Father who posted pleas to be with daughter battling COVID-19 asks for prayers after teen suffers setback

By
Monica Pop
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Just as the whole world was hoping the pandemic could be coming to an end, the number of people affected by Covid-19 has increased in most of the countries. The number of cases since the start of this craziness that shook every single person on the planet is over 37.5 million, with over 1 million deaths worldwide.

The reality is that no one is spared. It can affect grown-ups, elderly, and children. Some researches even suggest that animals could get it and spread it too.

Charlee Swearingen is a 16-year-old girl who contracted the virus two weeks ago and her story went viral after her dad, Kevin Swearingen, took to Facebook to chronicle his daughter’s journey. At the beginning, Charlee, who is in a wheelchair and nonverbal because of a rare genetic neurological disorder known as Rett syndrome, was feeling okay, but soon after, her condition changed for worse as her oxygen levels dropped alarmingly. The teen was rushed to the Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston where she was placed on life support.

Charlee’s treatment consists of receiving the antibodies from Covid-19 survivors to help her fight the virus.

Initially, one parent at a time was allowed to be by her side, but that policy changed at the end of September and Kevin’s wife Jana was the only one to be able to be by their daughter’s side.

Kevin was posting pleas on Facebook every single day and was spending his days outside the hospital, right under his daughter’s room’s window. He was asking for the policy to change so that he could be able to enter Charlee’s room even if he had “to wear a NASA suit.” Eventually, the hospital allowed two caregivers per patient to be able to enter the hospital and he was reunited with his girl.

Kevin is still posting about Charlee’s condition, which sadly worsened. Doctors are now putting her back on a ventilator after they used tubes to inflate her lungs which are “still full of gunk.” He’s asking from people to pray for his daughter and says the messages they are getting from people from all over the country and beyond is what gives them the strength to endure during these hard times for the family.

Charlee, we pray for you to get well soon and go home with your mom and dad who love you unconditionally.

Everyday objects with fascinating stories behind their designs

By
Monica Pop
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Have you ever wondered why there are small holes on lollipop sticks, or what’s the purpose of the drawer under your oven? In case you have, we’ll try to answer the questions of the stories behind everyday objects.

Hats with Pom-poms

Wikipedia Commons

These hats look fluffy and fashionable, and make a great addition to the overall winter outfit for many, but the truth is that they were first introduced by the French sailors back in the 18th century to protect their heads from the low ceilings below deck.

The hole on Lollipop sticks

When we were little kids, I remember using these sticks to whistle, so I was convinced until today that it was the reason why they are even there in the first place. But, other than providing joy for children, the hole’s purpose is to keep the candy fixed to the stem. Small part of the candy fills the holes and that keeps the lollipop more stable.

The patch on the backpacks

YouTube/#Mind Warehouse

This patch, which is usually made of leather, is used for tying or hooking things on the back of your backpack. Like your shoes, maybe?

The little hole on the smartphones

Shutterstock

The hole placed between the camera lens and the flash might be super tiny, but its function is big. Believe it or not, it’s a tiny microphone, but not an ordinary one. It’s a noise cancelling microphone, or a rear microphone which helps improve the quality of audio recordings.

Number 57 on ketchup bottles

Flickr/torbakhopper

This one is quite interesting indeed. “57 Varieties” used to be an advertising slogan for the H. J. Heinz Company. The number is believed to be the founder’s lucky number and is now on each ketchup bottle. However, according to what the company’s spokesperson told TODAY Food, it serves a function that can come in handy. “The sweet spot to tap on the Heinz bottle is the 57 on the neck. All you need to do is apply a firm tap where the bottle narrows, and the ketchup will come out easier.”

The “pocket” in your underwear

Did you know that the pocket in the crotch of women’s underwear is called the gusset? Although it does look like a pocket, it’s definitely not used for storing anything. No matter what material the panties are made of, this tiny part is almost always made of cotton and the reason why is to provide extra comfort and allow breathing. One side is not sewn because an extra seam on that spot would make things very uncomfortable.

Toffifee hacks

Flickr/WolfgangLonien

The spaces between the toffee treats made of caramelized sugar or molasses along with butter are used to help you reach your favorite sweets easier. Just press your thumb and forefinger on two diagonal holes to push up the candy.

Metal brackets on shopping carts

Twitter/LifeHacks

Doing grocery shopping can be as exhausting as much as it can be fun. Now, if you have troubles with your products spilling from the bags, simply hang them on the metal brackets behind the child seat on a shopping cart, just like on the photo above.

Switch on rear-view mirror

Shutterstock

Someone was curious to learn what the purpose of the switch on their rear-view mirror was and took to the Internet community to find their answer. Quora users said “That little switch works like a dimmer switch. If you look at it on an angle you will see it’s not just a mirrored piece of glass. It actually has angled slats inside of it.” It means turning the mirror to anti-glare mode will protect the driver from being blinded by the headlights of a car behind.

The little arrow-like symbol on a car’s dashboard

Do you struggle to remember on which side of your car the tank is? You don’t have to be bothered with that any longer as it turns out that the arrow or the triangle placed near the gas gauge shows exactly that.

Spoon slot

Pinterest

The holes in the handles of utensils are perfect for hanging the pots and pans on the kitchen wall, but they serve another purpose as well. As it turns out, the holes can be used for holding ladles and spoons while cooking. The good thing? Your counter won’t get messy.

If you found this interesting make sure you share a trick or a hack related to an everyday objects with us in the comment section below.

Bride-to-be skips engagement photos to share memorable moment with her dying father

By
Monica Pop
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Many girls believe that “even if they find their prince one day, their daddy will always be their king” and this is very true because fathers always have a special place in their daughter’s heart and life. 

Becky Carey’s boyfriend popped the question and that made her the happiest girl out there. However, her joy was not complete because she knew that her loving father who was diagnosed with cancer wouldn’t probably make it for her wedding. 

U.S. Air Force Colonel Timothy Carey fought against the disease as much as he could and prayed to see his daughter in white on her big day. Becky was determined to make his dream come true so instead of taking engagement photos with her fiance, she decided to spend the time with her father instead. The two danced and had the time of their life and the photos are there to always remind this girl of how lucky she was to be having such brave and caring father. 

“We whispered to each other this was just practice,” Becky Carey told Good Morning America. “But I choked up at the end, realizing how important it was.”

The person behind the emotional photo-shoot, Bonnie Turner of Bonnie Turner Photography said how she felt blessed to witness such touching moments between a father and a daughter. 

“Photos are everything you have when people are gone, it’s what we have to look back on to feel that person with us,” she said speaking to GMA.

Turner even started a GoFundMe page to help the bride-to-be with the expenses around the photography and the wedding which helped raise more than $8,000. 

“I shared their heartfelt story on Facebook and so many of you have given a tremendous outpour of love. You all have asked to donate to her engagement photos and wedding expenses,” Turner wrote. 

The incredible photo-shoot took place on Oct. 14, 2018, and Becky’s wedding was scheduled for September 2019. She was grateful she had the “just in case” dance with her daddy because he lost the battle with cancer on March 2019. 

Becky’s wedding started with a video of her and her dad dancing. The guests were overflown with emotions and couldn’t contain their tears that kept rolling down their faces. The two danced to their favorite song, “Unchained Melody.” 

“He fought cancer harder than anyone. He should have died at least seven times prior. I know he was holding on for me,” the bride said.

Throughout his career of 30 years, Becky’s father earned many honors and took part in many military missions. His life ended just four days after Becky’s engagement and she’s forever grateful he was part of it. 

“I had been in chosen denial about how sick he was. We were able to talk and laugh,” Becky told Inside Edition.

“He started crying, so of course I started crying,” Becky recalled when she spoke of the day of their last dance. “It was sad. But it was also beautiful.”

Col. Carey passed away in his home. 

“We found him at 7:30 in the morning,” his daughter said of finding him in the exact position he had been in when they tucked him in the night before. “He didn’t move. I think it was very peaceful.”

This touching “just in case” dance will make you call your dad and tell him how much you love him, of course in case you are among those lucky ones who still have their ‘king’ in their life. 

Boy bullied for being overweight has the last laugh after dropping 184 pounds

By
Maryane
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Bullying can take place anywhere and can affect anyone. However, bullying kids for their appearance is the most common reason of this type of harassment.  

I am sure that you can think of someone who has gone through the ordeal of being mocked and made fun of because they were obese. 

Sadly, young Ethan Taylor was one of those people. But his story isn’t a sad one. It has a happy ending and serves as an inspiration for anyone who has ever experienced bullying because of the way they look. 

Ethan has been a chubby boy for as long as he can remember. However, his classmates thought it was enough reason to treat him with disrespect and make fun of him. 

This affected his self-esteem but he never stopped excelling at the school subjects. 

Although his high-school life was a tough one and affected his self-esteem because of the bullying he experienced, Ethan was able to attend the college he wanted because he was an excellent student. Unlike him, the bullies had to satisfy themselves with low paid jobs and a lost opportunity to graduate from college. 

Well, if they were focused on studying instead of making other students’ life a living hell maybe they would have accomplished something. 

Ethan moved places and was now miles away from his vicious classmates, but the effects of what he had gone through wouldn’t fade away. 

That and being away from home in order to attend college made Ethan eat junk food and drink heavily. On top of that, he started skipping lessons and lost interest for studying. 

In just a couple of months, he gained a lot of weight. As the pounds went up, his will to change things for the better went down. Ethan weighted 368 pounds at his heaviest. 

Seeing that number was a turning point for this young man. Something clicked inside of him and that changed his life forever. 

The New Year came with a new restitution. To lose half of what he weighted. 

But was that possible? Even if the answer was yes, Ethan was well aware that accomplishing that goal would require total dedication and staying on track. 

The first step towards his new life was joining the local gym. 

Ethan’s work-out included running outside, too. He also ditched his old habit of eating fast food. Greens, fruit, and vegetables were now on the menu. 

It was now time for braver decisions so Ethan decided to sign up for the Chicagoland Spring Half Marathon. 

Luckily, Ethan wasn’t alone in the plan to become healthy. His family was there to support him and his brother worked-out with him every step of the way.  

The marathon took place in May 2019 and was a huge success and an additional motivation for Ethan as he managed to finish it. In fact, he said that he loved it and wold definitely do it again. 

Even though he reached his goal of shedding half of his weight, Ethan still makes sure to eat healthy. He doesn’t plan on going back to fast food i]or drinking ever again. 

What’s most, Ethan didn’t only change his life for himself but for all those students who are victims of bullying because of their obesity. 

He is now planning to run a full marathon and that way help raise money for the charity organization Action for Healthy Kids. 

This young man’s dedication is such an inspiration.  

5-year-old child with autism hugs classmate, causes criminal investigation

By
Monica Pop
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Even though things started moving forwards when it comes to acceptance of children with autism and their place in the society, there is still a lot that we need to learn about their needs and interests and how they perceive the world around them.

A 5-year-old boy named Nathan who has autism found himself in trouble only because he showed affection towards his classmates.

Despite his condition, Nathan has grown into a loving and caring boy. His guardian, Summery Putnam, has dedicated her life to teaching him the right values he should live by. Among the rest, she taught him to show appreciation whenever someone does something nice for him.

The thing is that Nathan does it by offering hugs and kisses. You may think that it’s very sweet of him to do that, but sadly, the school he attends, East Ridge Elementary, thinks differently.

Feeling the need to show them his love, Nathan would hug his classmates. But, instead of saying thank you or something, they made fun of him and complained that he was making them feel uncomfortable.

He couldn’t really understand why his friends laughed at him when he would offer his affection, so he wouldn’t stop hugging them even after the teacher and the rest of the staff told him not to do it any longer.

What the school did next was outrageous. Instead of reaching Summer regarding the ‘problem’ her son was causing, they filed a criminal report against Nathan with the State of Tennessee, labeling him a sexual predator.

When Summer heard of that, she was beyond angry. But no one cared to listen when she was telling them how Nathan had autism and was doing things differently,

Summer did her best to explain to her son how hugging his classmates was not allowed, although he couldn’t understand what was wrong in doing so.

Nathan’s grandma, Debi Amick, was shocked as well, so she decided to share her grandson’s story on Facebook, wondering how on Earth could a 5-year-old autistic boy be accused of sexual harassment.

Among the rest, she said, “He shouldn’t be treated like this. The kid doesn’t even understand what sex is.”

Only after his caring mom and grandma spoke up for little Nathan, the injustice was corrected.

The school admitted they had gone too far but justified their action of filing the report against Nathan by saying it was based on the school’s policy of reporting such cases to the Department of Child Services.

Thankfully, Nathan’s record that said he was a sexual predator was cleaned and he was enrolled into a special education class.

Sweet Nathan had to go through an ordeal only because he wanted to get along with his friends.

We honestly hope he would be able to forget this ‘incident’ and will show amazing performance at school.

We are glad he was given the chance to start over and be around new friends who understand him way better than those who hated his innocent hugs and kisses.

Rare white moose spotted taking a dip in a pond in Sweden

By
Monica Pop
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Planet Earth is the home of around 8.7 million species, and humans have only managed to identify 1.6 million of them. All of these creatures who inhabit this world are special in their own way. However, some are a bit more exceptional than others, just like the white moose captured on a video in Sweden.

It is believed that this part of the Scandinavian country is a home to around 100 moose of this kind. And although one would assume their pure white color is a result of albinism, the reality is that these unique creatures lack a gene, one known as the Armstrong White Gene Strain.

YouTube: The Dodo

The video was taken in the Southwest Sweden in the Värmland region by explorer Hans Nilsson who said he had been waiting for such encounter for many years.

The gorgeous animal is seen taking a dip in a pond and then munching on some three leaves.

Speaking to Sweden’s Sveriges Radio, Nilsson described the experience “as great as seeing a leopard in Africa.” Knowing leopards are endangered species and are rarely spotted by humans nowadays, we do understand how special this encounter was for Nilsson, as well as to those who have seen his footage.

If you are interested to see how a white moose looks like, check the video below.

Shelter pup saved by a firefighter is overjoyed to see her rescuer again

By
Monica Pop
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Some time ago, Sacramento firefighter Mike Thawley rescued a puppy that was on the verge of death. The poor animal was abused and scared and prayed for someone to hear her cries for help. Mike was on the job at the time he heard the noises the puppy was making, but had to answer a call and just passed by. However, when his shift was over, he couldn’t help but think of the animal that was in need of some help, so he got back.

Source: Sacramento Fire Department, Facebook

The pup was a severely neglected Pit Bull whose owners tied her to a tree in the pouring rain.

Mike could tell she suffered from a skin infection as her whole body was covered in mange and open wounds.

This amazing firefighter named the dog “Chunkie” and before he brought her to the Front Street Animal Shelter, he took her home and gave her a nice bath. Mike knew Chunkie was in safe hands, but he somehow couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Source: Sacramento Fire Department, Facebook

So, the following day, the first thing Mike did was visit the shelter and see how Chunkie spent her first night at the shelter.

When he saw her, his heart melted. Chunkie wore a cute pink sweeter and was way happier than the previous day. She recognized him the moment she saw him and rushed to say hi.

Source: Sacramento Fire Department, Facebook

He knew he did the right thing taking her at this shelter as the staff there is very loving and welcoming. Chunkie could feel she got a second chance at life and won’t stop fighting until she’s completely healthy again.

As for Mike, he is considering offering Chunkie a place to stay, and even adopting her.

We know that if that happens, this pup will be the happiest pup on Earth.

Couple from India become first time parents after welcoming their child in their seventies, making the mother the oldest to give birth

By
Monica Pop
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Most couples dream of having a baby. However, the sad thing is that sometimes, this wish doesn’t turn into a reality because of different reasons. When that is the case, some opt for adoption, others accept that they will never be parents, and some, like a woman named Daljinder and her husband, never stop trying.

This couple from India was dubbed the oldest couple to ever welcome a first child. Believe it or not, when Daljinder gave birth to son Arman back in 2016, she was 72 years old.

Source: Truly Youtube/Screenshot

The new parents said that the arrival of Arman was the best thing that has ever happened to them. And although they don’t know what future will hold for them and their son, they never regretted the decision to have a baby, even at that age.

Daljinder and husband Mohinder, who was 79 when he became a father, have been married for over 50 years.

It was back in 2014 when they turned to the medicine in order to be able to become a mom and a dad. The doctors were hesitant whether the couple could conceive, but after numerous tests, it was determined that Daljinder was completely healthy and that she could carry a baby, so they underwent an IVF treatment. The procedure cost 1 million rupees, or around $10,000.

Source: Truly Youtube/Screenshot

“We cannot thank God and our doctor enough for blessing us with a baby boy,” the happy mother said. She even breastfed her son and said how many media were interested to pick up their story so they felt like their bundle of joy was sort of a celebrity.

Source: Truly Youtube/Screenshot

And while the parents are overjoyed and thank God for their new life roles, people say they are selfish. “This is just sad because most likely the child will be young when his parents pass away,” one person wrote. “They seem nice, but this is incredibly selfish on their part. They should have ADOPTED 47 yrs ago,” another person added. However, there are also those who say that Daljinder and Mohinder’s story gives hopes to other couples who struggle to become parents themselves.

You can take a look at their story in the video below and don’t forget to share it with your friends.

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