When Angie and her husband decided to adopt a little boy from China, they were ecstatic. The idea of adding another smiling face to their family was more than exciting. Mav had been living in an orphanage for most of his short life, but the moment they laid eyes on the sweet boy they knew that he was the perfect fit for their family.
But as Angie looked at the adoption photos of her new child, there was one detail that she just couldn’t ignore. She had to get to the bottom of this.
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In every photo of Mav was another little boy, and she soon learned that this child had been Mav’s “brother” in the orphanage. Although Mav didn’t have a family to call his own, Josh had been the only constant in his short life while he anxiously waited to be adopted.
From all accounts, the pair was inseparable. They spent hours together every day eating, playing, helping each other with daily tasks and exploring the great outdoors (when they were given the chance)!
Desperate to locate the other little boy, Angie posted the photo to a Facebook group devoted to Chinese orphans, never expecting to find exactly what she was looking for. But fate had other plans for the boys.
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The very same day, Josh’s adoptive father had posted to the same page. Miraculously, the families instantly connected. Sadly, they soon realized that they lived 1300 miles apart, making a reunion nearly impossible.
It wasn’t until Josh’s father received a call from his company months later that everything changed. They were relocating to the very same state as Mav! When Angie broke the news to Mav, a giant smile spread across his face – he couldn’t wait.
The thought of having Josh so close was a dream come true!
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When it finally came time for Mav and Josh to be reunited, Angie couldn’t keep her tears in any longer. She watched as her son ran up to his old friend, hugged him tightly and began to chat like no time had passed at all.
Clearly, the two shared a brotherly bond that went far beyond blood!
What cameras captured next will leave you in tears. They went right back into the swing of things, and now they get to play together all the time.
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See the emotional way Mav and Josh’s story unfolds in the video below. What an incredible turn of events!
Cole and Jordan Dickerson had no doubt they were meant to be parents. Raising a family was something they daydreamed about – and adoption was always part of the plan. So when Jordan heard of a little boy who desperately needed a caring family, she begged Cole for the chance to bring him into their home.
To Jordan’s dismay, the universe had other plans for the Dickerson family. But when the day came that they were finally able to bring their son home, fate had one more surprise up its sleeve.
Facebook/Jordan Smith Dickerson
In an emotional post on the Love What Matters page, Cole shared their family’s inspirational story, how they came to adopt their son Jeremiah, and how they found out they were expecting another child.
Cole wrote:
“My wife Jordan works at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. One day she told me there is the cutest little boy there right now. She said he’s only there because he doesn’t have a family to take care of him. It was only a couple of weeks later when I got a text while I was at work that said, ‘Babe, will you seriously pray and think about something?!’ Immediately my heart pounds because I knew this must be something serious on her heart.We both had talked about how passionate we were about adopting and desired to do it one day. We talked, prayed, and decided to begin the foster parent classes that were required by the organization he was involved with. We talked with DCS and it seemed nearly impossible to begin the foster-to-adopt process for a specific child that you’re not yet related to. It would have to take a miracle… the rest of the story is nothing short of just that.During the process, another couple came and began fostering him which totally hit us hard emotionally because we had made a connection with him already. We were disappointed and upset but decided to continue the classes to be future foster parents and true parents to a child someday…”Facebook/Dani Brewer Photography“Two weeks later, while we were on our 1-year anniversary trip, someone from Jordan’s work called and told her Jeremiah had been brought back to the hospital for medical reasons and the couple was not going to be able to continue caring for him for their own reasons. We immediately busted out in tears and knew this was the work of God that we would one day be a family.When we got back from our trip, his social worker wanted to meet Jordan at Le Bonheur to make sure we were serious about fostering to adopt. After going through legal, medical and fostering classes, we were finally able to bring our boy home in June 2017.And on July 16, 2018, we officially were able to adopt our son!Back up to April 2018, Jeremiah was praying one night. He said, ‘Thank you God for God, for Jesus, for my Mommy and Daddy, and my baby sister in a couple of weeks, Amen.’ We looked at each other like, ‘What did he just say?! Not really how it works, bud.’
Just a couple of weeks later is when we surprisingly found out Jeremiah was going to be having a baby brother or sister! Fast forward to today, HE WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE BABY SISTER! We just found out yesterday!
The Miracle Worker continues to do work, and we’re so thankful to be a family.”
On the same day Jeremiah found out he was officially adopted, Jordan and Cole revealed he was going to be a big brother. Jeremiah was spot-on about God giving them a baby girl – and now their family gets to grow by one more happy heart!
Facebook/Dani Brewer Photography
Learn more about Jeremiah’s big surprise in the video below. We wish them nothing but the best in the years to come!
Navigating public areas isn’t always the easiest for those with physical challenges. Even though the Americans With Disabilities Act requires public places to be handicap accessible, hurdles can crop up.
Mom Monica Ward Scharrer has experienced the difficulties of traveling with her son’s heavy wheelchair. She and her son Chris love getting out and about, especially watching their favorite sports teams play, but it’s nervewracking when things don’t go as planned.
Facebook/Monica Ward Scharrer
Monica and Chris were thrilled to be able to watch a New York Rangers game, especially considering how much they love hockey. They rode the train in to town without a hitch, excited to watch the team take the ice.
They found their seats, settled in and had a great time. But it was the ride home that proved difficult for the pair – with Monica saying:
“Our worst nightmare occurred…”Flickr/johrling
When they left the game, they discovered the elevator that would take them from street level down to the Penn Station platform wasn’t working. Chris’ wheelchair weighs 350 pounds, so they desperately needed an elevator.
Monica fretted about how to get her son down to the subway and in time to catch the train home. That’s when she came across her guardian angel…
Officer Mears just so happened to be walking around the area – and was happy to lend a helping hand. It was dark out and the area was beginning to bustle with fans heading home.
Monica described the officer as a “beautiful human being.” He escorted Monica and Chris all around until they found a working elevator.
Then Officer Mears personally led the pair to the Long Island Rail Road, inquired what track they would be on and walked with them to their train platform. He even set up the ramp for Monica, giving her a delightful break.
Facebook/Love What Matters
Chris was able to board the train before the pressing throng of passengers descended upon the platform. Monica profusely thanked Officer Mears who then confessed something quite sweet to her.
“(He) told me he worked with the disabled for six years before he became a police officer and that is where his heart is. I can’t say enough about how wonderful this officer was to my son and I. He essentially moved a mountain for us! I love this man and what he represents of humanity.”
Shortly after Monica decided to post her story on the Love What Matters Facebook page, which has been shared more than 1,300 times.
What a blessing Officer Mears was to this mom and her son in their time of need! Sometimes it’s the little acts of kindness that mean the most – and there certainly are a lot of officers making a difference in this world.
Rasheed Powell, 43, forced way into rooms and watched partners have sex
He locked men up and raped women, making them loudly compliment him
He was handed a 148-year sentence but legal reps asked for 80 years instead
Trial went on for eight weeks and jury took three-and-a-half days to deliberate
Father-of-two was in court as four of eight victims delivered powerful messages
One victim said she hoped he never saw daylight again as she spoke in court
Powell maintains innocence despite evidence including DNA rape kit, gun he threatened victims with and the mask and jacket he wore that girlfriend provided
The robber got into crime as a teenager and has spent 14 years in prison already
Rasheed Powell, 43, was sentenced to 148 after forcing couples to have sex at gunpoint before raping the women
A father-of-two has been sentenced to 148 years in prison for forcing couples to have sex at gunpoint in New Jersey motels, before locking the men in bathrooms and raping the women.
Rasheed Powell, of Elizabeth, was convicted in March for 60 counts that include aggravated robbery and sexual assault.
The crimes took place in the towns of Elizabeth and Linden in New Jersey over the course of two months in 2012, and there were eight victims – four men and four women – in total.
On four occasions, Powell, 43, stalked his victims before forcing his way into their motel rooms, making the couples perform sex acts in front of him, then locking up the men in the bathroom and raping the women.
Springfield Municipal Court heard how Powell would make his victims ‘loudly compliment’ him so their locked-up partners would hear.
He was caught when responding to a traffic summons in court April 2012. When arrested his bail was set at $3million.
It took two hours for Powell to be read his fate in court when he was sentenced August 16.
A jury deliberated over three-and-a-half days at the end of the eight-week trial. The Union County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit tried for 200 years but he was given 148.
His sentencing was based on 24 counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, and eight counts of robbery which is a first degree crime.
In addition, Powell was charged with 12 counts of sexual assault, 12 weapons offenses, and four counts of burglary, which is a second degree crime.
One victim says she’s ‘afraid of people and what they’re doing’ after the traumatizing incident at the Swan Motel in Linden (picture above)
Powell’s attorney Erin Cook asked he only be punished per couple, not per individual, so that he would only get 80 years.
He has already spent a total of 14 years in prison and has been in trouble with the law since he was 14 years old.
Superior Court Judge, Robert Kirsch, was having none of it though, calling Powell a ‘serial rapist’ and mentioning the extensive evidence they had against him.
As well as his ex-girlfriend handing in the mask he used to disguise his identity as well as his jacket and gun, rape kits were used to match his DNA.
‘Your reign of terror ends here, now,’ the judge added.
It didn’t stop Powell from claiming he didn’t get a fair trial, however. mycentralnewjersey.com reports he said: ‘In due time proof will come out. I’m innocent.’
Four of his victims were present in court, two men and two women, who shared the stories of how the horror affected their lives.
Attendees at Springfield Municipal Court (pictured) heard how Powell would make his victims ‘loudly compliment’ him so their locked up partners would hear
A woman assaulted at a Route 1&9 motel said: ‘I hope you don’t have the option to see daylight again.’
Powell’s victim faced him to call him a ‘monster’ and told those in attendance ‘I’m afraid of people and what they are doing. I focus on work, family and I go straight home.’ She was attacked at the Swan Motel in Linden.
The Benedict Motel in Linden, now called the Bentley, was also the setting for one of his horrific crimes.
In Elizabeth, his victims were at the Spring Lane Motel and the Royal Motel.
Another woman, who was raped on Easter Sunday in 2012 and asked for him to get life in prison, told the packed court how she has since suffered from panic attacks and had nightmares.
Additionally she has self-mutilated and had suicidal thoughts after Powell threatened to kill her if she told anyone.
If everybody was nice to each other, the world would be a much better place. Holding a door for somebody, giving money to charity, even just smiling at somebody who looks down can be great ways to help somebody out.
If humans were nice to each other, the world would be a much better place. Give up your place for an elderly or a pregnant woman while in the bus, giving money to someone in need, even smiling to someone who looks down while walking by can make this person’s day better.
And this is exactly what FOX5 Surprise Squad does, the difference is that these good people can do a lot for someone in need or who deserves it after a long struggle. Spreading kindness and good gestures around the country to inspire the world to do the same is what FOX5 Surprise Squad aims for. So the team decided again to make someone’s life better and headed to a busy grocery store in Las Vegas.
They approached some of the shoppers in the check-out line, but the team never expected they’d meet two inspiring local veterans. First, reporter Dave Hall met with Stephanie, a disabled veteran who was bound to a wheelchair.
Stephanie has dogs who love so much. This woman barely have enough money to feed herself and her dogs. Actually, she was spending from her last $50 that day. So Dave and his team happily paid for her grocery shopping. Then they noticed the man who had accompanied her to the store that day.
Larry is Stephanie’s husband, he was also a fellow club member and truck driver who was most of the time hitting the road. Larry was also a struggling veteran who gave a lot of his time to drive Stephanie wherever she needed to go. “No vet should be going through what she’s going through,” he told Dave and his team.
Unfortunately, Some of Larry’s brothers died in the Vietnam War. That’s what inspired him to create a charity called Bones for Blankets which donates blankets to homeless veterans.
Larry always put people in more need first. That’s why he was very low on cash. The only items he bought that day at the supermarket were a piece of candy and some mouthwash. Once Dave and the Surprise Squad heard Larry’s story, they decided that this wouldn’t do. They immediately took Larry back down the aisles of the supermarket to make sure he gets what he needs.
Watch what the Surprise Squad has in store for Larry in the video below:
When Amanda Scarpinati was 3 months old, she rolled off the sofa and fall onto a steam vaporizer. The outcome was a scolded and burned skin. As she grew up, she had to undergo several reconstructive surgeries.
She was taken to the Albany Medical Center where she was taken care of by Sue Berger, a special nurse. Berger took the bandaged girl into her arms and gave her some comfort while she was experiencing pain. That was back in 1977.
After Scarpinati’s discharge, all she was left with were the photos she had taken with Berger while in her arms. Scarpinati was determined to find the carrying nurse and thank her for her unconditional compassion.
While growing up, bullies took advantage of her burn and tormented her. That is why the sincere gesture of the caring woman mattered a lot to her. Scarpinati went ahead and posted a note about it on Facebook. It did not take long before the nurse was identified.
In the clip below, we see Scarpinati and Berger reunite at the place where they had first met and it is a special moment to watch. You can’t miss watching to see how the two express their feeling towards each other.
Kindly SHARE the incredible reunion with all on Facebook!
Lisa Marie Presley is no stranger to the spotlight. As the King of Rock N’ Roll’s daughter, every childhood memory was larger than life and every flash of the paparazzi’s camera is stuck in her mind. After a recent struggle with drug addiction, Lisa Marie was finally ready to speak out about her struggles, getting clean, her father’s legacy and her upcoming album with Today’s Jenna Bush Hager.
Jenna had no idea the interview would get so personal so fast.
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Instead of shying away from the problem that plagued both herself and her father, Lisa Marie spoke directly about the issue with Today’s Jenna Bush Hager:
“I’m not perfect, my father wasn’t perfect, no one’s perfect. It’s what you do with it after you learn and then you try to help others with it”
Thankfully, Lisa Marie’s children, Riley, Benjamin, Finley and Harper, helped her see the light. On the hard days, she turned to music as a place of solace – just as her father had done when things got tough in his own life. Lisa Marie even released a new compilation album of Elvis’ gospel recordings she co-produced called “Where No One Stands Alone.”
It was a way to keep her father close while he’s up in Heaven.
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But when the music just won’t fade her worries away, she admitted to Jenna reaches out to Elvis in Heaven. It’s something she’s done for years now and his unspoken wisdom guides her.
“‘I think I already said, ‘Help me, God help me…’ I would want to know he’s there. Yeah, It would be pretty much, ‘I could use your help right around now.'”
He may not be around anymore, but Lisa Marie knows he’s there with her in spirit. There’s nothing that can separate a father from protecting his little girl – not even death.
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As for her father’s legacy? She said the gospel album is the perfect embodiment of who he was as a person. Lisa Marie told Jenna:
“He just loved it. He would break out into Gospel music whenever and wherever he was, at any time. It’s what moved him.”
Now she hopes her father’s songs can help bring other people peace the same way his spirit guided her during her time of need. We’re so impressed with Lisa Marie for picking herself back up and reaching out when she needed help!
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Listen to their full interview in the video below. Lisa Marie is making her father proud every single day!
As adults it’s easy to sometimes forget that kids pick up on everything that we do. Sometimes catching us off guard with just how observant they are of our actions and behavior. It can sometimes even get us into trouble! So when mom attended a CPR class with her baby girl she wasn’t expecting the baby to pick up on everything from the lesson that day. But what mom soon witnessed after class made her mouth drop.
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Unbeknownst to mom her baby girl was paying extra close attention to the class that day. So after class when the baby saw a CPR dummy lying on the ground she didn’t hesitate to show off her new skills. As mom watched in awe she could hardly believe what she was witnessing. The baby crawls over to the dummy and begins to give it chest compressions as she babbles to the dummy, possibly checking in to see how the dummy is doing. But it gets even better.
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After some chest compressions baby girl begins giving the dummy mouth-to-mouth. It may seem shocking but it’s true! She alternates between chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth leaving mom in complete awe of her little lifesaver in the making. Barely even able to walk, the family can certainly expect great things from their little girl in the future. It truly is remarkable how quickly children can learn things and implement them on their own. Watch the baby demonstrate her CPR skills in the video below. What a doll!
And this is exactly what FOX5 Surprise Squad does, the difference is that these good people can do a lot for someone in need or who deserves it after a long struggle. Spreading kindness and good gestures around the country to inspire the world to do the same is what FOX5 Surprise Squad aims for. So the team decided again to make someone’s life better and headed to a busy grocery store in Las Vegas.
They approached some of the shoppers in the check-out line, but the team never expected they’d meet two inspiring local veterans. First, reporter Dave Hall met with Stephanie, a disabled veteran who was bound to a wheelchair.
Stephanie has dogs who love so much. This woman barely have enough money to feed herself and her dogs. Actually, she was spending from her last $50 that day. So Dave and his team happily paid for her grocery shopping. Then they noticed the man who had accompanied her to the store that day.
Larry is Stephanie’s husband, he was also a fellow club member and truck driver who was most of the time hitting the road. Larry was also a struggling veteran who gave a lot of his time to drive Stephanie wherever she needed to go. “No vet should be going through what she’s going through,” he told Dave and his team.
Unfortunately, Some of Larry’s brothers died in the Vietnam War. That’s what inspired him to create a charity called Bones for Blankets which donates blankets to homeless veterans.
Larry always put people in more need first. That’s why he was very low on cash. The only items he bought that day at the supermarket were a piece of candy and some mouthwash. Once Dave and the Surprise Squad heard Larry’s story, they decided that this wouldn’t do. They immediately took Larry back down the aisles of the supermarket to make sure he gets what he needs.
Watch what the Surprise Squad has in store for Larry in the video below:
