TJ Smith, an 11-year-old boy from Texas, reminds us that bravery isn’t counted by our age, but by our will to step up for someone in need.
It was this last December when TJ was playing around Wichita Falls and spotted something out of the ordinary. One man grabbed a 7-year-old girl while she was riding her scooter outside her home.
The alleged kidnapper named Raeshawn Perez picked the girl up, but TJ realized that strange man was a stranger to the 7-year-old. That raised red flags as TJ knew the girl was in a serious trouble.
Quick-thinking TJ ran back home to his mom and told her of what he had witnessed. She then alerted one of their neighbors, James Ware, who headed towards the abandoned house where Perez took the girl.
At the time he arrived there, Ware saw Perez trying to push the girl through the window.
Luckily, Ware and another man who found himself at the scene were able to get to Perez. They knocked him on the ground and waited until police arrived.
At that point, Perez admitted he wanted to assault the little girl.
Once Perez was arrested, Mayor of Wichita Falls, Stephen Santellana, spoke to the public about the incident and expressed gratitude to all the people involved in saving the girl.
Thanks to TJ and his neighbor Ware everything turned out right. If it wasn’t for them who knows what would have happened to the poor child.
As a thank you for his bravery, TJ got a certificate of appreciation by the Mayor and the Police Chief, Manuel Borrego.
Borrego said how their community is a safe place because the people living there care for one another and asked them to continue doing so.
Share this story to salute these people’s bravery.
No loss is greater than that of losing a child. Unfortunately, a woman named Michelle DuBarry experienced the pain of saying that final goodbye to her 1-year-old baby. The little one and his dad were involved in an accident and Seamus ended up in the hospital after a careless driver hit them while they were crossing the road.
Seamus underwent two surgeries and spent the night at intensive care after which he passed away.
The grief his parents felt was immeasurable. They couldn’t come to terms with the loss of their loving son.
But once they understood what had really happened, they experienced another shock; the one that followed as a result of the American broken and nonfunctional medical system. And we don’t go into politics here, we just re-tell the story this devastated family was forced to go through.
DuBarry took to Twitter to share what followed after Seamus left this world.
The story of Seamus made his mom speak of the system in which a life-saving treatment is so expensive that it can literally crush people’s life.
Also, DuBarry explained how her husband, who suffered injuries as a result of the accident, was denied medical care. What’s most, people weren’t surprised because it wasn’t the first time for someone not to be given medical help.
No matter how we feel about the medical system, this time we have to agree that it failed us by failing this grieving family.
At first, the family believed the expenses for their son’s surgeries would cost around $5k, but they were so wrong.
The family received a pain and suffering settlement from the driver who killed their son, but the insurance company claimed that money to compensate for their own loss (what they paid the hospital).
Thanks to DuBarry, this practice is now illegal in Oregon, although it remains legal in most of the rest of the states.
Hospital bills are ridiculous. With our medical system, these institutions benefit huge amounts of money on the tragedies of ordinary citizens, and that’s awful and has to change.
Just take a look at this bill below. Can you believe a mother was charged $39 for holding her baby after C-section?
DuBarry makes a political statement about the healthcare American people are now offered and speaks about a new system that will provide healthcare for all.
No matter whose side we take when it comes to politics and the political parties, we all have to agree that what DuBarrys had to go through is totally unacceptable and wrong on so many levels.
Below is this grieving mom’s whole Twitter thread. Before you scroll down remember it gets very political in the comments.
Please share this story and help this woman’s voice be heard.
In 2010, I had good union health insurance. Obamacare was the law of the land. In November that yr my 1yo son was struck by a careless driver in a crosswalk. After two surgeries and a night in intensive care, he died.
Sunscreen and other products that protect our skin from sunburns while sunbathing is a must. What’s most, most of us use these products even when we are not at the beach, but taking walks outside when it’s too hot.
When younger kids and babies are exposed to sun rays, the prevention of sunburns should be even higher as their skin is more sensitive than that of an adult.
One mom named Rebecca Canon went to visit her sister together with her 14-month-old daughter. But it was an extremely hot day in Newfoundland, Canada, and Rebecca got concerned for little Kyla safety so she asked to borrow sunscreen from her sister.
Little did she know, Kyla would end up with second degree burns on her cute face.
The product called Banana Boat Kids Sunscreen Spray was intended for kids aged six months and above and everything listed on the label list seemed fine, so Rebecca put some on her hands and then rubbed it on Kyla’s face, making sure she keep it away from the girl’s eyes.
However, as the day progressed, Kyla’s face started turning red. Rebecca didn’t think she should be concerned so she put her daughter to sleep. In the morning, Kyla’s whole face was swollen and she even had blisters.
Rebecca rushed her to the emergency room where she was treated for burns.
No one in the family had any allergies or ever suffered sunburns before, so Rebecca was surprised by what happened to Kyla.
The reason behind Kyla’s situation was the sunscreen her mom applied on her face, so everyone assumed there might have been dangerous chemicals in it.
Luckily for this sweet girl, she will likely not deal with long-term issues and won’t be left with any scars.
Not wanting anything similar to happen to other children, Rebecca contacted the manufacturer of the sunscreen product, Banana Boat, who said they were taking such incidents very seriously and agreed to investigate the case further.
Health Canada performed their own investigation but they didn’t find anything suspicious in the product, so it was determined Kyla was likely allergic to some of the ingredients.
Further examinations confirmed the product was in fact safe to be used. Kyla was the first and only child who suffered injuries.
The truth is that we can never know whether we are allergic to a product or not, so the best thing to do when trying something for the first time, especially on children, is to do a test before using it.
So before full coverage, apply it on a small part of your body.
When it comes to the U.S. most personal care products are not regulated, so patch testing may end up saving a life.
Please share this story to raise awareness and avoid incidents like this one from happening.
Some couple’s wish to have a baby is so strong that they would do all in their power, no matter the obstacles that stand on their way, to have someone call them mommy and daddy.
Tammy Koz suffered from lupus, which is a chronic autoimmune disease, so doctors warned her that she was at a higher risk of experiencing a miscarriage. But neither she nor her husband Eric ever doubted that they will become parents one day. So when Tammy got pregnant, the couple was over the moon and couldn’t wait to finally meet their sweet bundle of joy.
Unfortunately, when she was in the 19th week of pregnancy doctors informed them how the baby wasn’t developing at the proper rate. Tammy was put on bed rest and had to visit the hospital every other day in order to make sure the tiny heart of the baby growing inside of her was still ticking.
The family was told the baby’s chances of survival were something under five percent and that she had to deliver the baby at 27 weeks, otherwise, it would likely die.
Oprah has documented the case of the Koz family over the years, and that is how the world learned of the brave baby girl Zoe who was born weighting only 10 ounces.
Today, she is all grown up, and incredibly happy, healthy, and beautiful.
You can check the whole story in the video below which is part of the series, “Where are they now” and features the life of miracle babies like Zoe.
This family never lost hope that things would turn for the best for their little angel. They now have another daughter and Zoe has a little sister.
If you believe this story is fascinating, share it with your friends.
Doing your best to give your child the childhood they deserve is something every parent strives for. But for some, no matter how they try, it’s beyond their power and control to allow their little ones to live care-free.
A video of a Syrian father trying to distract his young daughter from the devastating sounds of bombs and explosions is breaking hearts all around the world.
This reminds us of the terror people of Syria are forced to go through every single day. Young children are raised without ever experiencing what it feels like to be playing outside without fearing for their life.
Abdullah Mohammad and his family fled their home in the eastern countryside of Idlib after the government attempted to recapture the opposition-held province and found shelter at a friend’s house in Sarmada.
Since the beginning of the war on the territory of Syria, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, and nearly half of the country’s population has been displaced. Civilians die every single day and many describe this war as the biggest humanitarian catastrophe.
The psychological effects this war has on little children may never be overcome, so Mohammad came up with a game in order to protect 4-year-old Salwa from experiencing fear at such young age.
So, whenever a bombs explodes, the two laugh as loud as they can. He convinced her how those sounds are just part of their game.
“I decided to teach Salwa this game to prevent her psychological state from collapsing. So as to not be affected by diseases relating to fear. She is a child who does not understand war,” this caring and loving father explained.
what a sad world,
To distract 4-year old Selva, her father Abdullah has made up a game.
Each time a bomb drops in Idlib #Syria, they laugh, so she doesn’t get scared.
Many journalist, among which local Ali Mustafa, shared the heartbreaking video of Mohammad and Salwa on Twitter. Many couldn’t help by share it too, expressing their anger and sadness over what Syria and its people has come to.
Selar Otman says that no matter how happy this father looks while laughing along his daughter, his eyes reveal the pain and the helplessness he is trapped in. Maggie Diamond added how this father is trying to protect his innocent girl “to the best of his ability” and sent her prayers to the people of Idlib. She asked the “governments of the world” to step up for the Syrian people and pt an end to their suffering.
Beyond tragic. A Syrian father and a daughter traumatized by war. Helping her overcome her fear, he asks her to Laugh each time a fighter jet or rocket flies over the area. Look at the innocence but at the same think about what may happen next. #Syria#Idlibpic.twitter.com/zjzlnNAP9n
Many of the Syrian children have never known peace. They were born in the midst of the war that killed their families and destroyed their hometowns and houses.
“It’s the country’s children who have suffered the most and have the most to lose,” said UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore.
As always, the ONLY casualties of the #Syrianconflict are innocent mothers, fathers, children, babies & elderly. The trauma & mental wounds of this brutal war will ache millions of innocent people for the many years to come.#Syria#Idlib#withrefugeeshttps://t.co/Md21l9NzGW
The destruction they witness unfolding before their tiny eyes every single day, leaves children traumatized and it affects their brain development, learning abilities, their immune system and a lot more. “The body systems that are most rapidly developing when the experiences happen are the ones that are going to be most impacted. For little kids, all of their systems are coming online and developing, so there is a much greater risk of impact across all of their systems,” said Stacy Dury, neuroscientist and child psychologist.
Mark Lowcock, the UN head of humanitarian affairs and emergency relief says, “The crisis in northwest Syria has reached a horrifying new level.”
Most of the civilians who were forced to leave their homes are women and children “who are traumatized and forced to sleep outside in freezing temperatures because camps are full. Mothers burn plastic to keep children warm. Babies and small children are dying because of the cold,” he adds.
“The trajectory we’re on is of the world’s biggest humanitarian horror story of the 21st century.”@UNReliefChief tells @BeckyCNN the world is going to regret turning a ‘blind eye’ to the humanitarian crisis unfolding *right now* in #Idlib. pic.twitter.com/Qo3G5j9A6W
“Health facilities, schools, residential areas, mosques, and markets have been hit. Schools are suspended, many health facilities have closed. There is a serious risk of disease outbreaks. Basic infrastructure is falling apart. We are now receiving reports that settlements for displaced people are being hit, resulting in deaths, injuries and further displacement. The equipment and facilities being used by aid workers are being damaged. Humanitarian workers themselves are being displaced and killed,” he said in his statement.
“People are burning rubbish to keep themselves warm.” | A few days ago, a 5-month-old baby, Areej Majid al-Hmeidi, froze to death in Kalbeet camp near the Syrian-Turkish border.
We often speak of the negative impact bullying has on children, but this time, we get to witness its heartbreaking consequences first hand after one mom shared a video of her son who is being mocked every single day.
Yarraka Bayles is the mother of 9-year-old Quaden who was born with Achondroplasia, a form of Dwarfism. The boy is constantly bullied by his peers because of his looks and that results in him wanting to end his own life. Listening to him crying in hysterics and saying how he wants to kill himself left the whole world in tears.
Feeling helpless, Bayles hopes hers and her child’s voice would be heard and that people would finally learn to accept those that are different. She pleads the school system to pay closer attention to the issue of bullying that is present in the educational institutions more often than we can assume. Bayles also wants parents to educate their children more and teach them to know better than bullying others.
“I’ve just picked up my son from school, witnessed a bullying episode, rang the principal, and I want people [to] know, parents, educators teachers, this is the effects that bullying has, this is what bullying does,” Bayles says in the video.
Speaking to SBS, Bayles shared how she was left raged when she went to pick her son from school and saw some of his female classmates patting him on the head like a puppy while laughing about his height.
“She was patting him on the head like a little puppy. My daughter and I looked at each other and we made signals to him to ask if you are right, and he was like ‘no’ and he was looking at me horrified, like ‘don’t make a scene mum,'” she continued.
“You could tell he was very uncomfortable but he was so good at trying to shrug things off, he doesn’t want people to know how much it’s affecting him, he’s so strong and confident but it’s times like these when you just see him crumble. It was just heartbreaking to watch, it made me feel helpless.”
Sadly, this isn’t the first time for Quaden to want to end his life. According to his mom, he attempted suicide when he was six years old, after his granddad passed away. The pressure he feels and the bullying he faces on a daily basis trigger his suicidal tendencies.
“It’s the constant bullying, the name-calling, obviously pointing out his difference so now we have a … severely suicidal child who’s sick of the bullying that is [happening] every single day that he attends school or is in public.”
“I feel like I’m failing as a parent. I feel like the education system’s failing.”
Bayles doesn’t say that what happens to her son is solely the school’s fault, but she is certain that if bullying is taken more seriously and students are educated about different disabilities it would help decrease it.
“That would solve so many of the problems … it would protect the other kids with disabilities and help make them feel safe.”
Because of the severity of the situation, Bayles is considering home-schooling Quaden. At least until the whole society decides to do something regarding bullying and raise its voice for those with disabilities.
The video is so profound that it touched us to the core and made us cry. More than 8 million people who have seen it so far feel the same.
The family received thousands of comments expressing compassion and support.
One person wrote, “My heart breaks for you hun you are beautiful just the way you are.”
There were also those who judged Bayles for posting her son who was in complete distress on the social media, but she says that’s the only way she believes would help raise awareness. She said how she would keep posting videos whenever Quaden experiences bullying.
“I have copped a lot of backlash for it, I thought twice about deleting it… but I wanted people to see the effect bullying is having on my child. If I don’t stand up and speak out for him, who will,” she said.
Indigenous Australian Latrell Mitchell, a professional rugby league footballer, met with Quaden and offered his support.
Actress Teula Blakely saluted his act and shared a photo of the meeting on her Instagram saying:
“Well done to the Indigenous NRL All Stars Team for standing up to bullying and giving such a special honour to a very special young Indigenous son Quaden Bayles – Y’all know how I feel about bullying of any kind, people big or small, who are unkind can straight get in the rubbish where they belong. Life is for the loving.”
“Just want to wish you all the best brother. We know you’re going through a hard time right now but the boys are here, we’ve got your back. We’re here to support you, bud.
“We just want to make sure you’re doing alright and make sure that your mum’s on your side, we’re on your side.
“Just make sure you’re thinking the right things, bud, because we want you around – we want you to lead us out on the weekend.
“It’s going to mean more to us than it will to you, bud. Just make sure you’re looking after us and hopefully, we’ll get to see you in the next couple of days.”
Quaden now knows that despite being treated badly at school, there are millions of other people who love him and believe he’s handsome the way he is. We honestly hope his peers will start looking beyond his Dwarfism and realize how special Quaden really is.
Most parents of young children who have a full-time job turn to nannies and babysitters to look after their kids. When choosing such person under whose care they leave their most precious treasures, many moms and dads make sure its someone who they trust completely.
Babysitters basically take the role of a parent for a great part of the day and are expected to approach the child in a manner that will allow them to gain their trust and love. On top of that, they should not only make sure the little ones are well fed, but also teach them things and make their time enjoyable as much as they can.
One family from Lexington, KY, is sharing their harrowing experience and is asking from parents to be very careful when choosing a nanny.
Namely, their nonverbal son started acting strangely, so they decided to set up cameras and see what is going on behind closed door while they are not in the house. What they saw after going through the videos, left them raged.
The Fields also reported how their son Luke isn’t only autistic, but has epilepsy and a heart condition too, so they are convinced that treating him in such cruel manner as caught on tape is definitely worth prison time for the nanny named Lilian D. White.
Among the rest, it can be seen how White is dragging Luke across the floor and then sits on his chest.
The worst of all is that the poor boy was not able to tell his parents of the ordeal he had to go through while under the care of this woman.
Speaking of the case, the family’s attorney, Dale Golden, said: “It was very troubling. As you can imagine, the parents are in shock.”
“The real tragedy about this case is that Luke was unable to communicate with his parents,” he added.
Once they went through the footage, the Fields reported the abuse upon which White was arrested and charged with criminal abuse. During her hearing, she pleaded not guilty and the judge ordered her not to get close to Luke or his family ever again.
If you’ve been feeling down recently and need something to boost your mood, you are at the right place. If this little guy from the video below doesn’t make you evaporate into a steam of swooning, I don’t know what will.
As it turns out, 1-year-old Albie Dunville is a real star and his action of rubbing pasta with sauce on his bare belly brings smiles all over the country and beyond.
The cute video was first shared on the Facebook Page Positive About Down Syndrome by Albie’s mommy, Emma Ayers.
She has been part of this group and worked closely with other parents of children with Down Syndrome ever since her little boy was born.
This beyond-words-adorable video has stolen the hearts of many and has been shared more than 400,000 times. Little Albie’s joy while playing with his dinner helped in fulfilling the mission of the Facebook group whose goal is to raise awareness and acceptance about children with the genetic condition.
Just look at him. He’s all smiles, and that triggers one on our faces as well.
“When there is so much wrong in the world, everyone needs an Albie to put a smile on their face,” wrote one Facebook user. “Albie, we love you.”
“What a wee cutie Albie is, and a lovely smile, too,” said another, adding that “there’s a certain logic to him — the food ends up in the tummy so let’s bypass the eating bit.”
Emma says that even though Albie doesn’t have any teeth yet, he’s a huge food lover and doesn’t miss the opportunity to munch on his favorite treats.
“Spaghetti is of course a firm favorite, and mealtimes can be very messy where Albie is involved,” Emma told Today.
However, “the food and belly combo was a new one to us,” she added. “Albie has absolute bags of personality and his smile is the most contagious I’ve ever seen. You can literally watch people around him light up.”
Albie was born January 2019, and his parents didn’t know he had Down Syndrome until they welcomed him into the world. When they heard the diagnosis it came to them as a shock mainly because the way the hospital informed them of it “was’t at all positive.”
But now, experiencing how special it is to have such a loving son as Albie, Emma and husband Adam embrace all the amazing parts that came with the diagnosis.
“Albie, I have had a terrible week,” one person shared. “But seeing this post and your infectious smile has cheered me up to no end.” Honestly, we felt exactly the same!
