“True beauty is born through our actions and aspirations and in the kindness we offer to others,” Alek Wek.
They say Christmas is that time of the year when miracles take plays, and this story is yet another proof of that.
A man named Ben Hendley went shopping in Walmart, Canton, Texas, around Christmas in hopes of getting all he needed for the holiday. Little did he know, however, that he would witness and act of kindness unfolding just in front of his eyes.
As he headed towards the register, he heard beeping. He then noticed that the card of one couple kept getting declined.
“And this couple (passing through from Fort Worth, Texas) are trying to get their kid’s presents as they travel to their family get together (they live2 hours away). And his card gets declined. Again. And again…,” Ben posted on Facebook.
Source: Pexels/ Karolina Grabowska
The beeping continued in the next couple of seconds. As the husband and wife started feeling anxious, the lady standing right behind them decided to step up. “You know what? It’s Christmas! I’ll pay for it,” she said.
The wife said that they couldn’t possibly accept someone to pay for their stuff because what they had in their cart cost a couple hundreds of dollars.
“Oh, no! I don’t think you know how much this is! Let me see if I can put it on my credit card,” the wife said as she gave the cashier her card.
Sadly, they all heard the bleeping once again. According to Ben’s post, it turned out that there was a problem with the card reader, but no one knew that at the time.
The woman, who was later identified as Joyce Hargrave Felton, said, “It’s a couple hundred dollars. So? God’s blessed me, so I’m going to bless you?” and paid for the couple’s things although they didn’t feel comfortable letting a complete stranger give them that much money at first. Joyce, however, assured them that it was all fine. “Hush. I don’t want to hear any more. I’ve got this,” she said.
Everyone at the store praised Joyce’s act.
Ben wanted to learn more about her and followed her outside the store. To his surprise, her license plate read, GOD SNT. Was that a sign of a Christmas miracle? Maybe someone wanted Joyce to find herself in the right place at the right time. Who knows!
Ben felt the urge to post this story on Facebook. In a short period of time, it reached a huge number of people, among which Joyce herself. Later, when media outlets reached Ben for more on what he witnessed, Joyce shared the articles and tagged Ben in each of them.
“Remember; always make a difference no matter what happens,” Joyce wrote.
Stories which remind us that humanity is still alive are the best of all.
Recently, a number of people ended up stranded on the Interstate 95 in Virginia. They were forced to spend a day and a half inside their vehicles. Among the people there were a number of children, as well as pets, who didn’t have anything to eat or drink.
The freezing temperatures made road conditions hazardous along the 50-mile stretch in Stafford County and the heavy snow, rain, and sleet caused a number of vehicles to jackknife and block the roads on Monday morning. That prevented salt trucks and plows from approaching the area in order to clear the snow.
Source: Facebook/ Casey Noe
One of the trapped drivers was a woman named Casey Noe. She, just like most of the people in her position, ran out of food and felt exhausted from the waiting.
“After almost 21 hours of being stuck on 95 South, sleeping here over night, not having access to food or water, and all of the nearest towns being out of power we were tired, frustrated, and hungry.
“Many of the people stuck out here had small children, were elderly, had pets in the car, and hadn’t eaten in almost a whole day,” she wrote on Facebook.
Luckily, Noe noticed a bread truck nearby. She decided to call the company which owned the truck, Schmidt Baking Company, and ask if they were wiling to share some of the bread with everyone around. The owner, Chuck Paterakis, was more than willing to step up. He called the driver and told him to open the back of the truck so that people can get as much bread as they needed.
“This was one of the kindest moments I have ever witnessed,” Casey said in her post. “Thank you Schmidt.”
Her post attracted the attention of thousands of people who took their time to react to it and re-share it.
Luckily, none of the stranded people got injured, and after long hours, they were all able to head home.
Ever since he landed the role of Hugo ‘Hurley’ Reyes in Lost, Jorge Garcia became one of our favorite actors. His acting talent took him where he is today, on the list of celebrities we all admire.
Over the years, he struggled to lose weight, although he never really spoke openly about it.
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Garcia has always been a big guy. When he was younger, he tried himself in wrestling and was called by his friends from his hometown a Baby-Faced-Killer. That nickname, however, had nothing to do with his personality, as Garcia is described by everyone that has ever met him as the nicest and most gentle guy there is.
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Although he has always been bigger than all of his friends, that never really bothered Garcia. But as years passed by and he gained more weight, his friends, family, and even his co-starts got worried for his health.
Some magazines even reported how the producers of Lost even asked him to lose weight during the filming of the series, but Garcia has denied that happened.
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Realizing that being overweight could affect his health in the long term, Garcia put his mind on turning to a healthier lifestyle, something his fans noticed and praised him for.
Garcia turned to a healthier diet which includes lots of fruits, vegetables, and food low in carbs. He often posts photos of plant-based meals on his Instagram which means he’s still on the track of keeping himself healthy. He even started working with nutrition experts and fitness coaches and stopped drinking alcohol. With a lot of discipline, despite battling food addiction, the Hawaii Five-0 star managed to lose 100lbs (45kg) off of his 400lb (181kg) frame.
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Garcia’s journey towards healthier lifestyle is truly inspirational.
Being part of a great number of movies and TV shows, including Hawaii Five-0, Becker, Nobody Knows I’m Here and a lot more, Garcia rose to prominence. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the actor has a net worth of $5 million.
In 2019, Garcia, who wants to keep his life private, married his long-time girlfriend Rebecca Birdsall.
The TLC reality My 600-lb Life is one of the most inspirational shows.
It first aired back in 2012 and viewers can still watch the life stories of obese people who are doing all in their power to turn to a healthier way of living and gain control over their life again.
The doctor who helps these individuals turn their life upside down in a positive way is famous Iranian-American surgeon Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, known as Dr. Now. Many say he’s attitude towards his patients can be harsh at times, but all he wants is to be the voice of their reason and the wake-up call many of them have been waiting for so long.
Among the great number of participants on the show is a woman named Melissa Morris. At her heaviest, this Texan lady weighted 635 lbs. Eating uncontrollably became her thing and over the years, she lost the ability to perform even the simplest of tasks without the help of those around her.
Youtube/Aaron De La Cruz 2.0
Melissa’s husband, Chris, couldn’t control her eating and couldn’t say no to her, which only made things worse.
Sadly, Melissa’s obesity was standing on her way of becoming a mother, something she has always dreamed of.
Speaking of her condition and how she lost control over her body, Melissa said, “It’s not like I set out to say ‘Oh, I want to grow up to be the world’s biggest lady, I want to be 700 pounds. It just happened. For the longest time I talked myself into that I didn’t have a weight problem. I was still walking. If I had a weight problem, I would not walk.”
Youtube/Aaron De La Cruz 2.0
While she and Chris were shopping one day, Melissa could hear people speaking of her weight behind her back. That crushed her completely.
“You can think what you want in your head, whisper what you want to somebody who’s with you,” she said while crying at the aisle. “But to say that out loud is the worst. The only thing I want to do is just to fall into a deep hole and just never come up.”
Finally, after many doctors giving up on her, she met with Dr. Now in his office in Houston Texas in 2012. Melissa listened to his every advice and undergone the so much anticipated gastric bypass surgery. Following the surgery, she changed her eating habits and turned to a low-carb diet and exercises.
Youtube/Aaron De La Cruz 2.0
Over the course of seven years, or at the end of the program with Dr. Now, Melissa lost whooping 447 pounds. She didn’t only look like a completely different person, but her biggest dream, that of being a mother, fulfilled. Today, she has three children, but is no longer married to husband Chris who was by her side while she was losing weight.
I LOVE helping people on the path in life I find myself telling people all the time you can either stay where you’re at or you can go where you want to be the choice is yours. The first step is ALWAYS scary, always hard, and ALWAYS worth it. I also tell them have Faith. I don’t know how many times during my journey I would say to anyone who would ask or to my Mom I have Faith when I have nothing at all I have faith.You have made the first step coming here, calling your doctor that is the first step now you need to know”.
“I have faith in you, when you don’t have faith in yourself I have faith in you. When you are ready to throw in the towel I have faith in you, I know it is hard to believe that someone you may have never met in your life has faith in you but I do,” Melissa writes. “I know what it is like to want to quit, or you are crying because it is harder than you thought it is going to be. They did not show you all the break downs I had all the fights I had with myself over food, over the hate I had for myself because of what I did to me and my family.”
In November, 2020, Melissa posted a photo of her kids and Dr. Now and wrote just how much he helped her turn into the person that she is today. She’s forever thankful for his dedication and for changing her life and giving her a second chance.
Dr. Now doesn’t make any money from the surgeries he performs on the people on the show.
This incredible man told Houstonia Magazine, “Looking at the moral obligation that we’ve got, you see somebody who has no life who could have a life. We don’t need to be rich. We do make a living, but we don’t need to worry about making a living out of every patient we see.”
We are very happy for Melissa and hope others who struggle with their weight will find inspiration in her impressive life story. This is her today, doesn’t she look incredible?
I am sure that nothing triggers nostalgic as the old TV shows that remind us of the joy they brought while we all eagerly waited for them to start gathered around the TV.
One such series is MacGyver, an action adventure series portraying the life of secret agent Angus “Mac” MacGyver. The character was much loved and adored by everyone because of his genius-level intellect and excellent engineering and military skills. His ability to get away from any situation made MacGyver everyone’s favorite.
The show originated in the 80’s, but back in 2016, agent MacGyver got back on the screen after a reboot was filmed. This made everyone think of the original actor playing the quick-thinking agent, Richard Dean Anderson. So, we decided to do a little research and see what this actor is being up to nowadays.
When he was young, Anderson dreamed of becoming a professional hockey player, but when he was just 15, he broke both his arms and that ended his career in sports. That made him turn to other things such as art, music, and acting.
He started his television career in 1976, playing Jeff Webber in the American soap-opera series General Hospital, and then took a role in the one-season series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Anderson played other roles and was even considered for the role of John McClane in Die Hard, which was assigned to Bruce Willis, but he shot to fame with Angus MacGyver.
Speaking of the series that was seen by the whole country and beyond and lasted for seven years, Anderson said, ”When we started in 1985, television was ready for a character that wasn’t a detective with a gun. I think we garnered a lot of attention from families, primarily because it was the kind of show that families could share.”
However, as much as he enjoyed the fame and being on set, the whole thing drained his strength. ”I was kind of fried,” Anderson said. ”MacGyver was seven years of being in virtually every frame that was shot and having absolutely no life at all.”
After the series, he took some years of rest before he accepted the role of Jack O’Neill on the sci-fi series Stargate SG-1.
But when his daughter Wylie was born in 1998, he though he had it enough from movies and just wanted to spend his time with her.
Anderson couldn’t really ditch the shows completely because they have been huge part of his life so he appeared as himself or as his most notable character MacGyver in Saturday Night Live, Don’t Trust the B- in Apartment 23, and The Simpsons.
Anderson is 70 today and still looking as charming as always. His characters played immense role in many people’s lives who grew up watching his shows and wanted to be as intelligent and as fearless as MacGyver was on the screen.
He spoke to Stuff.nz. recently about his life today and described it as a private and reclusive. “The house that I’ve built for myself here in Malibu is the perfect house for me. I have my dogs, but I don’t get to meet people. I don’t like the bar scene and I’m not a party guy – I’ve had my fill of that from the early days,” he said.
If you know a fan of Anderson, share this story with them.
Drew Carey is yet another celebrity person whose weight-loss journey stunned a huge number of fans. I guess people love these kinds of stories because they are inspirational and remind them that no matter how wealthy or famous someone is, they need to work really hard in order to look skinny and healthy.
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Carey started his career as a stand-up comedian and soon rose to fame with his show The Drew Carey Show which aired on ABC between 1995 to 2004 and revolved around a fictionalized version of the comedian. Before that, however, his name was famous from his guest appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman.
Soon after his show aired, millions fell for the chubby actor. He, however, didn’t really feel comfortable in his own skin and wanted to change something about the way he looked. “I was sick of being fat on the camera. Really, I just got sick of it,” he told People.
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During his younger days, Carey served in the Marine Corps for six years and was very fit, but once he turned to acting he somehow forgot to mind what he was eating. His diet consisted of junk food and soda most of his days.
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In 2007, the comedian started dating Nicole Jaracz, who had a son, Connor, from a preveious relationship. Although the two separated in 2012, Carey still considers Connor his son and the two are very close. In fact, it was this boy who inspired the comedian to turn to a healthier lifestyle. He knew that if he continued eating junk food and gaining weight, he wouldn’t be able to see Connor growing up.
“That was a terrible feeling. I thought, I’m never going to see him graduate high school,” Drew told Parade after he was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes and heart problems.
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The actor’s weight loss journey started back in 2010, and today, he looks unrecognizable.
Carey stopped eating carbs and said goodbye to the junk food. “I have cheated a couple times, but basically no carbs, not even a cracker. No bread at all. No pizza, nothing. No corn, no beans, no starches of any kind.” Believe it or not, the “Price is Right” host managed to lose over 100 pounds and dropped from size 44 to size 34. ”I’m not diabetic anymore. No medication needed,” he told People.
Drew Carey / Instagram
”I like being skinny,” the actor added. “I was sick of being fat on the camera. Really, I just got sick of it. Once I started losing weight, again, like once I started dropping a couple pant sizes, then it was easy ’cause once you see the results, then you don’t wanna stop.”
Besides a diet that includes lost of eggs, Greek yogurt, grilled chicken and lots of fruits and vegetables, the secret behind his awesome looks is lots of cardio.
Drew Carey / Instagram
And yes, he also changed his style and grew beard. Drew Carey is a very handsome man.
The name of iconic actress and Princess Grace Kelly still stands for everlasting beauty, even years after her dead. This incredible woman whose career only lasted for around six years marked the period of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
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Kelly was born on November 12, 1929, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her father, John B. Kelly, was a gold-medal winning oarsman, and her uncle was the playwright George Kelly. It was George who was Kelly’s biggest support. He truly wanted his niece to fulfill her dream of becoming an actress and monitored her rise to fame in Hollywood.
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Throughout the years that she was active on the screen, Kelly played alongside huge names in the industry. She made her debut with a role in Fourteen Hours, but made her breakthrough as Gary Cooper’s Quaker wife in High Noon in 1952. From that point on, Kelly stared in a number of famous films such as the adventure romance Mogambo with Clark Gable and Ava Gardner. This role brought her the Golden Globe for best supporting actress. Other significant movies Kelly played in are The Country Girl for which she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, the comedy musical High Society, and three Alfred Hitchcock movies Dial M for Murder; Rear Window; and To Catch a Thief with Cary Grant.
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When she was just 26, Kelly already earned herself the status of highest-paid and most respected actress in the world. Then, however, she met Prince Rainier III of Monaco during a photoshoot at the Cannes Film Festival in France. She married him and became the Princess of Monaco.
Tying the knot with a prince meant her acting career was over.
Kelly did resemble a princess her whole life. She wasn’t only beautiful, but elegant, gracious, and loved by many. She and Prince Rainier had three children together, Caroline, Princess of Hanover, Albert II, Prince of Monaco and Princess Stéphanie.
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When she was just 52 years old, Princess Kelly was killed in a car accident after suffering a stroke and losing control of the car. Luckily, her daughter Stephanie who was in the vehicle survived.
Kelly had 11 grandchildren, all of which inherited her beauty and style. One of them, however, 20-year-old Camille Gottlieb, daughter of Princess Stephanie, seems to resemble her famous grandmother the most.
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Camille’s incredible looks and the fact her grandma was one of the most beloved actresses in America made her sort of famous as well. She loves posting photos of her and her family on her Instagram account which is followed by over 70,000 people.
Many agree that her blonde hair and her blue eyes remind them of those of Kelly. We can definitely see the resemblance.
When Camille’s parents had her they weren’t married, so that means she’s not eligible for the Monegasque throne, but that doesn’t make her less of a princess.
Although he dreamed of becoming an actor when he was young, Adam Richman eventually found his way to the TV screens not through film but through the reality show which enchanted many food lovers, Man v. Food.
This show is one of those realities which became huge hits practically overnight. Seeing Richman exploring different cultures and visiting restaurants offering plenty of unique dishes is what turned him into a celebrity loved by many.
Man v. Food first aired on the Travel Channel in 2008 and was on for four years during which a huge number of people saw their favorite host not only present them with distinct food from all over the country, but getting engaged in eating challenges.
So how did it all start for Richman and how did he find himself in the show?
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As a young man, Richman got to visit plenty of places. Whenever he would try anything new, he would keep track of that experience in a food journal.
“It happened randomly. I had a monster break-up with a Jewish girl from New Jersey. I bought one of those Moleskine books probably to write, like, kind of douche-y, sappy, college-boy broken-heart poetry,” he told Heeb Magazine.
“And then I just kept doing it and then eventually that journal became a reference tool, if you will. I kept it up through living in all these places.
“I kept auditioning, kept acting. Got into Yale. Got agents out of school. Began doing regional theater and television and in so doing, again, augmented my journal.”
Richman earned a master’s degree from the Yale School of Drama and had several appearances in some TV series, but he never got a role that would path his way to Hollywood. However, that didn’t bother him much because the audition for the new food show caught his attention and he decided to try his luck.
“I had nothing to do with the conception or the creation of it at least in the initial stages. I auditioned. It was a six-round process. No challenges along the way, it was just talking about food,” Adam recalled. “So you had to eat this-and-that and the other and they needed to see that you can eat.”
Youtube/Food Network Australia
He passed several stages of the auditions and the last screen test was taking place at the famous Kat’z Deli in New York.
“If you’re a New York Jew, you know f***ing Katz’s. I went there a day before, learned it, just fine-tuned it and came in,” Richman told Heeb Magazine.
“And I came in and I worked out like a beast that morning, didn’t eat that much the day before, and I walked into Katz’s and that smell was like ambrosia. To be given a reuben and fries and slaw and whatever from Katz’s deli for free — it wasn’t a challenge.
“And it was interviews, screen tests, this-that-and-the-other and they said basically “You have the job, provided there’s a job to have.”
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Although the show was an instant success, it did take its toll. Richman was consuming plenty of food, in fact, those were unhealthy amounts of mostly junk food. As a result, he gained weight and started feeling bad about the way he looked.
“When I started the show before the first episode was filmed, I went to specialists ahead of time because I wanted to start with a baseline of good health, versus correcting bad health down the road,” he told ESPN.
“Plus as a single man, I wanted to bring sexy back a little bit. I enjoy seeing my toes in the shower.”
All those eating challenges didn’t only affect Richman’s physics, but his mental health too.
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In 2012, he felt like he couldn’t do it any longer, not because of his health, however, but because of other reasons. He believed it was time to turn to other projects, so Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America, Food Fighters and Man Finds Food followed.
“A lot of people thought the transition to [Man Vs. Food Nation] was motivated by health, doctors, me having a premonition of death. Quite frankly, I felt it’s incumbent upon me as a producer to stay ahead of the curve and bring something new to people,” Richman told Chicago Tribune.
“How much of the same guy doing the same stuff can anybody watch? I was talking to my co-(executive producer), one of my best friends, Dan Adler, and said ‘Dude, let’s just get back to basics’.
“People tell me they use Man v. Food for a travel guide. I said ‘Dude, let’s just show the best sandwiches in America. Every culture has got a sandwich, every income bracket has a sandwich.’ And that’s how it was born. “
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Ever since he left the show, Richman lost around 60 lbs and is now looking better than ever. At the moment, he’s hosting the History Channel show Modern Marvels.
Speaking of Man v. Food, the host revealed to Cooking Light, “I mean, I miss my crew. We were very much a family, and we’re still in touch. But I miss them very much. I miss going to the mom and pop restaurants very much. People always wanted me to say, ‘Oh! I love having all the barbecue. I love having all the fried chicken.’
“That’s cool. But anyone can go to these restaurants and buy that. But it was the people and seeing the country, I think, that I miss and value the most.”
We are always more than happy to see Adam Richman on our TV screens.
Anthony Muobike, a young kid from Edmonton, Canada, loves playing basketball more than anything. He uses every free minute of every day to play in front of his home.
Many of the neighbors have noticed just how much Anthony enjoys this game. One of them, Ian Ray, has always seen the teen dribbling. He, however, noticed that Anthony didn’t have a hoop, so one day, he decided to approach Anthony and offer to play with him.
Source: YouTube/ Global News
When Anthony saw Ian getting closer, he assumed he would scold him off for making noise with the ball, but that wasn’t the case. In fact, Ian really wanted to spend some time with Anthony because he admired his passion for the game.
After the encounter, Ian decided to share a plea on Facebook asking the neighbors if any of them happened to have an old hoop for Anthony. What he didn’t expect was for his post to be noticed by a huge number of people.
Source: YouTube/ Global News
In no time, donations for a new hoop started pouring in.
When Ian presented Anthony with the brand new hoop, the teen was overwhelmed. The rest of the money raised were used for purchasing gift cards which were later given to other children in Anthony’s position who were into some sport but couldn’t afford the proper equipment.
As the post vent viral, a recruiter from a private Toronto basketball program offered Anthony to join their program the following year. A dream come true, one would say!
Source: YouTube/ Global News
The teen’s mom was over the moon. She was glad her son could now practice and play with a real hoop.
The best thing of all was that Anthony’s story reached one of his most favorite basketball players, LeBron James. The NBA star gave Anthony a shoutout on his Instagram, writing that the teen had another fan in him!
It’s true when they say that it takes a village to raise a child. In Anthony’s case, it took an entire community to help him achieve his dream.
Source: YouTube/ Global News
Many took their time to comment, with one person writing, “We don’t see stories like this to often, if it wasn’t for the kind hearted neighbor across the street… this wouldn’t have been on the news!!! Good luck to the kid, can’t wait to see you in 2026!”
Source: YouTube/ Global News
For more on the story check out the video below. Inspiring indeed!
A baby boy welcomed into the world prematurely was found abandoned in a cardboard box on New Year’s Eve. Next to the box, there was a note written by the mother, who pleaded for her son to be taken care of by whoever finds him.
It was around 2 pm on December 31, 2021, when a woman named Roxy Lane, of Fairbanks, Alaska, spotted the baby who was swaddled in blankets at the intersection of Dolphin Way and Chena Point Avenue, as reported by Daily Mail.
The temperatures were extremely low and according to the National Weather Service there was wind chill of 12 below at that time.
According to the note, the sweet soul was born at 6 am that day and the heartbreaking decision for him to be abandoned was made because the family didn’t have food or money in order to take care of him.
Source: Daily Mail
Lane shared a photo of the note on Facebook in an attempt to locate the mother because she believed her family was so poor that they probably didn’t have enough money to take her to a hospital and she was likely in need of medical help.
“Please, someone knows this new mom, check on her! She might be in a desperate situation, feeling abandoned herself. We don’t know, there could be a whole backstory here behind closed doors,” Lane wrote.
“Clearly, someone in our community felt so lost and hopeless that they made probably the hardest choice of their lives to leave that innocent life on the side of the road with nothing but some blankets and a name.”
The note said, “Please help me!!! My parents and grandparents don’t have food or money to raise me. They NEVER wanted to do this to me.
“Please take me and find me a LOVING FAMILY. My parents are begging whoever finds me. My name is Teshawn.”
Source: Daily Mail
According to Lane, the fact that the mother named the baby before she abandoned him spoke that she truly cared.
Sweet Teshawn was rushed to the hospital where doctors confirmed he was perfectly healthy. Luckily, being outside in a box didn’t cause him any trouble.
“I was born 12 weeks premature. My mom was 28 weeks when she had me,” the note further read. “My parents lived on Cormorant Street. My mom is so sad to do this.”
As the authorities do their best to locate the mother, Lane urges other parents who are in the same situation as Teshawn’s to rely on the Safe Haven Law and surrender their babies at safe places, such as fire stations.
Source: Daily Mail
“Today I saved a baby and I’ll probably think about Teshawn for the rest of my life,” she wrote, as per Daily Mail.
“I’ve been processing my feelings all day and running through all the different scenarios and reasons, with my bf and family, as to why something like this could have happened.
“There is always a safer, humane choice to surrender a baby and you will not get in trouble or even have to answer any difficult questions. Take the baby to a fire station, or church, or hospital and they will take care of them,” Lane added.
We pray for baby Teshwan to find a loving family and have the life he deserves.
Bonanza wasn’t just a Wild West hit show that captured the hearts of millions of people from all over the world, but some sort of a national treasure.
It aired for 14 years, making it the second longest-running western, as well as one of the most influential series of that kind of all time.
The series revolves around the lives of the three-time widower Ben Cartwright and his three sons Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe who all live in a prosperous Nevada ranch called Ponderosa. Each of the three brothers has a different mother and a very different background.
Source: Wikipedia / NBC
The role of Hoss Cartwright was portrayed by one and only Dan Blocker. Many agree that his incredible acting and charm gave soul to the show. His sudden passing at the age of just 43 back in 1972 was one of the main reasons why Bonanza was canceled after the 14th season. Everyone agreed that the last season lacked Dan’s presence so much that the producers decided to call it a quit.
Speaking of it, Lorne Greene told TV Guide: “After Dan’s death, I didn’t see how the show could continue. I said to my wife, ‘That’s it. It’s finished.’ I know Michael Landon felt the same way.”
Dan, who was married to his college sweetheart Dolphia Parker, was a father of four. The cause of his death was listed as pulmonary embolism which followed after a gall bladder surgery.
Source: Pinterest
Years after his passing, Dan is still considered an icon and a legend. His role in Bonanza marked an era in the history of television and his children made sure they did all it took to keep their famous father’s legacy alive.
Dan’s son Dirk followed into his father’s footsteps. He’s also the one who resembles Dan the most. Not only he inherited the acting talent, but the looks as well. Throughout the years, Dirk appeared in a number of series and films, including Murder She Wrote, Texas Ranger and Beverly Hills 90210. However, he’s probably most famous for his role of lazy, aging detective Michael Hitchcock in the series Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Dirk also appeared in Bonanza: The Return as a reporter named Fenster.
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Speaking of what kind of a father Dan Blocker was, 63-year-old Dirk recalled that he was a family man who always put his wife and children first. In order to be able to spend time with them, he would take them on the set of Bonanza very often.
“I suppose I was bitten by the acting bug at an early age while going to work with my dad,” Dirk Blocker said in an interview with Jeff Pearlman. “His schedule was such that this was one of the only ways to spend a lot of time with him. As a result, I’d watch as he and his cohorts would be chatting amiably about current events one minute, and then watch them transform themselves into someone else when called to the set—a kind of learning through osmosis. That, and that he enjoyed his work so much likely carried over for me.”
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Dirk’s brother, David, is also part of the film industry but in the role of a producer. His most prominent movie is Don King: Only in America for which he received an Emmy.
Dan Blocker was truly one of a kind. We are forever grateful for his role of Hoss Cartwright.
When trying to reach for the starts, don’t forget that determination, faith, and trust in what you can is a must.
The “King of the Cowboys,” irreplaceable Roy Rogers, who passed away in 1998, taught us exactly that. Although he was born and raised amid the Great Depression when finding a job was equal to winning the lottery, he still managed to make a name for himself both as a singer and an actor.
He worked various jobs in order to help his family make ends meet, but then, all of a sudden, his luck changed when he fell in love with the guitar. One of his sisters believed he was quite talented and persuaded him to take part at a local radio show. He caught the attention of many with his performance, and soon after, Roy was invited to join a country band called The Rocky Mountaineers, where he was both a singer and a guitarist.
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As he felt he could do more, Roy decided to form his own band, The Pioneer Trio, together with Tim Spencer and Bob Nolan. They were pretty good at what they did and started touring around the country.
During an interview with David Letterman, Roy recalled how he met his first wife during a gig in New Mexico, and the story is really wonderful. When the performance was over, the band was paid in their favorite food instead of money. Roy loved lemon pies, so the hotel, A Swiss Yodel, offered them some. Two big lemon meringue pies were brought by a woman and her daughter, who Roy said was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. It didn’t take a lot of time before that girl became his wife. “It was two of the most beautiful lemon meringue pies. We couldn’t wait for them to leave so we could eat those things. The young lady that brought the pies over turned out to be my first wife,” he said.
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Over the years, as the popularity of the band started growing bigger and bigger, they soon found themselves singing in movies, and it was the start of Roy’s acting career. He was very good at both singing and acting and soon turned into a sensation.
It was Gene Autry who helped Roy enter into the film industry when Republic Pictures was looking for a singing cowboy. It was then that Roy changed his name from Leonard Slye to Roy Rogers.
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During the filming of Cowboy and the Senorita in 1944 in which Roy starred alongside beautiful Dale Evans, the fans felt there was chemistry between the actors. After the death of Roy’s first wife, the chemistry was brought into their personal lives.
In 1946, Roy and Dale tied the knot and remained married until the rest of their lives. The marriage came as a surprise to Roy’s children. “It wasn’t until after they got married that he brought her home and said: ‘this is your new mother’,” his daughter Cheryl Rogers said in 2018 during an interview with Closer Weekly. “I didn’t think I needed a new mother, so I really gave her a bad time, but she was a saint.”
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Besides his already successful career in the film and music industry, Roy had his own show, The Roy Rogers Show, which aired for more than 100 episodes.
Roy and Dale had one biological child together, a girl named Robin, who had Down Syndrome and passed away when she was very young. He and his wife, however, were parents to adopted children. One of their daughters, Deborah, was killed in a car crash and it was the second huge heartbreak the family endured.
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The “King of the Cowboys” passed away at the age of 86 from a congestive heart failure. His son, “Dusty” Rogers Jr, recalled the last words of his father. “He stood up in bed and said: ‘well, Lord, it’s been a long, hard ride’.”
For his impressive career, Roy Rogers was honored with three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1980, he was inducted into the Country Hall of Fame as a member of the Sons of the Pioneers and again in 1988 as a solo artist which makes him the only County Music Hall of Fame member to be inducted twice.
The reason why we all love makeover shows so much is because they show us that sometimes it only takes a little effort for something ordinary to be turned into unique and beautiful.
A young chef named Alex had the same hairstyle for years. Stuck between a hectic schedule and long working hours, he didn’t have enough time for himself.
His long hair allowed him to tie it into a bun whenever he was about to go out and was in a hurry. However, over time, he felt he needed to change something about the way he looked. Not wanting to make a mistake, he decided to turn to the right person for the job, Christopher Hopkins, or better known as the Makeover Guy.
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Hopkins, who has changed the life of a huge number of people over the years and helped them regain their self-confidence, knew the locks needed to go the moment he saw Alex.
Getting a new hairstyle was the first step to this chef’s incredible transformation that stunned us all.
As most of the people who turn to Hopkins for a fresh star, Alex too let the expert choose his looks and style for him.
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Although Hopkins worked with men in the past, Alex’s transformation is definitely one of the best we’ve ever seen. Even his friends of many years had a hard time recognizing him. Needless to say, Alex was very satisfied with the outcome.
The circumstances surrounding the death of actress Heather O’Rourke remain a mystery until this very day.
This beautiful blonde girl attracted the attention of millions with her role of Carol Anne Freeling in what is believed to be one of the best horror movies ever made, Poltergeist.
The death of Heather followed after another actress who was part of the movie, Dominique Young, who made her film debut in Poltergeist as the elder sister of Carol Anne, died of strangulation. Overall, four people who were part of the cast died and those tragedies made people believe in what was dubbed the “Poltergeist Curse.”
Heather was born on December 27, 1975, in Santee, San Diego, California. Her road to stardom started unexpectedly. As it turned out, her older sister, Tammy, got a role as a dancer in the film Pennies From Heaven, and one day, as Heather and her mother Kathleen were waiting for Tammy at MGM, Heather was spotted by Steven Spielberg, who was the scriptwriter of Poltergeist. He immediately knew she would be perfect for the role of Carol Anne and asked her in his office but she told him she wasn’t allowed to talk to strangers. The following day, Heather visited Spielberg together with her mother and the rest is history.
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Rumors are that Spielberg considered Drew Barrymore for the role, but when he saw Heather he couldn’t help it but offer it to her. Later, he gave Barrymore a role in the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, released in 1982.
Heather went on to film three parts of the movie, with the last one being released after her death.
She also starred in other movies, including Happy Days.
Through Poltergeist, Heather delivered two of the most famous movie lines ever said in a horror movie, “They’re here,” and “They’re back.”
This movie brought her immense popularity and everyone was convinced she would become a huge star and build a successful career in the years to come. Sadly, her life was taken away from her when she was just 12 years of age.
During her short life, Heather experienced many things. She learned what it feels like to be recognized on the street and she seemed to love that. “They’ll look at me once, then they’ll ask me if I was the little girl in Poltergeist or on Happy Days,” Heather explained. “If they stare at me without saying anything, then I think that something’s wrong with my appearance. But then I realize they’re staring at me because they recognize me.”
When the world learned of Heather’s passing, everyone was in complete shock.
Her mother explained that her daughter started feeling ill in January 1987 when she complained of abdominal pain. Kathleen immediately took her to a Kaiser facility in San Diego.
“I had taken her to Kaiser three or four times that month,” Kathleen told People. “They kept telling me she had the flu.”
Photo by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images
In the days that followed, Heather’s feet started swelling and she was admitted to hospital where she was treated for a parasite named Giardia. After taking medications, she started feeling better. Some months later, just as the filming of the Poltergeist III started, Kathleen took Heather to hospital again, for a follow-up visit.
Although Heather felt pretty good and didn’t experience any discomfort, doctors discovered that she wasn’t fine.
“They did an X-ray after giving her this chalky, white barium stuff to drink,” Kathleen recalled. “And they found that the parasite cleared up, but there was still some kind of inflammation. They called what they saw Crohn’s, and they put her on cortisone and sulfa.”
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The filming went well and Heather seemed to be doing just fine. The family went to Disney World in Florida to celebrate her success. Then, on the night of January 31, 1988, Heather woke her mother up and told her she was vomiting. The following day, she couldn’t swallow her food.
“Then I noticed her fingers and toes were blue, and she started to breathe real heavy, kind of fast. And her stomach was distended. I called our local doctor, and his office said, ‘Bring her right in.’ About 20 seconds later, she fell to the floor. That’s when I called the paramedics,” Kathleen recalled.
At the time paramedics arrived, Heather was still conscious. She was rushed to the hospital where she suffered cardiac arrest. She died on the operating table as a result of intestinal stenosis, a severe bowel obstruction that the girl evidently had from birth, as per Los Angeles Times. The obstruction led to an infection which caused septic shock.
The last words Heather uttered were “I love you, too,” when her mom told her she loved her.
Heather’s former manager Mike Meyer said of the young actress, “Of all the things she was proud of, she was proudest of being elected president of her fifth-grade class at Big Bear Elementary School.”
AP News reported at the time that “a wrongful death suit was filed against a hospital and an insurance group by the estate of Heather O’Rourke.”
That day was supposed to be like any other day in the life of Adrian Young who works as a crossing guard at the Alexandria Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles.
The work day was over and Young was getting ready to head home when she suddenly heard loud screaming coming from the playground. A young girl in distress was shouting for help at the top of her lungs. “Please don’t let her take me. I don’t know her. She’s not my mom!”
Young realized that an act of kidnapping was unfolding right there in front of her eyes. She got really scared but she knew she needed to act quickly if she wanted to save the poor girl’s life. “I kind of went into mother mode,” Young later said, “because I couldn’t see myself letting this little girl be taken.”
The woman who was trying to kidnap the girl was quite big and tall. Young, on the other hand, is only 4-feet-8-inches tall. That, however, didn’t stop Young from stepping up and confronting the alleged kidnapper.
She ran towards the girl and told her to hold on to her as hard as she could.
“I just told her to grab onto me as tight as she could,” Young explained, “and I held onto her and the lady just began to attack me, so I just thought about attacking her to make sure she can’t take this little girl.”
Realizing that Young wouldn’t give up fighting, the kidnapper let go of the girl and started running. Young was relieved and happy the girl was safe. She then contacted the police and the girl’s family.
“If it wouldn’t have been for her I wouldn’t know where my daughter would be right now,” the girl’s mother, Sharon Arellano, said.
Young’s act of bravery was praised by the entire community. Los Angeles City Council member Mitch O’Farrell honored Young at a public event. “Sometimes superheroes come in small packages. And because of her diligence, training and awareness, and just because she cares so much about children, she prevented what could have been a kidnapping of a child,” he said of Young.
We are so glad Young found herself in the right place at the right time to do the right thing. She’s a very brave woman.
The kidnapper, who was identified as 50-year-old Maria Ramirez, was later arrested by the police and charged with felony kidnapping.
This world is a much better place thanks to people like Eldad Hagar, the founder of Hope for Paws. Over the years, this man, together with his crew, has helped save the lives of thousands of stray animals. The following story is just one of the many which show Hagar offering a helpless animal a new lease on life.
When he and a fellow animal rescuer Annie Hart were told about an abandoned dog living under a trailer, they rushed to the scene.
It turned out that the poor soul named Theo was abandoned by his family which moved places over a year ago and left him behind. This heartbreaking experience made Theo lose trust in people. He behaved in a strange manner and didn’t allow anyone to approach him.
Source: Hope for Paws
Eldad and Annie knew how to gain Theo’s trust, although it took some time before he let them get near him.
Theo’s fur was matted and he was terrified, but he soon understood these people were there to save him, and that is exactly what happened. After he was medically examined, his rescuers helped him get rid of the fur.
With the care and the love from his rescuers, Theo turned into a completely new dog. He is now healthy, happy, and comfortable around people. What’s most, he looks totally adorable.
For his new life and his incredible transformation check out the video below. Thank you Hope for Paws for another saved life.
As fans from all over the world mourn the loss of “the first lady of television,” we go back to the fulfilling life and the extraordinary career of Betty White.
It’s safe to say that White was one of the most beloved Hollywood actresses because of her warm personality and positive outlook on life. She often spoke of her secret to longevity and healthy life, and laughter seemed to be the crucial element in that equation.
White’s career spanned more than seven decades, time during which she offered memorable roles dubbed until this very day iconic.
Unfortunately, White passed away just weeks before her 100th birthday, an event she was looking forward to.
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According to her long-time friend and agent Jeff Witjas, she “died peacefully in her sleep at her home.” Speaking to People, he said how she never feared dying because she always wanted to be with her beloved husband Allen Ludden, who passed away in 1981 after battling stomach cancer. Ludden was White’s third husband. The two didn’t have any children together, but White was the stepmother of his three children from a previous marriage.
White and Lauden’s connection was instant. They could feel they were meant for one another the moment they first met. Tying the knot, however, took some time because White was unwilling to leave California for New York, something she regretted later in life.
“I spent a whole year, wasted a whole year that Allen and I could have had together, saying, ‘No, I wouldn’t marry him. No, I won’t, No, I won’t leave California. No, I won’t move to New York,’” she told Oprah. “I wasted a whole year we could have had together.”
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White had her big breakthrough with the role of Sue Ann Nivens in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. What cemented her position in Hollywood even further was her role of Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls, which ran from 1985 until 1992.
Under her belt, she had eight Emmy Awards, three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actor Guild Awards and a Grammy Award, among the rest.
What made this actress even more special was her love for animals. She spent a lot of money for causes she held near to her heart. Some of the organizations she supported over the years were Paws, Guide Dogs for the Blind, and the Petco Foundation. In an interview with TV Guide, White explained just how much animals meant to her.
“My life is divided in absolute half: half animals, half show business. They’re the two things I love the most, and I have to stay in show business to pay for my animal work!” she was reported to have said. “I’m not into animal rights. I’m only into animal welfare and health.”
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In 2012, she was honored with the American Humane highest honor, the National Humanitarian Medal, and its Legacy Award for a lifetime of helping animals.
“Betty White is a tireless and devoted animal welfare advocate, and we are proud to honor her with these two special awards,” American Humane President and CEO Robin Ganzert said in a statement at the time. “Betty is an inspiration to me personally, to everyone at American Humane Association, and millions of animal lovers around the globe.”
At the time of her death, Betty White had a net worth of around $75 million.
LOS ANGELES, CA – AUGUST 21: Betty White visits “Extra” at The Grove on August 21, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images for Extra)
She will always be remembered as someone who touched the lives of those around her and her millions of fans.
When intruders enter other people’s properties what they hope for is to flee the place with valuable belongings in their hands. However, the plan of stealing from one family from Richmond, Virginia, turned out to be one of the worst decisions ONE intruder has ever made.
Apparently, when taking into consideration the things that could turn wrong, he or she missed the fact that the family owned a German Shepherd who would do all in his power to keep his humans and their home safe.
Source: Facebook/ Tristan Murrin
When Tristan Murrin and his family returned home one day, their dog Oden was waiting for them at the door. That wasn’t anything unusual because he was always looking forward to greet his humans whenever they would come home.
However, once inside, the family noticed red marks, and as they proceeded further, they could see the floors and the doors were all covered in blood.
Source: Facebook/ Tristan Murrin
They realized Oden got involved into a fight with an intruder. But it wasn’t until they went upstairs that they learned the extent of Oden’s defense of his home.
“We looked upstairs and you could see trails of blood coming from upstairs, going all the way down,” Murrin told WRIC.
Source: Facebook/ Tristan Murrin
Oden has never been aggressive before. The family describes him as the friendliest dog ever, but when it came to defending his home, he wasn’t afraid to put his loyalty into action.
This brave dog must have scared the living daylight out of the intruder who left empty-handed while running for his life.
Murrin believed the burglary was related to previous cases that happened in the neighborhood.
Source: Facebook/ Tristan Murrin
Oden’s heroic action spread around and everyone was proud of him. All the kids from the neighborhood who love spending time around him felt secure knowing he would be there for them as well if they ever find themselves in trouble.
“The community loves him, the kids come up to him and want to touch him and play with him,” Murrin said.
Source: YouTube/ WRIC
Murrin and the family are proud of their dog and say he had done a great job keeping the house secure.
“He knew that someone was not supposed to be in my house and no one was home and he knows that [the intruder] wasn’t supposed to be in there and was doing something that he wasn’t supposed to be doing,” Murrin said.
Source: Facebook/ Tristan Murrin
The video the family took showing how the house looked like when they returned home that day spread like a wildfire and has been seen more than 16 million times.
Murrin hopes it will help in identifying the intruder .
Elizabeth Taylor’s breathtaking beauty and her iconic roles in classics like Butterfield 8, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Cleopatra left a deep and memorable mark in the history of film. From child actress to last classic Hollywood icon, it’s safe to say this actress with dazzling purple eyes was the queen of film.
Elizabeth’s personal life was as rich as her career was. Being married eight times, twice to actor Richard Burton, she was considered scandalous by many. She had four children, Michael Wilding Jr., Chris Wilding, Liza Todd, and Maria Burton.
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Having her acting debut at the age of 10 in the comedy film There’s One Born Every Minute, everyone became aware of her acting talent and Elizabeth was cast for bigger and bigger roles. When she was just 12, the world learned of her after she played the role of Velvet Brown in National Velvet.
Although pretty young and on the start of her career, people had a feeling that Elizabeth, “the most incredible vision of loveliness,” as described by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, had been part of the Hollywood glam since forever. She felt confident and comfortable being in front of the camera and her energy was easily transferred to the audience.
During her career, which spanned seven decades, she earned numerous awards including two Academy Awards and additional four nominations, Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, Life Achievement Award, four Golden Globe Awards, and many more.
Speaking of her acting, she told Rolling Stone in 1987 that she had never taken a single lesson. “But I’ve learned, I hope, from watching people like Spencer Tracy, Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Jimmy Dean — all people who were finely tuned and educated in the art of acting,” Elizabeth said. “They were my education. I found quite early on that I couldn’t act as a puppet — there would be something pulling my strings too hard — and that I did my best work by being guided, not by being forced.”
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Elizabeth died of congestive heart failure on March 23, 2011. “My mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love … We will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world,” her son Michael wrote in a statement.
Her family was heartbroken but did it all to keep her legacy alive. Her 10 grandchildren are proud to say she was their grandmother. One of them, Quinn Tivey, the son of Liza, looks exactly like his famous grandmother. Many say he even has her eyes, which were described by many as the most enchanting eyes of violet color the world has ever seen. Other believe that Quinn is even luckier than that, as he got the best not only from Elizabeth, but from his grandpa, Mike Todd too.
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Speaking about his loving grandmother to The Morning Show, Quinn said, “I always knew her as grandma, but in her real life, she was still larger than life.”
“She was an amazing matriarch, and she would bring us together on the holidays. You knew it was something special, especially coming from a rural town where I grew up – it was very different than what I was used to.”
Referring to her humanitarian work, Quinn said, “She could not stand to see stigma or the marginalisation of any community of people. And she noticed at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic that there was very little being done.
“But she knew she had the capacity to do a lot. She had a platform by virtue of her celebrity, and she knew how to use it. She always had the courage to speak her mind and stand up for what she believed in, so that’s what she did.
“She turned her public persona into an activist role and really dove into the beginning of the epidemic with radical compassion.”
Knowing how much her organization meant to her, Quinn decided to continue Elizabeth’s legacy by getting more closely involved with the work of the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and becoming its ambassador.
We are sure the iconic actress would have been proud of him.
It’s safe to say that the British Royal Family has turned into a global brand over the years, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that millions of people from all around the world are obsessed with them. Americans are not an exception. A number of established U.S. magazines follow the members of the Firm’s every single move, and this obsession only grew bigger when Prince Harry married an American, former actress Meghan Markle.
The news of their relationship was embraced with arms wide open, but no one expected that things would turn south once the Sussexes made the shocking decision to step down from their royal duties and leave Britain probably for good.
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Things only turned more intricate regarding the already complicated relationship between the members of the Royalty after Harry and Meghan’s infamous Oprah interview during which they accused the family of a number of things. Among the rest, they claimed that a senior royal questioned the skin color of then unborn Archie, and Meghan was denied any help when she opened up about her mental struggles.
These accusations didn’t stop there. Harry appeared on the Armchair Expert podcast where he claimed that Prince Charles handed down a “cycle” of “genetic pain and suffering,” that he was trying to break.
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At the time, both Harry and Meghan refused to reveal the name of the senior royal in question, but now acclaimed author Christopher Andersen wrote in his book Brothers and Wives: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan that it was prince Charles who made the “innocent” comment regarding Archie.
“They wouldn’t reveal who it was. Harry later said the comment didn’t come from the Queen or Prince Philip. Well, I found that it was a very innocent comment made by Prince Charles,” Andersen claimed.
“He turned to Camilla and said, ‘I wonder what the kids are going to look like.’ “You know, hair color, eye color, complexion. It wasn’t racially motivated or anything. But the men in gray who run things behind the scenes at the palaces spun it into something more sinister-sounding,” he added.
“Harry was upset and asked Charles and William what was going on. They told him, ‘You’re overreacting; you’re being oversensitive. Let’s move on.’ And it just added fuel to the fire. There was a lot of tension already, and that just made it so much worse.”
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Andersen further claimed that there is still bad blood between the brothers. In the past, William was extremely angry with Harry and Meghan and said during an occasion that his family wasn’t racist but didn’t comment any further. He was reported to have said that he won’t put up with any more nonsense. According to US Weekly’s Christina Garibaldi, William believed his brother chose fame over family.
“It’s really Charles and William versus Harry and Meghan,” Andersen told Fox News.
“William is fiercely loyal to his father. He thinks his father is a great historical figure who has been underestimated. And he feels for his dad. They all love the Queen. But when you’re maybe going to be king when you’re almost 80 years old, it’s a sad position to be in. So William has been by his father’s side.”
Anderson said that William hasn’t returned any of Harry’s phone calls in months, and as of Harry and Charles, they apparently haven’t spoken at all.
On December 31, 2021, the world lost a legend. Iconic actress, comedian, and a pioneer of early television, Betty White, died peacefully in her sleep, close friend and agent Jeff Witjas told People.
This Golden Girl’s career spanned over seven decades. She hosted shows, landed some legendary roles, and stole our hearts forever.
Besides her successful career in showbiz, White will also be remembered as a huge animal lover and someone who gave the world a million reasons to smile. The news of her passing was received with disbelief, especially because her fans were eager to celebrate her milestone birthday. White herself said in an interview a few weeks ago that she was looking forward to her 100th birthday celebration. Sadly, she didn’t reach it.
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Tributes came pouring in. Her friend of many years, Jeff Witjas, told People, “Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever. I will miss her terribly, and so will the animal world that she loved so much. I don’t think Betty ever feared passing because she always wanted to be with her most beloved husband, Allen Ludden. She believed she would be with him again.”
“The world looks different now. She was great at defying expectations. She managed to grow very old and, somehow, not old enough. We’ll miss you, Betty. Now you know the secret,” Ryan Reynolds, her co-star on the film The Proposal, wrote on Twitter.
Sandra Bullock told People, “I don’t drink vodka … but I will tonight, on ice, with a slice of lemon with a hot dog on the other side, and just be ok being sad. I’ll have to buy some rose-colored glasses because Betty was that for all of us.”
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Comedian Kathy Griffin, shared a beautiful story of the very first encounter between her and Betty White.“Betty White. Where do I begin? I’ve known her long, but I think the first time I met her was when she was a guest star on Suddenly Susan in the late 90s. Everyone was very excited she was on the show. I had accidentally parked in her parking spot that day. She walks in, yells from the back of the soundstage for everyone to hear, ‘Where’s that redheaded b*tch who stole my parking spot???’ SWOON. A friendship was born.”
President Joe Biden honored White by saying that she “brought a smile to the lips of generations of Americans.”
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White was born on January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois. Over the years, she was part of a number of shows, most famous we’d say, The Mary Tyler Moore Show in which she played the role of Sue Ann Nivens that brought her two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and Golden Girls.
“When they announced my name that night, and Ed Asner presented it to me, I was a mess,” White recalled.
“I was so excited, so happy. And so grateful. I started out as an actress in the business, but then I did game shows and talk shows. I became a ‘television personality.’ So everybody was so surprised. ‘Why Betty can act, isn’t that amazing?’ It really did turn my career completely around.”
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
White was married three times, with her third husband, Allen Ludden, being the biggest love of her life. They knew they were meant for one another the moment they laid eyes on each other on the game show Password which Ludden hosted. It took him some time to convince her to marry him, not because she didn’t want him to be her husband, but because she didn’t want to leave California for New York, something she regretted later in life.
“I spent a whole year, wasted a whole year that Allen and I could have had together, saying, ‘No, I wouldn’t marry him. No, I won’t, No, I won’t leave California. No, I won’t move to New York,’” she told Oprah. “I wasted a whole year we could have had together.”
Ludden died in 1981, and White never remarried, saying, “Once you’ve had the best, who needs the rest?”
Today, just days after her passing, sources reveal that White was forced to spend her final years in her home in Los Angeles and move out from the one in Carmel, California, just outside of Monterey, which she and her late husband Allen Ludden built in 1978, as per New York Post. Apparently, she wasn’t happy with leaving California, but she needed at-home-care and her Los Angeles home was more accessible.
“If she had it her way, Betty would’ve lived and died in that home [in Carmel]. It’s the home she shared with her husband. It’s where she felt more comfortable,” a source told with NewYork Post.
White will always be remembered as someone who left deep impact on Hollywood and the TV industry in general.
Tragedies happen every single day. The thing is that most times, there is nothing we could do to prevent them, we just accept the devastating reality that someone we loved to the core is gone forever.
One father named Adrian Smith learned that his daughter passed away in the worst way possible.
Working as a firefighter, Adrian responded to a call about a crash of three vehicles which occurred in Haverfordwest, in Pembrokeshire, Wales. He and his crew rushed to the scene in an attempt to help the injured passengers. Unfortunately, that’s when Adrian learned his 21-year-old daughter Ella Brooke Smith, 21, died on impact. The rest of the people involved in the accident were left with injuries.
Realizing it was his daughter who lost her life that day broke this father’s heart into a million pieces. His little girl was no longer there, she was gone forever, and he was left to fight with the grief and the void which filled his soul.
Firefighter called to 999 car crash discovered his ‘beautiful’ 21-year-old daughter dead in wreckage: Adrian Smith, 47, was in shock after responding to the 999 call and had to watch as his daughter Ella’s body was removed from the mangled car by… https://t.co/TmwL57W6aBpic.twitter.com/5nhn0uviKr
Honoring her life, Adrian posted a photo of him and Ella dancing at a family gathering. The devastated father wrote: “We are utterly devastated at losing our beloved Ella. She was a much loved and caring daughter, sister and granddaughter.
“She was a beautiful girl who will be missed by us all. We would like to thank everyone for their support at this horrific time. It has meant so much to the whole family as we grieve for our Ella.”
Friends and family posted messages expressing their condolences for the loss of the girl whose young life was taken far too soon.
“You cannot imagine how Adrian must be feeling. It is every emergency worker’s worst nightmare to find your own child is a victim. They are such a lovely family. Ella was so bubbly with all her future ahead of here,” one of their friends wrote.
Our hearts go out to the grieving family. Rest in peace, Ella.
Police officers are those people who make sure we are all safe and sounds and who would step up for someone in need even when they are off duty.
A lot of people believe that police officers are sometimes brutal, but the reality is that they are there to serve us and that’s why we should never judge the entire group based on single incidents.
Source: YouTube/ Phil Paz
Having their hands full going after bad guys and solving crimes, these people need to have fun occasionally, just like the rest of us.
Msgt. Phil Paz of the Oklahoma City police force was on the job when he decided to sing a song. He chose Lionel Richie’s Easy Like Sunday Morning and recorded himself, not knowing that the video of his incredible performance would go viral. Well, to be honest, knowing just how difficult this song is, we have to agree that he nailed it.
He’s so good that one would assume he’s lip-syncing.
However, the decision to sing and record himself turned out to be a great one, because the video turned Paz sort of a celebrity. He started uploading other song covers on his YouTube channel and people seem to love listening to him.
Well, Paz isn’t just great at being and officer and singing, but he’s been into acting too. He has shared videos of him doing commercials. A man of many talents, right?
What makes a parent? Is it just the process of giving birth and welcoming a bundle of joy into the world, or is it the process of guiding that child through life and being there for them when they need you the most?
Sadly, there are a number of moms and dads out there who give up on their precious jewels because of one reason or another and that is why the number of children who end up in the foster care system is so huge.
Many youngsters go from one home to another without ever getting adopted. They age out of the system and are left to fend for themselves, with many being forced into homelessness. The sad reality is that most adoptive families are looking for babies when they decide to adopt, and older children are often overlooked, without ever being given the chance to feel the warmth of a cozy home and parents’ love.
Barry Farmer grew up in the foster system. Eventually, he was given the chance to live with his grandmother, but he never forgot what all his foster families did for him over the years.
When he was just 21, he got his foster care licence and welcomed a boy named Jaxon. In the years that followed, Barry took in two other boys, Xavier and Jeremiah, and then adopted all three of them before he turned 30.
“I look in the mirror all the time, and if you would have told me 10 years ago that this would happen, I wouldn’t believe you,” Barry said. “I wished to be a father, but it wasn’t going to be this soon.”
Speaking of the entire experience, this loving and dedicated father explained how his road to fatherhood began.
“My oldest has been calling me Dad since the day I got him. I really didn’t know how to respond to it — I was so young at the time. And I just said, ‘OK, I guess we’re gonna do this. I guess this is the role that I must play now.’ Knowing that the adoption was very final — that means I’m finally his father. He accepted me as his father. So those moments are unforgettable,” he told CBS 6.
He knows firsthand that being part of the system is not easy, so he encourages others to give older children a chance and adopt them.
“Older children are the babies that you’re looking for,” Barry says. “There are a lot of firsts to the experience as well: You can still have your first bike ride, your first trip to the beach, first roller coaster, first day of school. All of that can be experienced through foster care adoptions.”
Asked whether people comment on his decision to adopt white kids, Barry says that skin color doesn’t separate them.
“It does not define our family. It’s just a part of our family. So when it comes to things of, you know, push-back or ignorance, we’re really not paying attention to that, because they don’t know us.
“Fatherhood has brought me lots of joy. I can’t imagine my sons not being with me,” he adds.
We wish this beautiful family only the best life can bring. If more people follow Barry’s example, this world would be much better place for so many children.
Take a look at the video below to learn more of Barry and his kids.
