed and snuggled up that little guy so fast! His small sweet request made my heart so full!!! His momma took this picture of us the day of surgery, and surprised me at work with these beautiful flowers and another BIG hug from my bestest little friend today! Layla Thompson I thank God everyday for people like you and your precious little man! I feel so blessed to have met you all that day and truly feel I've made some wonderful friends through it. This right here is why I LOVE my job. It is why I go to work everyday. Its moments like this that make it all worth it ❤❤❤❤

A post shared by Annie Hager (@anniehager44) on

Layla was eager to see her son, and the moment she entered his room she saw the nurse hugging her boy. She though it was the most touching thing to witness and took a photo of the two. Initially, she wanted it to be a sweet reminder of how loving nurse Hager was, but the photo was soon shared on the social media and went viral. 

“As a nurse, providing care is one thing, but making sure our patients are calm and comfortable matters just as much,” UPMC wrote on Facebook.

“It’s nurses like Annie — who show true compassion — that keep our patients happy.”

“You want someone to treat your child the way you would treat them,” Thompson told WNEP-TV. She and Slade returned to UPMC with a gift and thank-you hug for the special nurse.

“This little guy touched my heart, and his mama’s beautiful kind words and actions have brought tears to my eyes twice now!” Hager shared on Instagram. “This right here is why I LOVE my job.”

Layla also shared with Liftable how she spoke with her son about the surgeries before they took place as she believes that being familiar with the procedures helps the kids do better.

“The parents can be calmer, kids can be calmer, everything just runs smoothly,” she said.

“I would tell other parents to confide in other parents who have had similar situations but also remember one bad experience with one person doesn’t mean you will all have that,” she cautioned. “Every person and case is different.”

The most amazing part of the story is that nurse Hager was supposed to have a day off on the day of Slade’s surgery but she was called in because they were running short. 

This loving lady, whom Slade now considers his best friend, made all the difference for the scared boy and we believe people like her is what this world needs more of. 

Angela McQueen: Hero teacher takes down student gunman and saves lives

By
Monica Pop
-

The number of shootings in the schools around U.S. is staggering. Most of them result in innocent students and teachers being either hurt or left dead, and that’s beyond sad.

The shootings cast dark shadow over the educational institutions which should otherwise be safe shelters for the students. So, instead of being at peace while their children are at school, many parents worry for their safety. These incidents are usually easy to carry because of the fact that buying a gun in the country is pretty easy. And as the wider public asks for stricter gun control laws to be passed, the debate is still going on.

Among the possible victims and people involved in the shootings, there is always someone who is brave enough to fight against the shooter. It’s because of these people that the death toll of shootings is lower than it could’ve been.

In a recent accident that took place at Mattoon High School in Illinois, such courageous person who made sure students won’t get hurt is teacher Angela McQueen. She has been working as a P.E teacher at the school for 17 years and is regarded as a shy person and an awesome educator.

When she recalls that day, Angela says that the only thing that crossed her mind after she spotted the teen lifting the gun was, “You’re not going to do this to my kids.”

As the boy started firing shots, Angela didn’t hesitate even a bit before she tried to disarm him.

“I sprang into action because I looked over and I saw a student pull a gun out and he was aiming it at students to his right,” Angela said in a video released by the Illinois Education Association.

“I immediately lunged at the gun and I got the gun up in the air as quick as I could, as fast as I could because I didn’t want him to hit the students.”

Angela held down the shooter who was still trying to use the gun and fired a couple of shots into the ceiling. Once the sound of a shot was heard, another teacher rushed towards the cafeteria, and soon after, it was full of police officers who disarmed the teen.


Bridget Shanahan, spokeswoman for the Illinois Education Association said that one 16-year-old student was shot during the incident, but he recovered and was soon released from the hospital.

The shooter whose name wasn’t revealed because he’s a minor was charged with one count of aggravated battery with a firearm.

Angela’s quick thinking helped in preventing greater tragedy from taking place that September 20, 2017.

“Had the teacher not responded as quickly as she had, I think the situation would have been a lot different,” Mattoon police Chief Jeff Branson said.

Once the shooter was in the hands of the police, Angela made sure everyone was fine.

“She was walking around and making sure everything was OK. And I went up and gave her a hug and thanked her because she could have — that could have been a lot worse and she made it to where it wasn’t,” student Anna Morton told CBS.

What Angela did that day made her a hero. Her big heart and bravery got her the award for outstanding service.

“We are forever grateful to Angela for her courageous actions that saved the lives of our kids. She was a ray of light in our darkest hour,” Superintendent Larry Lilly said in the release.

Ed Sheeran Surprises Teen Performing One of His Songs in a Mall

By
Monica Pop
-

Most of us have a favorite celebrity person that we admire and die to meet in person one day, although we know that may never happen. But in case it does, it looks just like this 13-year-old girl named Sydney Bourbeau meeting Ed Sheeran while performing one of his songs at a mall. How incredible is that?

Sydney was singing at a fundraiser event for the local Humane Society. The song she chose was “Thinking Out Loud” and she had fun time. But little did she know the day would turn to be even better than she ever expected. 

The encounter between the teen and the super star took place back in 2015, but it was so cute that we had to share it with you. 

Ed Sheeran is one of America’s sweethearts but has fans all around the world, including Canada, where Sydney is from. His songs are number one hits and people of all ages enjoy his music. 

It was a fortunate stroke of serendipity that Sydney performed the song live on the day when Sheeran and his cousin Murray Cummings were taking a walk around the mall. 

Sheeran felt pleased and decided to surprise the girl while Cumming was holding the camera. They really wanted to put the whole thing on tape. 

At the time, Sydney was performing in front of a small group of people. Needless to say, they were all very happy they took a minute of their time to stop and listen to the teen. 

As all eyes were on Sydney, the crowd didn’t notice when Sheeran walked up on the stage. 

But the moment they realized it was really him standing right next to the girl, they couldn’t hide their excitement. Sydney, however, didn’t understand what was happening. Speaking to The Edmonton Journal, she said how she though someone was coming to fix the sound or something. 

When she saw Sheeran staying by her side, she covered her mouth in surprise. Was that really happening?

In the next moment, her solo performance turns into a duet she will never forget. It doesn’t happen that often that your favorite musician runs into you singing his song in public and joins in. 

Sydney was all confused and had no idea what to do next. “I was like, should I stop? I didn’t want to stop, but I wanted to talk to him,” she told The Edmonton Journal. “This is, like, the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Well, she did the right thing finishing that song, despite her voice was shaking. 

The crowd went wild and felt lucky to be sharing this one-of-a-kind experience with Sydney. 

What Cumming caught on tape was plenty of surprised faces of passersby at the moment they realized it was in fact Sheeran himself who was dueting with the girl. 

The best part of the whole thing was that the voice of Sheeran and Sydney blended just perfectly. It looked as though they were practicing for this. 

At the end of the mesmerizing performance, Sydney got a hug and a kiss from the music star.

We all know that Ed Sheeran is a very kind and humble person. It was later reported how his manager contacted Sydney and offered her tickets for an upcoming concert of Sheeran. Isn’t that adorable?

The video of the unexpected mall performance is a must see. Check it out below. 

Elderly Widow Enters Restaurant Alone Not Knowing Three Young Men Are Watching Her Closely

By
Monica Pop
-

Some encounters are meaningless and fade away as though they have never happened, others, however, have the power to change one’s life in a ways they have never expected. Such was the meeting between an elderly lady and three men who watched her closely as she entered Brad’s Bar-B-Que in Oxford, Alabama, one evening. 

Now, as she recalls that faithful encounter, 80-year-old Eleanor Baker knows it was God’s will for it to take place. “It was a God thing. I think God sent me there [as an example that] people care about other people and how important it is.”

This loving elderly lady is a widow and lives with her furry pal. She does have a family, but they all live in other cities, so she spends most of her days all by herself. 

The evening started as usual, with Eleanor taking a seat and ordering her favorite meal. But then, out of the blue, a young man approached and asked her whether she would mind if he sat with her. 

Jamario Howard and two friends of his entered the place just after Eleanor and they somehow knew she felt lonely, so they wanted to make her evening by keeping her company. 

“He just came up and he said ‘I saw you sitting over here alone’ and he said ‘do you mind having some company?’” Eleanor recalls.

She said yes, and had no idea she would have that much fun. They, on the other hand, were happy they met such positive person like Eleanor. “When you make that kind of connection with somebody, it’s hard to let it go,” JaMychol Baker, one of the boys, said.

Jamario, who says he always wanted to change the world and make it a better place for everyone, says how meeting Eleanor had deep impact on him and his friends. They knew that their act of joining her table that evening meant the world to her, and they are glad they put a smile on her face. 

“I’m not rich. I’m not famous. And I’m not very smart either, so I can’t be president. But we can show the world it’s alright to be kind,” Jamario said. “And then, before long, maybe the world will be a much better place.”

These guys showed us that we should always make sure those around us are happy, because that’s the only way that leads to our own happiness. 

If this story inspired you to do good yourself, share it with your family and friends. 

Exhausted Dog Found Swimming a Staggering 130 Miles From Shore

By
Monica Pop
-

As a group of workers was toiling on the massive oil rig in the Gulf of Thailand, one of them spotted a pretty unusual sight.

A terrified dog somehow found himself there in the ocean and no one knew how. It was Vitisak Payalaw who alerted the crew of the poor animal.

The shivering dog was all puzzled, as was the entire group of people. How could an animal so tiny end up 135 miles off the coast?

But that was not really important. What was crucial was for them to come up with a plan to get him out of the water.

First, the workers tried pulling him off by lowering a pole, hoping the animal would be able to climb onto. But the plan failed as the dog kept slipping off.

“I thought that if we didn’t move quickly, I would not be able to help him,” Vitisak said. “If he lost his grip, it would be very difficult to help him.”

Eventually, they managed to lasso the poor soul with a rope. Once on the rig, the dog felt relieved knowing he was at a safe place.

“His eyes were so sad. He just kept looking up just like he wanted to say, ‘please help me,’” Vitisak said. “At that moment, whoever saw this, they would just have to help.”

The kind people not only saved the dog from certain death, but they also gave him lots of food, water, and a bunch of hugs. His tiny eyes were filled with gratitude for those who lent him a helping hand. They named him Boonrod, a Thai word for ‘survivor.’

“He looked extremely exhausted and ran out of energy. He didn’t move much,” said Vitisak. “He was shaking and he couldn’t stand, he had to sit all the time.”

The next thing they needed to do was to come up with a plan on how to transport Boonrod to the mainland. How they did it? They erected a special cage with a blanket and water and had it lifted by a crane onto a ship.

All of the workers said how they would miss the sweet pup, but they knew he was about to start his new, better life.

Once on a land, Boonrod was taken in by Watcdog Thailand, an organization that helps neglected and abused dogs. They took him for a check-up and were willing to help him recover from the ordeal.

They also hope someone will come along and offer him a forever home. But in case that doesn’t happen until Vitisak returns home, then he would be the one taking the dog in.


Boonrod is only able to start his life again thanks to the workers who spotted him and wanted to help.

Doctors diagnose teen with constipation, dies 24 hours later

By
Kelly White
-

Jack Dunn was 17 years old, a teenager and he was having terrible stomach pains, he even struggled to walk properly with the pain he was in. His parents were quite rightly concerned and took him to a hospital for doctors to assess him.

The doctors gave their opinion to the boy and his parents, they said he had really bad constipation. They gave him a laxative but by the lack of a few more simple and inexpensive tests, they didn’t realize his condition was far more grave! His father found Kieron, from Wales in the UK, in his bed just 24 hours after he had been released from the hospital, he was dead…
Source: Wales News Service
Hi parents say that the doctors were not really concerned about his really bad stomach pains at all, they scanned his stomach to check is was not appendicitis then they just moved on. Jack’s father said:

“We took him to A&E and completely trusted the doctors in telling us what was wrong with him. He could barely walk he was in so much pain. He was given a bladder scan but it didn’t really show anything up. The doctor said he was baffled and believed Jack was suffering from nothing more than a bad bout of constipation”

Source: Wales News Service
Sadly though, the doctors were not able to find Jack’s medical condition at the time, its really sad to think a small, fast, and inexpensive test could have saved his life. Jack had a condition known as diabetic ketoacidosis, it slowly turns the blood acidic, damages organs severely producing excessive ketones in the blood.

It turns out that Jack had diabetic ketoacidosis.

It all happens as a result of the body not producing enough insulin from the pancreas…
Source: Wales News Service
Kieron said:

“When Jack was finding it difficult to breathe the doctor thought it was probably anxiety because Jack was anxious about being in the hospital …But him struggling to breathe was because his organs were closing down because of the ketoacidosis.”

“Finding my son dead in his bed was the worst moment of my life. I believe Jack would be alive today if a few more simple tests had been carried out.”

Jack’s family are really emotional knowing that it could have easily been prevented if the doctors gave him a very simple glucose test, it would have taken less than two minutes to do the test with a straightforward prick of the finger and a small drop of blood!
Source: Wales News Service

“Jack’s white blood cell count was up so that was an indicator something was going on in his body that wasn’t right. If they had tested him for ketones he would probably be alive today.”

If ketoacidosis is suspected, it’s easy to test for ketones in the blood with a finger prick test, its also easy to treat with insulin, if caught in time it is very manageable.

Ketoacidosis also presents symptoms of fatigue, states of confusion, unusual and great thirst, rapid breathing, and the need to urinate much more frequently, keep these in mind, maybe one day you can help someone knowing this! Jack’s parents really want to use their story and the tragedy to educate people that could end up in similar circumstances, so that this easily treatable condition doesn’t take any more lives, especially of children or young teens, which is usually when it tends to happen most of the time. Please SHARE this story with everyone you know and let’s raise awareness and possibly even save lives!

Woman demands a mother and daughter speak English, gets completely ridiculed

By
Monica Pop
-

Nowadays, although everyone leads a very busy life and follows tight schedules, many people still find the time to stick their noses in someone else’s business. 

Just recently, a woman was caught on tape arguing with a mother and a daughter she stumbled upon in a store because they weren’t speaking English but another language.

People who have seen the video can’t help but wonder why would someone even mind what language people are using in order to communicate between each other. 

America is a free country in which people are entitled to the freedom of speech and are allowed to express their opinions on whatever language they feel most comfortable using. 

The incident took place at Walmart in Appleton, Wisconsin. As the mother and the daughter were engaged into a conversation, this random and quite rude woman appeared in front of them out of the blue and started yelling at them. She could be heard saying, “speak the language,” referring to English.  

The daughter, Jasmine, who later posted the video of the incident on her Facebook page, and her mom were not harming anyone. They could speak English because they both know the language but opted to use their native language, Hmong, because the mother was more comfortable speaking it. 

After they told the woman that they were allowed to speak whatever language they wanted, she got even madder. She didn’t know what to reply so she said something that sounded very confusing. Her exact words were, “I guess it’s, like, because, it’s just kinda like, ok, you don’t know what, not that it’s any of your business.”

Honestly, with such poor language skills, she isn’t really eligible to tell others how to speak. 

Jasmine tried being reasonable and told the woman that according to her logic, she should be speaking Hmong if she ever visits her native land to what the woman replied how she took some Spanish classes before she went to Mexico once. Trying to defend her point, she even counted to 10 in Spanish. 

Both Jasmine and her mother felt humiliated and required the woman stop making racist comments. She replied that asking them to speak English wasn’t racist at all after she simply walked away.  

The video of the unpleasant encounter got more than a million views and people said how Jasmine and her mother did the right thing by not getting into conflict with the woman who attacked them verbally. They were calm and polite, which couldn’t be said for that woman. 

We are glad the video was shared on the social media because it’s one of the ways through which we can raise awareness of the negative effect racism has on people.

You can take a look at it below. 

1...709710711...887Page 710 of 887