4-year-old boy with Down’s Syndrome nicknamed ‘Smiley Riley’ captures thousands of hearts, only to land modelling job!
Whenever Down’s Syndrome was mentioned, lots of stereotypes emerged. People become compassionate and caring. In most cases such feelings arose just because they thought having a child or a family member with Down’s Syndrome was an obstacle for having a ‘normal and pleasant life’. But, is it really like that?
Meet the Baxters from Rochester, United Kingdom – the family that beats all these stereotypes. Riley, the 4-year old family star, is the source of happiness and family’s pride. The Down’s Syndrome, which Riley suffers from, did not stop him and his parents to live the life they have always dreamed about. Riley’s charisma and cute innocent smile, believe it or not, gave him a chance in modelling business!
Riley’s positive attitude, sincere happiness and love brought him the opportunity that many models wish they had. Riley was chosen the face of the Mothercare Ad.
The parents’ happiness and joy is overwhelming. Riley’s father, Stuart, did not hesitate expressing his emotions for Caters News by stating:
“We have called him ‘Smiley Riley’ from a young age, because he makes people really happy and seeing his smile gives people a pick-me-up on a bad day.”
The family’s happiness and comfortable life was not always as smooth as it is now. Like every beginning, their journey started roughly and with many difficulties. However, the hope for easy and purposeful life, in addition to creating a normal living conditions for Riley, forced them to think positively.
From strengthening his physical posture to learning how to pose for the camera, Stuart and his wife made that journey a true success. Riley’s unconditional love and joy was doubled and his confidence levelled up. As a consequence to that, people noticed him and decided to share that charm with the rest of the world – by making him a model that shines!
Referring to their initial thoughts, the parents say:
“After we were told he had Down Syndrome I cried, not for the case that I would love him any less but just knowing how cruel the world can be. That was the first thing that went through my mind but obviously my perceptions were wrong, and wow how wrong I was.”
Do you want to see Riley’s talents? Do you want to be greeted by his adorable smile? Take a look at the video below.
Young children have a lot on their mind. They are constantly thinking of what toys to get or what game to play next. However, many times, those ordinary pastimes become pretty boring so they are looking for some other ways on how to have fun. But what happens if they do get what they wish for? Will that make them happier? Well, judging by the girl from the video below, kids, as well as adults, need to mind what they wish for because it may come true.
Vilma is a sweet girl from Sweden who is fascinated by big ships.
She enjoys watching them sail in and out of port. This time, she was standing at the edge of a pier, looking at the ships when she wished to get one honk. Her mother filmed her doing her best to make the captain notice her. From doing the international hand gesture for a truck or ship to honk that resembles pulling the rope of a bus when we wish it to stop, to making the sound of the horn herself. Her mother is having fun watching her daughter trying to make her wish come true.
The sweetest thing of all is when beautiful Vilma makes this funny “toot toot” sound. She’s perfectly aware no one would listen to her doing so, but she simply won’t stop trying to catch the captain’s attention and get the honk she loves to hear so much.
Her persistence finally pays off and the massive ship treats her with several loud and long honks. Now one would think this would make Wilma happy, but her reactions is surprisingly quite the opposite.
It looks as though she couldn’t imagine the sound would be so loud. She definitely wasn’t prepared for what she got, so she quickly turned around and started running towards her mummy who couldn’t contain her laughter. Vilma’s wish failed to live up to her expectations, and the outcome is quite hilarious. At least she knows what to expect when she does that “toot toot” next time.
Take a look at this girl’s reaction in the video below.
You never know when the life will turn the back on you. Imaging living the life you have been craving for, achieving all the goals you have set up and suddenly you have no idea who you are! That must be a frustrating thing for you and the family members that surround you.
This is exactly what happened to Norm. As his daughter Elaine Rusk explains for The Sun Chronicle, Norm was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease when he was 89 years old. Since 2014, Norm has no idea who he is or what he has been doing in the past years of his adulthood. But, not always!
Thanks to the love and the dedication of his daughter, Norm got a constant care and attention by his beloved ones, not being institutionalized. As a consequence to that, Elaine tries to occupy Norm with activities that once were his passion. She decided to reintroduce Norm’s favorite hobby – watercolour painting.
YouTube
The efforts had some good results. Now and then a bright light shines in the tunnel of darkness. There are moments when Norm is ‘back’ and his memory is as good as it was previously. Elaine explains that they share special moments filled with love and care. She adds that she will remember those moments for the rest of her life. She wouldn’t have experienced those moments if Norm ended up institutionalized.
Additionally, Elaine says:
“To me, it’s like a sacred time. We’re in the moment together. A sacred time. We’re in the moment together.”
Even though taking care of a patient with Alzheimer’s is a hard work and sometimes a tiring thing to do, the love you get back is priceless. Elaine’s smile says it all.
In a moment of consciousness, Norm was asked if he knew about his disease. His clear answer is stunning. His daughter grabbed the camera, turned it on and see what they came up with on the video below.
I am sure you’ve heard people saying how the media is often misleading and tends to present the reality a bit different than it really is. If you wonder how they do it just take a look at the following story a reader named Carl A. posted online. This is going to make you laugh and will put you into some serious thinking all at once. Take a look at it below.
The pastor entered his donkey in a race and it won.
The pastor was so pleased with the donkey that he entered it in the Race again, and it won again.
The local paper read:
PASTOR’S ASS OUT FRONT.
The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the pastor not to enter the donkey in another race.
The next day, the local paper headline read:
BISHOP SCRATCHES PASTOR’S ASS.
This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the pastor to get rid of the donkey. The pastor decided to give it to a nun in a nearby convent.
The local paper, hearing of the news, posted the following headline the next day:
NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN.
The bishop fainted.
He informed the nun that she would have to get rid of the donkey, so she sold it to a farmer for $10.
The next day the paper read:
NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10.
This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the nun to buy back the donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run wild. The next day the headlines read:
Contrary to the common belief that police officers are only spending their days pulling people over and giving tickets while patrolling in their cars, the reality is totally different. These people do a lot for the community and wear many hats fulfilling their role of making sure people are safe and sound. And as many of them deal with catching criminals, most are also involved in proactive problem-solving.
Brandon Sheffert is one of those police officers who are ready to go an extra mile when it comes to people’s safety. One night, while he was on the job, something unusual attracted his attention. A boy who was obviously in a hurry, which made him make an assumption the kid could be in trouble.
“We were just driving around patrolling, and we noticed this kid who was sprinting down 85th Avenue. We were kind like, ‘this is odd. Nobody sprints like that, so let’s stop this kid.'”
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None of these strangers could ever think how this encounter would change their lives.
“Something about it bugged me, because I couldn’t get through to him. He just seemed like there was something going on, and that there was something that was hurtful going on that he would say,” Brandon said about the experience.
The kind officer then put his mind into keeping an eye on the 16-year-old kid whose name was Antony Schultz. The teen lived in a one bedroom apartment with his family of seven and struggled to lead a normal life.
Anthony turned out to be a very nice boy who was interested in becoming an even better person, but he needed a little push in order to fulfill his dreams. That’s when officer Brandon stepped in and turned this boy’s life around. He became Anthony’s official mentor through the YMCA Reach and Rise program.
“I had a role model. I had someone I could look up to. I had someone I could aspire to be,” Anthony had to say.
One night, the boy’s mother called Brandon and asked him to take Antony. Having two children on their own, the officer and his wife knew that welcoming another member in their home would be a true blessing.
“We have taken him in as one of our own. Even my kids say he’s their big brother, and they love it.”
You’d be amazed to hear of everything this aspiring teen achieved once he started living with the Sheffert family. The constant support and the love they surrounded him with resulted in Anthony being the first person in his family to graduate from high school. He even got a driver’s license.
Take a look at the whole story in the video below. This is so inspirational.
Online shopping and online trade is currently the most convenient way of doing business. People buy and sell things on regular basis. There is a huge number of websites that offer online trade that ease people’s lives. However, let’s face it, the possibility of being cheated or misused while shopping and selling online is always there.
We all take that risk and we all go along with it. No matter what doubts we have while shopping or selling online, there is always the hope that we will end up trading with just the right person. Exactly this happened to Matt Shoukry from St. Louis, Missouri. He was pleasantly surprised when he got something he didn’t even hoped for.
Mr. Shoukry thought highly of his old VHS player and he didn’t want it ending up in the trash. Instead, he decided to do what we would all probably have done – selling it on eBay. To his surprise, he sold the old VHS player to a very fine man and he was even ‘awarded’ with a letter that will probably change the manner of how he sees the world around him.
The well-mannered buyer of the old VHS was an 86-year-old Phoenix resident called Don. Mr. Don, a first-time user of eBay, contacted Mr. Shoukry after seeing the online ad. Thinking that it was just an everyday buying-selling trade, he packed the VHS and sent it to him. Mr. Don sent him a thank you note and the trade was done, reports FOX 2. At least for the moment.
FOX 2
However, the surprise was yet to follow. Soon after the business deal was done, Mr. Shoukry got a very emotional letter, sent by Mr. Don, that touched him and his life partner. The old Phoenix VHS user confessed that thanks to Mr. Shoukry, he is now able to see the videos that he has never seen. With just spending $40, he could revive memories that could have been gone forever. Imagine his happiness!
The letter says:
I found my old VHS tapes recently and wanted to see what is on them and realised I had no player. So I went to eBay for the first time and discovered your offer.
I bought your VHS and you shipped it within a few days. The VHS looks new and unused. Amazing. I had some issues getting it going which were mine and not the player.
I am 86 and perhaps not up to my game but I do get there eventually. And I did, and discovered the VHS works perfectly. Thank you so much for your care, your efforts, and your promptness.
FOX 2
Additionally, Don explains:
I watched tapes of my retirement party from 25 years ago which I had never seen before. Jeez, were we young. Then a tape of my wedding with all the family and friends, many of which are no longer around.
Then skiing trips, kids growing up, travels, and most importantly the gentle maturing of my family. Each one more fun than the last. All thanks to your generous selling of the VHS player.
I thought you would appreciate how much someone has enjoyed your offer.
Mr. Shoukry and his girlfriend found this letter quite emotional and sincere. This letter touched their hearts and they decided to frame it and keep it in their home. Matt even offered his help in preserving the old VHS tapes for longer use. What a story and new friendship!
We all know of Willie’s talents and his stunning performances. His exceptional music career resulted with some of the most recognizable Country Music masterpieces that trigger our emotions and our pleasant feelings. What we are not really aware of is that he didn’t just give us great songs and wonderful music. He also gave us a very talented young man.
Willie’s son, Lukas Wilson, is a rising star beloved for his wonderful talents and charisma. He and his band ‘Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real’ are conquering the hearts of thousands of people around the country with their memorable performances. With their large number of followers on the social media websites, Lukas proves that his talents are seen and his voice is heard. However, what he really stunned us with is his live performance of his father’s song ‘Always On My Mind’.
Without his band’s support and without any ‘warnings’, Lukas just took the microphone and thrilled the audience. His soulful voice sang the 35-year-old iconic song. The live performance of his father’s song showed what Lukas can do – and it’s simply amazing. No wonder he has large number of fans and followers. They can’t wait to see the next Lukas’ live performance and we can’t wait for another heart-melting rendition like the one below. Enjoy the song by pressing the ‘play’ button.
How much we care for the elderly speaks a lot about us as human beings. This group of people is valuable for the community as they have been through so much during their lifetime and are full of wisdom and knowledge. They’ve already figured out how life actually functions and may give us advice on how to get things right.
The life of the residents of Avita, an assisted living facility, is never boring. Why? Because every now and then, these elderly people get to welcome the sweetest little visitors who make their days and put lots of smiles on their faces. If you wonder what we are talking about, take a look at this story of one of the most unusual, yet most adorable friendships ever.
Stanley, a 95-year-old veteran and a resident of Avita suffers from dementia and a memory loss. But, whenever he gets to see his new friend, it looks like his condition improves in an instant, and that’s something that leaves the establishment’s staff amazed.
The facility came up with an idea of how to make its residents have fun. They regularly organize music generation classes which allow young children from Wells, Maine to visit the place and do a bunch of things such as singing songs, playing instruments and playing games with the elderly. One of these kids is little Etta Morse, who somehow found in Stanley her new best friend. Now if you think a 95-year-old veteran and a 3-year-old girl can’t be pals, than you are wrong.
When little Etta first visited the place two years ago, she grew fond of the old man whom she offered her instrument. Ever since, her mother brings her and her brother at Avita because she knows that makes the elderly’s days filled with laughter.
In an interview with News Center Maine Laurie, Etta’s mom, said:
“I have no idea when it actually started. They just kind of have a little connection.”
Now Etta gives her instrument to Stanley whenever she visits him. So far, she refused to give it to any other of the sixty residents.
The staff says that whenever Stanley knows it’s a visit time, he puts on his best clothes, and that includes a blazer, and patiently waits for his sweet friend to come. Because of his health condition, it happens that he forgets her name, but he always remembers how Etta makes him feel, and that’s being loved and cared for.
Stanley is a man of few words, but he finds ways to make sure everyone knows how much Etta means to him. What this girl’s mom does is sort of amazing. She teaches her kids to treat elderly with respect. Because being old and alone is not easy.
Take a look at this unlikely friendship in the video below.
Anthony turned out to be a very nice boy who was interested in becoming an even better person, but he needed a little push in order to fulfill his dreams. That’s when officer Brandon stepped in and turned this boy’s life around. He became Anthony’s official mentor through the YMCA Reach and Rise program.
You’d be amazed to hear of everything this aspiring teen achieved once he started living with the Sheffert family. The constant support and the love they surrounded him with resulted in Anthony being the first person in his family to graduate from high school. He even got a driver’s license.
Take a look at the whole story in the video below. This is so inspirational.
