School District Superintendent Takes Ill Child to Hospital, Gets Arrested and Faces Charges

By
Monica Pop
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One of the greatest problems our country faces is the health-system which is considered to be one of the most expensive, yet least effective compared to that of other nations. 

The following story that has people’s opinions divided is just a proof of that and speaks of the sad reality that many American children are not allowed free health-care, which isn’t a case with most other countries.

It was back in July 2018 when Casey Smitherman got the job as the superintendent of the Elwood,  Indiana school district. She was glad she was given the chance, but she had no idea how hard this position would be for someone compassionate like her. 

The reality is that many of the children who attend the schools in the district where Casey works come from low-income families. 

Having this in mind, Casey couldn’t help it but take it personal and become close with some of those kids in terms of being there for them and helping them with food and clothes. 

She and her husband always went an extra mile for these students in need and would often ask from their friends to donate the clothes their children outgrow so that they could give them to the kids from the schools. 

Casey knew those children’s problems and the struggles they faced on a daily basis, and she was always there for them.

One day, she went even further beyond the duty of her job and did something that got her into trouble. A boy she was helping failed to attend some classes, so she paid him a visit wanting to make sure there wasn’t anything wrong. 

Once there, she realized the boy was ill. In fact, he didn’t feel alright, but his guardian didn’t do anything about it. 

“After making sure he had eaten, I could tell he had some of the symptoms of strep throat. As a parent, I know how serious this illness can be if left untreated,” Casey said. 

She did just the right thing checking on that student, but the problem arose when she tried taking him to the hospital. As she says, the country’s medical health-care system failed that fragile kid who was in need of help.  

The first hospital Casey took the boy to refused to see him saying he had to be there with his legal guardian. But as the parents didn’t want to offer their son any help and Casey was all by herself, she went to another hospital and said the boy was hers. 

After the check-up, the doctor prescribed the boy antibiotics and Casey paid $233 for the visit and the meds with her insurance. 

Casey was relieved she could help her student and drove him home, saying she was looking forward to seeing him back to school.

The boy was very grateful and wanted to tell everyone how the superintendent helped him. It was then that some of the parents who heard of the situation reported her to the police. Casey was charged with fraud for using her insurance for someone who wasn’t really her son.  

Casey was sure she would be asked to pay a fine, but the case was considered a severe break of the law, and it looked like she wouldn’t be let off the hook easily. 

Analyzing this case from the authorities’ side, it is true that Casey committed insurance fraud, but no one was interested to know why she did it in the first place. 

No one really knows what would have happened to that boy if he wasn’t treated for the condition as his guardians were clear they weren’t willing to take him to the hospital themselves.  

Eventually, the legal system agreed Casey to enroll a program that allows her charges to be dropped. However, she must not commit any type of crime for a year.

This all speaks of the inability of the poor people to use the health-care and that’s very sad. We are certain Casey did the right thing, although there are people who believe she shouldn’t have interfered and that she gets too attached to the students. 

What are your thoughts on this? Tell in the comments section below. 

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.

Mom Picks 6-month-old Baby Daughter Up at Daycare to Discover Her Whole Body is Covered in Bites and Bruises

By
Monica Pop
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Kindergartens and daycare centers should be the safest places for the little children, but sadly that’s not always the case. Stories of babies and toddlers left unattended is something we hear of way more often that we should. 

The heartbreaking story of 6-month-old Zuri Rose Camara spread around like a wildfire after the owner of the daycare where she got injured refused to take responsibility of the incident. 

That day seemed to be like any other as Zuri’s mom Anari Ormond dropped the baby at the J&A Nursery in Newark, New York. However, a couple of hours later Ormond got a call from the daycare center’s owner asking from her to come as soon as she could. 

Ormond panicked as she had no idea what to expect. When she arrived at the center, the owner told her how Zuri was hurt because she was left “unattended around a 2-year-old boy.”

She said in that time period of being unattended the boy ‘bit Zuri 3 times in the stomach,’” Ormond said.

Ormond didn’t want to listen to the bunch of excuses given by the owner and rushed inside to take Zuri. 

“[The owner] began a story saying she went upstairs to get Neosporin and fell down the steps while holding my daughter and she was severely bruised,” the frustrated mother reported.

The sight of the little girl who was all covered in bruises and scratches was a horrifying one. Her face and body were swollen and it was obvious she was in pain. 

“I was shocked and heartbroken,” Ormond told PEOPLE. “She was just sitting there. She wasn’t laughing or smiling.”

Ormond rushed Zuri to the St. Barnabas Hospital where she was told how the girl suffered a “mild concussion.”

“We went straight to the hospital. They did a CT scan of her head immediately just to make sure there was no head trauma. There was no internal bleeding,” she said.

Zuri was prescribed antibiotics but her bones were still very tiny for an X-ray to show whether she suffered any internal injuries. 

“I felt so weak knowing that my baby is so helpless and couldn’t defend herself nor tell me what even happened. I’ve been feeling so defeated. I thought I was doing the best thing for her.”

The worried mother went to the police station to report the incident but the daycare owners didn’t cooperate. They offered many different stories that were away from the real truth. 

Being aware of the impacts of the social media, Ormond took to Instagram to spread awareness of the neglect that takes place at centers where children should be taken care of. 

Once the story took the attention of the wide public, the New Jersey Department of Children and Families released a statement to ABC7NY, saying:

“Our records do not show an operating license or registration for J&A Nursery in Newark. Please note that Family Child Care Homes are permitted to operate in New Jersey, without a license, if they are caring for five or fewer unrelated children. However, if programs wish to receive federal subsidies they’re required to voluntarily register with DCF and comply with applicable regulations. Providing care for more than five unrelated children requires a childcare center license, and operating without such a license may subject the operator to prosecution.”

Thankfully, Ormond’s efforts to clear the incident paid off as she got a message saying the place was closed and the owner was to appear at court. 

The operator of the J&A Nursery, Lisa Muhammad, received citations for nuisances, failure to obtain a certificate of occupancy, failure to obtain a license, and failure to provide adequate doors for an exit. Her “nursery” which consisted of cribs and a playing area in her basement was closed in November. 

At the moment, Ormond is doing her best to make criminal charges be filed against Muhammad. 

Little Girl Asks Elderly Man for a Hug Not Being Aware He’s Grieving Late Wife

By
Monica Pop
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We know birthdays are those special days of our life that we want to spend with those we love the most. However, sometimes, our birthday can be someone else’s best day, as in the story about the older man who was greeted by the most adorable young girl on the day of her birthday. That is when Mr. Dan’s lonely life changed for the better. The way these two companions met is a heartwarming story shared on Facebook which touched lots of people.

The 4-year-old Norah was at the store with her mother, and the two were eager to buy all the stuff for the girl’s birthday party. While sitting in one of the carts, ‘driving’ along the store’s shelves, Norah spotted an elderly man.

Even though a couple of other elderly people passed by the mother and the daughter, it seemed like Nora got fond of this particular gentleman the moment she saw him.

She was more than happy to get closer to him and share the fact it was her birthday that day. She did it all happy and excited. At first the man had sort of grumpy expression on his face, but once he realized the young lady was talking to him, he started smiling and said “Well hello little lady! And how old are you today?” and then they chatted a bit before they waved goodbye.

But the young lady wanted to take a picture with the man, and since it was her birthday, her mother said yes and hurried to catch the man and ask whether she could take a picture of him and her daughter.

When they spotted him once again, Tara, the mother said “Excuse me, sir? She’d like to know if you’d take a photo with her for her birthday?”. He looked confused at first but he was more than happy to pose with the girl, and so “they posed together and then they hugged each other like they were long lost friends.”

After they thanked Mr. Dan for the photo and his time, he assured them that he was the one who should say thank you because it was obvious he felt really happy to interact with the birthday girl. He said that day was one of the best days he had in a very long time.

Tara was also deeply touched by his words, and she was glad her daughter made this man’s day so she felt like she should share the encounter with her Facebook friends, but little did she know that it would reach many more people among which one of Mr. Dan’s friends who let her know that Mr. Dan had recently lost his wife and that she hadn’t seen him look this happy during those past years of his life.

Learning about the loss he suffered, Tara though it would be nice if she and her daughter reach their new friend again and spend some time together. Mr. Dan couldn’t hide his excitement of having Norah as a guest at his house.

Tara then added to her Facebook post that the sweet elderly man will be part of their family, whether he likes it or not, and as you may be guessing, not only he liked it, but that was something that completely turned his dull life upside down, for the best.

On the first visit “Norah brought him a framed picture of the two of them in the grocery store, pictures she colored (he put them on his fridge!), and a bag full of pastries and Butterfingers.”

Mr. Dan Peterson said little Norah hugged him firmly like there was no tomorrow, and he didn’t mind it.

He was happy to welcome Norah any time she wanted to spend some time with him. He was forever grateful to this special young lady who brightened his days.

Sadly, four years after these two friends met, Mr. Peterson passed away, but he left this world knowing he was loved. The memorial service took place on February 10, 2020, and Norah and her mom were there to say the final goodbye to this incredible man who entered their life in the most unexpected manner.

Mom learns the hard way that toddlers should not eat popcorn – now she’s warning other parents

By
Monica Pop
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Nicole and Jake Goddard, of Parker, Colorado, love the movie nights with their three kids. It’s the perfect time for the whole family to get together and have fun.

Their latest movie night, however, turned into a nightmare no one was prepared for.

As they were watching Mrs. Doubtfire and had popcorn, their youngest son, Nash, started coughing badly.
“He started making a gagging noise and [Jake} jumped up really fast to grab him,” Nicole told FOX news. “He was getting ready to do the Heimlich on him and then he took a breath.”
But then, Nash started breathing normally again and they thought it was just a popcorn kernel that he probably managed to swallow. Sadly they were wrong and the truth was much worse than that.
“He seemed completely fine and continued to watch the movie. The only thing we observed was a cough he developed after the episode,” she wrote on the Facebook post.

As it was just a cough, the parents assumed Nash had a cold.

“Monday came and [in the evening] I noticed Nash felt warm and he was super fussy. He had a fever so I gave him Motrin and put him to bed.”
However, as the night was going through, Nicole realized the boy’s breathing was getting harder and harder so she trusted her instinct and called her pediatrician who advised her to rush Nash to the hospital as fast as she could.

There, doctors asked for a chest X-ray and a bronchoscopy which showed how pieces of popcorn were stuck into the boy’s lungs. This led to a severe inflammation which caused pneumonia.

Nash had to undergo a surgery. But once it was over, the inflammation wouldn’t reduce so doctors had to do another procedure on Nash just to make sure that all the six pieces of popcorn from his lungs were removed.
“The second procedure was done and once again the poor guy had to be put under and rolled off to surgery,” Nicole wrote.
Nicole shares this story hoping parents would become aware of the dangers of letting kids under the age of 5 have popcorn.
“We’re so thankful our little man came out ok. All of this over popcorn, which is eaten on a regular basis in our home.”
Many people wished Nash a quick recovery and thanked Nicole for passing the warning down. Who knows, maybe her post and the ordeal her son had to go through would help save other lives. A woman named Betty Cornutt Slaton was one of the people who stumbled upon Nicole’s post and shared her experience, which sadly, was a tragic one.
“My little brother passed away from a similar incident but didn’t have any symptoms until it was too late. It took an autopsy to find the cause,” she said.

Please share this post with your family and friends.

Handsome Police Officers Dance Off to The Git Up Challenge, Video Seen Over 500,000 Times

By
Monica Pop
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I just love challenges that go viral and make people laugh. The Git Up, the latest trend of sharing fun videos involving dancing and a lot of creativity has conquered the world, and we can’t get enough of the entertaining choreography people put personal touch to. 

And no matter how much we love what we’ve seen so far, we have to get honest and agree that these two police officers nailed this Blanco Brown’s challenge and stood out. No matter how busy they are doing what they do best, like keeping us all safe and fighting crime, members at The Houston Police Department still find the time to have fun and make our days every now and then. 

John Williams and Jeremy Lahar have been working together for a very long time, and the community says they are very helpful and always there to help citizens in need of any kind of assistance. 

Besides being affectionate about their job, these two colleagues and friends share another passion, that for dancing.

The staff at the department gave them the idea of creating a fun choreography under the Git Up challenge and they didn’t even think twice before they started practicing the moves the whole country is speaking of. 

The video was filmed in front of a sign saying “We <3 Houston.” 

Wearing their uniforms and shades, these officers resembled tough guys. But their moves to the rhythm made us fell in love with the fun side of their personalities. 

When the song goes “take a sip,” officers Williams and Lahar do exactly that, they take a sip from the bottles of water they have. 

Needless to say, people loved what they saw and praised the officers for showing the world that members of the law enforcement are just people like us who want to have fun. I guess things like these help citizens get closer to the officers in general. 

Once the video was uploaded on YouTube it gathered 500,000 views and a bunch of praise.

One thing is certain, if these guys ever decide to quit their job, they can always turn to dancing and do it professionally. 

This Git Up Challenge video is definitely one of our most favorite. Take a look at it below and share it with your friends. Have fun watching!

Teen Signs “Sound of Silence” With Super-Low Voice – His Performance Will Go down in School’s History

By
Monica Pop
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Every now and then, we stumble upon people whose talents take our breath away. What’s most, many of these gifted individuals become famous by chance. And that is truly a sign that raw talent always finds its way to shine.

Ruben Livesarge is a young man whose vocal is so mesmerizing that it has to be heard to be believed. 

However, until the day of the school’s show where he performed, no one really knew how talented Ruben was. Singing one of our all time favorite pieces of music, “Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel, he stole the hearts of the audience.

Many professional musicians have tried performing this duo’s hit before, but reaching the excellency of Simon & Garfunkel isn’t easy at all. Or better said, it’s quite impossible. Ruben, however, convinced us in the opposite as many believe his attempt to nail this song is more successful than that of other singers. 

Ruben would only sing at home, and his audience until the day of the school concert was his family. Many of his schoolmates and teachers were surprised by the fact he singed so beautifully. 

Knowing he was shy, Ruben’s teachers came up with a choreography involving dancers and a choir to help him overcome his stage fright. And although the final result is simply mesmerizing and everyone who took part in the performance added their special touch, people believe he should have been left on that stage all by himself. 

On the day of the concert, Ruben walked on stage and let his voice loose, opening his performance with the well known lyrics “Hello darkness my old friend.” His voice was deep and low and it was enough for booming cheering to start. 

As the performance progressed, Ruben got more and more confident and wasn’t afraid to show all he knew. His timidity was wiped away and people could feel that. 

The dancers came on the stage and the backing singers started singing which turned the performance into a unique stage act.

Ruben’s friends were looking at him in disbelief. They wondered how it was possible that they had never heard him sing before. But, they were all very proud and cheered for him from the bottom of their hearts.

As the song came to an end, everyone was on their feet and clapped as loud as they could. 

Ruben’s friends and teachers said how he was a star in the making, and they were right. A couple of years after he showed his talent to them, he became a well known showman whose vocal makes people go mad. Yes, that’s how great he is. 

Duo’s Floor Piano Playing Draws Enthusiastic Crowd

By
Monica Pop
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The acts of creating music and dancing are all magical by themselves, but some people are so talented at moving their bodies to the rhythm that they lift this experience to a whole new level. 

Alexander Dennis Volk, dubbed Mister Piano, is one of them. When his talent blends with his creativity, we get even more convinced in the saying that “dancing is the hidden language of the soul.”

He and his dancing partner recreated one of the most famous scenes, that of Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia playing on a giant piano at a toy store in “Big.” 

The place they chose to show their music and dancing skills at was the Top Shopping Mall in Bremen, Germany.

Mister Piano is a famous name in his home country and beyond. This is his short bio. 

“Mister Piano, real name Dennis Volk, has changed from a class clown to a creative exceptional entertainer on the piano. At the beginning of his career, he mainly played accompanying music for events – always with his own piano – so his tendency towards creativity, extravagance and visionary thinking soon became apparent. The shows and ideas that he has developed from this have brought him to various TV programs and are popular with organizers all over Europe.”

People are always eager to watch him create his music and dance on famous hits in front of large crowds and patiently wait for him to announce the next location of his one-of-a-kind performances. 

The fun begins the moment Volk starts ‘walking’ on the large piano keys. His partner, wearing piano keys leggings, watches him do his magic before she joins in.  

This time, this incredible duo opted for a version of Heart and Soul without missing a single step. 

Wearing matching suits and showing off their astounding energy, Volk and his partner ask from the crowd to join in the fun by clapping to the rhythm. 

The best thing is that those not living in Germany can enjoy Volk’s talent too as he makes sure he uploads his videos on YouTube. 

Needless to say, they are all seen millions of times. 

People were overwhelmed and made sure they tell Volk and his partner how much they enjoyed their performance. 

“That was an amazing piano performance one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen,” one person wrote.

“Awe, this was so cute and of course we love her piano leggings and his matching black and white outfit,” another added. 

This dance choreography is so cool that one can’t help by dance along. 

Take a look at the video below. This truly is something we don’t get to see very day. Enjoy!

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