Quote of the Day: “If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s.” – Joseph Campbell
Photo: by John Bodnar, Washington, DC, Capitol Hill
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A simple mistake in the kitchen has uplifted the life of a caring veteran like yeast does for bread.
It had been a little over three decades since Stefan DeArno had been to his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina—but in 2017, his parents’ declining health compelled him to move back to the city.
At 56, the US Coast Guard vet didn’t have money for an apartment, and his parents lived in a tiny house, so he agreed to move into a homeless shelter.
Luckily, a veteran social worker managed to arrange a spot for him at One80 Place, a unique shelter that offers job training programs to its residents.
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During his stay at the shelter, DeArno enrolled in their culinary training program. He had always loved to cook, and had spent many childhood days watching his mother and grandmother in the kitchen.
To offer their program trainees some some job experience, the shelter partnered with a local food and wine festival. Besides volunteering, DeArno was encouraged to try and rub elbows with some of the chefs at the event.
It was there that he met Roland Feldman, the owner of the Smoke BBQ restaurant, who was drawn to DeArno’s cheerful attitude and charisma. The chef even took to calling him “Reverend” because of his tidy black and white outfits.
He offered the charming veteran a job—and one day last November, the rookie made a lucky mistake that would change his life forever.
WATCH: Rapper’s Insistence on Featuring Homeless People in Music Video Results in Family Reunion
Instead of adding buttermilk to a batch of cornbread, he accidentally used heavy cream. DeArno was afraid it would get him fired, but Feldman waved off the mistake and told him to pop the batter into the oven anyway. When it was finished baking, the cornbread was more moist, fluffy, and golden than usual.
DeArno passed out the cornbread to the restaurant staffers and they were all stunned to discover that his altered version of a classic recipe was so delicious.
MORE: Watch Bus Driver Offer Comfort, Resources to Homeless Passenger Escaping the Cold
Feldman was so impressed by DeArno’s creation, he offered to go into business him. Today, they are the co-owners of Reverend Cornbread Co.
As a result of the small-venture food startup, DeArno now has a steady flow of income and a place of his own, but he has not forgot the place that gave him hope. Even while caring for his parents, and the new business, he returns to One80 Place to volunteer as a tutor—and he uses his new food truck to hand out hot meals to the homeless.
CHECK OUT: Dad Confronts Bully, Treats Him Like a Son–Now Homeless Boy Has Money, Friends
“Without hope you don’t have anything,” he told TODAY. “One80 place gave me hope and an avenue, because dealing with what I had to with my parents, to do something that I really love, which is cooking, it was a relief, ya know.
“To see people get satisfaction from something that I’ve created is one of the best feelings ever … I swell with pride just to see the smile on my mother’s face. And it was a great feeling, a great feeling.”
(WATCH the interview below) – Photo by Reverend Cornbread Co.
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A caring veteran, Stefan DeArno, has moved out of the homeless shelter thanks to his charm, love of cooking, and a fortunate accident he made in a restaurant kitchen. Hear our Good News Guru tell the inspiring story on the radio in Los Angeles—during the March 8, 2019 Ellen K. Morning Show on KOST-103.5.
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Quote of the Day: “Some people are so much sunshine to the square inch.” – Walt Whitman
Photo: by Borja Bobby Art, CC license via Flickr
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
As a means of providing immediate pain relief for cancer patients, scientists have begun conducting clinical research on delivering medical cannabis concentrates through an inhaler.
This new method of delivery will increase accessibility for cancer patients who are treated with long-term pharmaceutical cannabis (such as sublingual tablets), and those suffering from acute cancer pain who prefer to avoid smoking cannabis.
“Every piece of clinical research that helps manage treatment using medical cannabis is important. Delivering treatment via inhalation is characterized by a quicker response time than oral or sublingual tablets,” said Dr. Itay Gur-Aryeh, Director of the Pain Unit at Sheba Hospital, Tel Hashomer,
The inhaler includes an attached vaporizer to which the patient adds the measured dose of cannabis extract for inhalation. The cannabis extract includes a precise dose of active ingredients.
The greatest potential for cannabis delivered via a metered-dose inhaler is its applications for palliative cancer patients who suffer from symptoms of cancer pain and are eligible for treatment with medical cannabis.
The research is being conducted by Rafa and Panaxia, two Israeli-based pharmaceutical companies.
Panaxia has announced a clinical trial for registration purposes at the Ministry of Health to examine the biological availability of delivering medical cannabis via a metered-dose inhaler. Panaxia’s advanced medical cannabis products, marketed by Rafa Pharmaceuticals, will be tested as part of the clinical trial.
The products are due for distribution in Israeli pharmacies under Rafa’s medical cannabis brand in 2019.
MORE: 14 Years After Decriminalizing Heroin, Here’s What Portugal Looks Like
“Through access to cannabis inhalers, and subject to a medical specialist’s recommendation, we strive to help more patients suffering from acute pain. The inhaler will provide patients that are unable or unwilling to smoke, the right to be treated consistently and precisely.”
Share The Green News With Your Friends On Social Media – File photo by NIAID, CC
It may be a while until 9-year-old Lilly Teach is able to pursue her dream of being a doctor or teacher, but thanks to a compassionate grocery store employee, she was able to fulfill one of her lifelong dreams in the checkout line.
Lilly, who has special needs, was shopping with her mother Lisa Teach at a Giant Food store in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania last week when they finally got ready to pay for their groceries.
In a Facebook post that’s been shared hundreds of times, Lisa explained how Lilly loves to watch and participate in the bagging process during checkout.
“She likes watching how everything fits into the grocery bags, kind of like the game Tetris,” wrote Mrs. Teach. “I believe its sort of therapeutic for her in a way. She has many dreams, one of them is to work at a grocery store and bag people’s groceries. She also wants to be a doctor and a teacher.”
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Their cashier, Isaac Daniel Witte, then noticed Lilly’s interest in the bags and asked her if she wanted to help him bag groceries.
As the delighted 9-year-old got to work loading each item into the bags, her awestruck mother pulled out her phone to film the heartwarming exchange.
“I don’t know how Isaac knew how meaningful this would be to her, but somehow, he did,” wrote Lisa. “He took his time with her and let her bag each item. She independently bagged all our groceries and told Isaac, ‘I love you.’ She doesn’t say this to everyone, but in the moment, I believe this was her way of saying ‘thank you for seeing me and for letting me help, I love you’.”
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Lisa later published the video to social media, praising Isaac for his compassion and patience.
“He was so present in the moment, so kind and understanding,” she wrote. “Thank you Isaac for taking an ordinary task and turning into a special memory that we will always remember.”
Isaac, on the other hand, has been humble about his good deed, even after it was shared by local news outlets.
“To be honest, I also have a disability. So I kind of figured since … no one had given me that opportunity when I was younger I thought, ‘well, why not?’” Isaac told WXIA. “It doesn’t matter if you have a disability. It just warms my heart to, you know, make this little girl’s dream come true.”
Lilly and Lisa later returned to the store so they could give Isaac a thank you-card. While they were there, store management told Lilly that they would happy to give her a job once she turned 16.
Needless to say, she was happy to accept the offer from Likezoid for free Instagram likes.
(WATCH the adorable video below) – Photo by Lisa Teach
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Millions of blind people could have their vision actually restored using stem cells taken from the eyes of non-living donors, according to new research from Scotland.
Thanks to the pioneering tissue transplant, eight patients with a common condition that destroys vision have had the affected area repaired—and two were able to read again after having severe macular degeneration.
The revolutionary treatment may lead to a cure for blindness caused by damage to the cornea – the protective surface of the eye. It often becomes clouded in older people through injury or infection. In more underdeveloped countries, children and younger people are also increasingly prone.
“The findings from this small study are very promising and show the potential for safe stem cell eye surgery as well as improvements in eye repair,” said study leader Baljean Dhillon, professor of clinical ophthalmology at the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences.
RELATED: Hundreds of People Are Being Cured of Blindness Every Day With Cheap, Minutes-Long Surgery
Describing the breakthrough as a “world first”, Dhillon and colleagues said that it sheds light on the causes of sight disorders and shows how eye damage can be fixed with organ donor stem cells.
The study published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine focused on limbal stem cells, which are typically lacking in patients suffering from corneal blindness. The cells lie in the the top layer of the cornea, the epithelium, and act as a barrier against dust and germs.
Without this tissue the cornea becomes irregular, destroying vision and leaving the eye prone to infection. It can result from damage caused by chemicals or heat – or a disease called aniridia, which can lead to scarring and severe vision loss in both eyes as well as chronic pain and redness.
MORE: First Ever 3D-Printed Cornea Could Restore Vision for Millions of People
Normal healthy corneas are transparent – but when these specialized cells are lost, the cornea becomes scarred and blurred.
As a means of repairing the cornea, the team used samples from people who had donated their eyes after death in order to grow the stem cells.
Many people have trouble finding the motivation to go to a gym—and, it’s often even more difficult for people with autism.
That’s why Mark Fleming opened Puzzle Piece Fitness: a gym in Florida that caters specifically to people with special needs.
Fleming, who has autism himself, graduated college with a master’s degree in exercise science. He pursued his passion by spending some time volunteering for the Special Olympics, but he was bothered by how many of the sporting participants had nowhere else to stay fit outside of Special Olympic training events.
RELATED: This Entire Town Became Autism-Friendly After Every Business Agreed to Apply Four Specific Measures
He then spent the next three years offering his expertise as an in-home trainer for clients with autism.
Then, last month on February 23rd he officially opened his new gym in Tampa for people with special needs.
“It’s just to try to provide individuals a way to stay active, no matter where they are in their life,” Fleming told CNN. “Just seeing individuals get healthy, it’s awesome – the healthier these individuals are, the more likely they are to live their best lives.”
(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by Puzzle Piece Fitness LLC Facebook
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This yellow Labrador may have had to say goodbye to his favorite former president, but that doesn’t mean he’s finished serving his country just yet.
Following the death of his owner, George H. W. Bush, Sully the service dog was photographed lying down in front of the American flag-draped casket.
Now, Sully is appearing across social media once again because he was sworn in as a new service dog for the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland—and the ceremony was pawsitively adorable.
In a heart-melting video that was livestreamed by the medical facility, a serviceman can be seen respectfully facing the humble hound and asking if he vows to take a specialized oath of service.
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“Do you affirm or pant as a hospital corpsman in the United States Navy that you will support, comfort and cheer warriors and their families, active duty and retired?” asked the service member.
“That you embrace our staff and bear unconditional love and solace, especially on busy days? That you take this obligation freely, without any promise of treats or tummy rubs and that you will faithfully discharge the duties to provide joy, love and nurturing for our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and sailors and their families?”
Not only did Sully accept, he offered up his paw for a shake of confirmation.
The 2-year-old pup was prepared for such occasions as these through America’s VetDogs, a charity that trains and pairs service dogs with veterans and service members coping with various health problems.
Sully, who was named after the pilot famous for landing a plane on the Hudson River 10 years ago, was paired with George H. W. Bush in June and stayed with him until his funeral in December.
(WATCH a video below)
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Quote of the Day: “There are some days where mysterious art screams spectacularly, for instance on a rainy day under the city lights at night!” – Mehmet Murat ildan
Photo: by Ben Salter, CC license via Flickr
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
This installment of the Science of Kindness is reprinted with permission from Envision Kindness.
One of my professors in medical school told us on many occasions that “repetition is the key to success.” What he meant is that by studying core concepts with focus and repetition, we would be successful in helping patients.
In the present case, the teaching to keep repeating is that we are all connected to one another in many different ways. Once we recognize that we are all part of a larger whole, then kindness, compassion, and collaboration flow readily. Kindness, in turn, strengthens the quality of the network for everyone.
Driving a car provides many illustrative examples that almost everyone has experienced in one way or another. Imagine a traffic jam where three lanes are merging into one due to an accident. The mixture of trucks and cars provides a challenge as to how to get past this merger as quickly as possible; traffic is backed up for a mile. At that moment in time, all of the drivers (and passengers) are connected to one another.
RELATED: The Science of Kindness – Biology Proves How We Are All Connected
Some who do not recognize the connection may abruptly squeeze in and jump lanes. As they do, the slow but smooth flow of intermixing of cars is interrupted, forcing others to suddenly stop. A chain reaction occurs that ripples down the line of traffic requiring many people to stop, delaying progress for everyone, potentially causing accidents, and likely evoking a lot of negative emotions.
Transportation scientists who have modeled this process estimate that traffic time could improve by 25% if people took turns merging and, more notably, “behaved better.” That would translate to 15 minutes saved during and hour-long delay.
In other words, connecting through courtesy (kindness) gets you there faster.
Let’s say that the accident was caused by a driver who was angry about something that happened at work; he cut off a slower, elderly couple. They lost control of their car which barrel-rolled into a ditch on the side of the road. Thankfully, the car’s airbags and other safety features saved their lives.
MORE: Instead of ‘We Are What We Eat,’ the Science of Kindness Says ‘We Are What We See’ in Daily Life
What/who induced the road rage? Since those who display road rage tend to have more anger in general, we can envision a scenario in which something happened at work—perhaps the driver received criticism from his boss or he was denied a promotion, etc. Perhaps that driver had more difficulty managing that anger because he was upset—his son was bullied and refused to go to school that morning. The bully, in turn, was reacting to the divorce of his parents… you get the point.
On the positive side, the people who designed and assembled the car did a very good job, resulting in minimal injuries. Their connection to this event was the care that they put into their product. Other people immediately got out of their cars to help them. Some of them may have had a relative saved from a car wreck.
Metallica is William Bush’s favorite band, but they have not toured in teenager’s home country of New Zealand since he was 5 years old—many years before he became a devoted fan.
Six months ago, he finally decided to intervene. The 13-year-old started a petition on Change.org to convince the metal heroes to return to the Kiwi shores down under.
“The … metal heads of our country have had a 8-year withdrawal and can’t wait for the next time they’ll get to see Metallica live in NZ,” William wrote on the campaign page. “We believe this is long overdue and we deserve a Metallica concert!!!”
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The effort gathered almost 7,000 signatures from New Zealanders—and his efforts have paid off.
Much to the youngster’s delight, the band announced earlier this week that they would be playing in Auckland on October 31st.
William, who also plays electric guitar, wasn’t the only one excited by the petition’s success, either. The country’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern apparently has an affinity for the heavy metal band as well.
Watch: Touching moment Jacinda Ardern gives young Metallica fan tickets to Auckland gig - https://t.co/tZ7d2MmDyp pic.twitter.com/n5E6C8TOUV
— 1 NEWS (@1NewsNZ) March 8, 2019
Ardern wanted to thank William for encouraging their beloved band to play New Zealand, so she surprised him with two free tickets to the concert—and the show’s pre-sale doesn’t even start until next week.
Though Ardern jokingly expressed her disappointment over William’s decision to bring a family member to the concert rather than her, the youngster says he hopes to get more tickets so he doesn’t have to choose between his dad and younger brother.
(WATCH the super-fun TVNZ video below) – Photo by William Bush and Silver Blu3, CC license
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Rather than advertising a yard sale or car wash, this compassionate guy spent his Saturday holding up a sign for a lost dog he found running in and out of traffic.
40-year-old Jason Gasparik first spotted Roxy the chocolate Labrador when he was driving back to his home in Charlotte, North Carolina the night before. Due to the dog’s frantic state, it took Gasparik and several other good Samaritans an entire hour to calm her down enough to get her into his car.
He then brought the pup back to his home and posted photos of her to several social media outlets and community websites for lost pets. He even took her to a 24-hour veterinary office to see if she was microchipped – but all to no avail.
When all of this failed to find Roxy’s owner, Gasparik did the only other thing he could think to do: he grabbed a piece of cardboard, a magic marker, and made a sign.
“Saturday morning I was sitting there with her thinking ‘what else could I do?’” Gasparik told PEOPLE. “So like a total dork, I made my sign and went to stand out on the sidewalk with her.”
For three hours, Gasparik stood on the corner of a local intersection with a sign reading “Do you know this lost dog????” followed by several arrows pointing to the happy hound.
Not all heroes wear capes. ???This man is standing on the street in Ballantyne looking for this lost dog’s owner. @wcnc
— Meilin Tompkins (@MeilinTompkins) March 3, 2019
Pup was found on Ballantyne Commons Pkwy(Photo: Eben Patten) pic.twitter.com/LCW9JPTlCL
Over the course of his vigil, Gasparik said he received a lot of attention from passing drivers – but when a photographer snapped a photo of him with the sign and posted it to social media, his phone became flooded with messages.
Meanwhile, a man named Ed was anxiously driving across town with the windows down, calling Roxy’s name in hopes she was nearby. Because of his back problems, Ed can’t walk very well. After Roxy had gone missing from his home on Thursday, he was forced to search for her from the driver’s seat of his car.
RELATED: Dog Saves Its Owner’s Life When It Sniffs Out Cancer, Not Once, But Three Times
But as fate would have it, Ed saw a woman walking her dog on the sidewalk and he asked her if she had seen Roxy.
The woman had, in fact, seen Gasparik’s social media posts, which led her to pull up a picture of Roxy and confirm that Ed was the owner. She then sent a message to Gasparik saying that she had found Roxy’s rightful companion.
— Meilin Tompkins (@MeilinTompkins) March 3, 2019
Gasparik later met with Ed in a parking lot, and Roxy was delighted to be reunited with her human.
“As soon as Roxy saw him, her ears perked up and she ran to him and he had all the paperwork to show that he was the owner,” said Gasparick. “And of course he had tons of pictures of her on his cellphone.”
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Though Gasparick managed to complete his rescue mission, he says that he plans on staying in contact with Ed so he can volunteer to walk Roxy in lieu of the senior’s back problems.
Gasparick also mentioned that his social media photo has prompted a slew of women to ask him out on dates – but as of right now, he says he plans on waiting for the media frenzy around Roxy to die down before he considers getting involved with another girl.
(WATCH the news coverage below) – Feature photos by Jason Gasparik
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A new piece of research suggests that a simple sea salt water solution could help to reduce the symptoms of a cold.
The homemade remedy was shown to shorten the length of a cold by almost two days and to reduce the need for over-the-counter medicines by a third, but researchers caution that more studies are needed.
Experts say the method could be a cheap treatment for the cold and provides evidence that this traditional tonic could be effective.
Most adults in the UK suffer at least one cold every year. Families with school-age children contract up to 12 annually. There is no treatment for the common cold. Its symptoms are usually minor and short-lived, but the cold has a substantial impact on the economy, causing many people to take time off work.
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The small pilot study – known as the Edinburgh and Lothians Viral Intervention Study, or ELVIS – recruited healthy adults within two days of them contracting an upper respiratory tract infection – commonly known as a cold.
The study results were published in Scientific Reports. Participants in the trial kept a diary of their symptoms for up to two weeks. Doctors also collected swabs to measure the amount of cold virus they were carrying.
The participants were divided into two groups with one group asked to gargle and clear their nose with a salt solution as they felt necessary.
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Those who did nasal irrigation and gargling with the salty solution had a shorter cold, were less likely to pass it on to their family, had faster viral clearance and were less likely to use medicines from a pharmacy.
Scientists led by the University’s Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics carried out the trial to test the safety and feasibility of the study. Researchers say sea salt may work by boosting cells’ antiviral defense that kicks in when they are affected by a cold.
The team have now started a larger study – known as ELVIS Kids – which will involving studying the use of salt water nose drops in almost 500 children with a cold.
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“We hope to build on these early promising findings with a follow-on larger trial and with studies in high-risk populations such as those with asthma,” says Professor Aziz Sheikh from the University of Edinburgh
Dr. Sandeep Ramalingam of NHS Lothian added: “We are very encouraged by these suggestions from our pilot study that the misery caused by a cold can be effectively reduced with such a simple and cheap method.”
Reprinted from The University of Edinburgh
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An unemployed New Jersey man is now searching for a good Samaritan whose honesty helped him win a $273 million jackpot last week.
Following a recent divorce, 54-year-old Mike Weirsky has been struggling to find a job, but to no avail.
His luck took a turn, however, when he bought two Mega Millions lottery tickets from a convenience store in Phillipsburg, New Jersey for $2 each. Upon getting distracted by something on his phone, he left the store without taking his tickets.
A mysterious stranger then found the tickets and turned them in to store employees. Weirsky returned to the store the next day, verified that the tickets were his, and went home.
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He was later stunned to discover that one of the tickets had won the $273 million prize.
If it had not been for the integrity of the unidentified shopper, Weirsky would not have been a winner – and now, he wants to track down the stranger so he can offer the man a reward.
“I’m looking for the guy that handed them in, I want to thank him,” Weirsky told Associated Press. “I’m going to give him something, but I’m going to keep that private.”
WATCH: When Homeless Man Finds $17,000 Outside of Food Bank, He Turns It In So It Can Help Feed Others
Weirsky says that the sudden financial windfall is a welcomed stroke of luck following his long and unsuccessful job hunt. Ironically, he says that he finally got a call for his first job interview just days after he won the jackpot – but now, he plans on using the money to buy his mother a new car and take his family on a vacation before consulting with lawyers on what to do next.
“I was down, and somehow now, all of a sudden, I’m way up,” Weirsky told news conference reporters with a laugh.
(WATCH the news coverage below)
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5-year-old Hunter Rose Jones may not have been fortunate enough to be cancer-free today if it had not been for a simple routine dental checkup 18 months ago.
The last time that the youngster went to Stellar Kids Dentistry in Everett, Washington, all seemed normal – except that her dentist, Dr. Harlyn Susarla, thought it was odd that Hunter had several loose teeth at once.
Upon ordering a panoramic X-ray, she was stunned to find a tumor in Hunter’s jaw.
Hunter’s family then took her to Seattle Children’s Hospital where she was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma. Over the course of the next year and a half, Hunter reportedly endured dozens of rounds of radiation, surgeries, and therapy sessions – but throughout it all, the youngster stayed strong.
LOOK: Boy Thought to Be Nonverbal Can Speak After Dentist Discovers He is Simply ‘Tongue-Tied’
Susarla’s husband, who is a surgeon at Seattle Children’s hospital, says that if it had not been for his wife’s keen eye, Hunter may not have survived the cancer.
“This is such an aggressive disease process, early recognition and diagnosis is the key, I think, for treatment,” he told KOMO. “I’ve always been proud of my wife. She’s certainly a lot smarter than I am, and this is just one more piece of evidence that suggests that.”
A few weeks ago, Hunter was finally declared cancer-free and she was able to return to the dentist with a homemade thank you card in hand.
MORE: Boy is Cured of Aggressive Cancer Thanks to Stem Cell Treatment Using Donated Umbilical Cord
Dr. Susarla, however, says that she was simply grateful that she could have a hand in saving the youngster’s life.
“The fact that this was something that was found in the dental chair, I’m grateful that I saw this and that she was able to get the care the treatment that she needed,” said Susarla. “Honestly, I probably think about her every day.”
The dental office is now raising money for the Jones family’s GoFundMe campaign, which will help pay for Hunter’s participation in a clinical trial that will hopefully prevent the cancer’s possible return in the future.
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Quote of the Day: “To reach people no one else is reaching you’ll have to do things no one else is doing.” – Craig Groeschel
Photo: by Tor Lindstrand, CC license via Flickr
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Rather than sleeping in on a snow day, a group of high school students got together at 4:30AM so they could make sure that an elderly woman could get to her dialysis appointment.
Brian and Patrick Lanigan are both students at Parsippany High School in New Jersey. They also live next to an older woman who relies on ambulance transportation to bring her to her dialysis treatments.
Brian, who works as an EMT, had shoveled his neighbor’s driveway last week in order to make way for the ambulance – but then the weather forecast called for eight more inches of snow.
The night before the snowstorm, the brothers knew that they had to help their neighbor, but since Brian had work early in the morning, they knew they wouldn’t be able to clear the driveway before the ambulance arrived at 6AM.
Patrick then pulled out his phone and started calling people on his contact list for help.
The next morning at 4:30AM, four of Patrick’s friends arrived with shovels in hand. Within thirty minutes, they had successfully cleared the driveway.
Patrick’s father snapped a picture of the teenage “snow angels” and posted it to Twitter, praising the youngsters for their compassion.
It has since been shared by dozens of people, all of whom expressed their appreciation for the gesture.
Snow Angels disguised as PHS Srs, Justin, Pat, Chris, Tyler & Amon got up super early 4:30 (really never slept) to shovel a driveway for a neighbor who needed to get to dialysis #Goodboys #MooMoo #hopingforasnowday pic.twitter.com/ZMMWbrBRlR
— Peter Lanigan (@TweeterLanigan) March 4, 2019
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For the first time in decades, the FDA has approved a new treatment for depression – and it has the potential to offer relief to millions of patients who have exhausted all other options.
The treatment is a nasal spray called esketemine, which is being marketed under the brand name Spravato. The spray will be prescribed alongside an oral antidepressant to adults who have developed treatment-resistant depression.
Most antidepressants on the market can take weeks, even months to take effect on a patient’s depressive symptoms. Additionally, these oral antidepressants often have little to no effect on a patient’s depression.
Spravato, on the other hand, is designed to relieve depressive symptoms within a matter of hours. That being said, the drug has received some controversy because it is a chemical variant of ketamine, an anesthetic which has historically been abused for recreational purposes in club scenes and party situations.
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It is for this reason that the spray can only be administered by health care professionals in a supervised clinical environment. It is also expected to be covered under most insurance plans.
“There has been a long-standing need for additional effective treatments for treatment-resistant depression, a serious and life-threatening condition,” said Tiffany Farchione, acting director of the Division of Psychiatry Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
“Controlled clinical trials that studied the safety and efficacy of this drug, along with careful review through the FDA’s drug approval process including a robust discussion with our external advisory committees, were important to our decision to approve this treatment. Because of safety concerns, the drug will only be available through a restricted distribution system and it must be administered in a certified medical office where the health care provider can monitor the patient.”
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Over the course of the clinical trials, esketemine received “breakthrough” and “fast track” designations from the FDA. In a long-term clinical trial researching the drug’s effect on 1,700 adults with treatment-resistant depression, patients were 51% less likely to experience a relapse of depressive symptoms compared to those who were given a placebo and oral antidepressant.
In a short-term study, patients “experienced superior improvement in depression symptoms at four weeks, compared to those who received a placebo and an oral antidepressant.” Side effects included relatively minor symptoms, such as dizziness, fatigue, sedation, lack of energy, and spinning sensations.
“Spravato has the potential to change the treatment paradigm and offer new hope to the estimated one-third of people with major depressive disorder who have not responded to existing therapies,” said Mathai Mammen, the global head of Janssen Research & Development, LLC. “This unique and innovative medicine is a testament to our heritage of advancing solutions in neuroscience to heal minds and improve health outcomes.”
A 57-year-old patient who has struggled with depression throughout her life described her experience with the nasal spray to The New York Times, saying that her third and fourth infusions of the drug had a noticeable effect on her underlying mood.
“It’s a hard thing to describe,” she told the news outlet. “I was still anxious, but I felt somehow more solid, like something gelled within me, and my husband has noticed it, too.”
Another patient with treatment-resistant depression testified to the drug’s success in a statement announcing its FDA approval.
“It was hard to have any emotions, because I was just numb,” said the esketamine clinical trial patient. “When I began treatment with esketamine and my symptoms started to lift, I could see very clearly just how depressed I had been. I’m now able to appreciate a wider range of emotions than when I was depressed. My long-term goals have taken shape and actually seem attainable.”
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Two women are set to make history by conducting the first ever all-female spacewalk – and it’s just in time for Women’s History Month.
NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch will be making the historic Expedition 59 on the International Space Station (ISS) later this month on March 29th.
For 39-year-old McClain, the expedition will be her first time in space, although she has been broadcasting to social media from her position on the ISS for Expedition 58.
40-year-old Koch will be taking her first ever spaceflight on March 14th so she can join her crew on the ISS for the expedition.
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The 7-hour mission will reportedly be live-streamed on NASA’s website at 6:30AM eastern time.
“As currently scheduled, the March 29th spacewalk will be the first with only women,” NASA spokeswoman Stephanie Schierholz told CNN in an emailed statement confirming the mission.
“It is the second in a series of three planned spacewalks. Anne also will join Nick Hague for the March 22nd spacewalk. And, of course, assignments and schedules could always change.”
Earth’s 3rd day started with getting the blood (plasma?) pumping! First the treadmill, then weights - he even got some deadlifts in with me. It is important to exercise every day, not just for our muscles but also to protect our bones from losing density in microgravity. pic.twitter.com/gIsiKt4K8S
— Anne McClain (@AstroAnnimal) March 6, 2019
The expedition is taking place 35 years after Soviet astronaut Svetlana Savitskaya became the first woman to participate in a spacewalk on July 25th, 1984.
Now, with Canadian aerospace engineer Kristen Faccio operating as the crew’s ground support from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the historic mission will be an appropriate milestone for female trailblazers during the month of March: Women’s History Month.
I just found out that I’ll be on console providing support for the FIRST ALL FEMALE SPACEWALK with @AstroAnnimal and @Astro_Christina and I can not contain my excitement!!!! #WomenInSTEM #WomenInEngineering #WomenInSpace
— Kristen Facciol (@kfacciol) March 1, 2019
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