Pete has never stopped repaying an animal shelter who kindly took in Buster during their bout with homeless—and strangers rewarded him mightily for his integrity. Hear our Good News Guru tell the heartwarming tale on the radio in Los Angeles—during the March 1, 2019 Ellen K. Morning Show on KOST-103.5.
Scientists have invented a process that can turn non-recyclable glass into everything from tires to toothpaste.
Currently, only a small amount of glass is actually recyclable. Because of the effort that is required to sort and separate the smaller fragments, they tend to be discarded or sent to the landfill – but researchers from the University of Queensland have come up with a way to turn mountains of non-recyclable glass into useful items.
University PhD candidate Rhys Pirie said that a chemical found in drain cleaner can break down glass into silica which can then be extracted for commercial uses for substances such as adhesives, detergents, ingredients in cleaning compounds, cements, binders, and coatings.
Tom’s of Maine, famous for its natural toothpastes, for instance, uses hydrated silica—which is a naturally occurring element in nature—either as a thickener for its toothpaste, a mild abrasive for cleaning, or as a whitening agent.
“We are taking waste glass that is currently going to the landfill because it is too small to be sorted into the right color,” said Pirie.
“Glass is about 70 to 75% silica. You need about 2.9 pounds (1.3 kg) of glass to make 1kg of silica. Most of that goes into sellable products, so we have very little waste at the end of it.”
Unlike traditional methods of producing liquid silicate, the researchers’ technique requires relatively little energy, which also makes it far cheaper.
SWNS
“The glass industry has a huge amount (of silicate) it cannot recycle because it is too broken or it is too small,” said Professor Damien Batstone, another researcher who helped to develop the technique.
“It is currently stockpiled at the moment as it can’t be used. We’re going to take it through a much simpler process to turn it into this commercial silicate product.
“It’s a way to use a product which is currently a waste, which is currently unusable—it’s a way to turn a cost negative waste into an absolute resource.”
The university’s commercialization company, UniQuest, is now seeking partner companies that are interested in taking the technology to market.
SWNS
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If you’re dreading going back to work on Monday or the gloomy weather has just got you feeling blue, things might improve if you let Phoebe the cockatiel cheer you up.
In the video below, the tiny bird can be heard chirping the opening melody of the song “If You’re Happy and You Know”.
Because Phoebe doesn’t have hands to clap during the pauses in the song, however, she uses her beak to tap on the table – or in some cases, the banana.
She really picks up steam toward the end, and her enthusiasm is contagious.
(WATCH the video below)
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Quote of the Day: “Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.” – Samuel Ullman
Photo: by clappstar, CC license via Flickr (cropped)
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?
An exciting new study shows that efforts to cut CO2 and tackle climate change in developed countries including the UK and US are beginning to pay off.
Eighteen countries so far have demonstrated how concerted policies and action on energy efficiency, renewables, and climate targets can work.
The study from the Tyndall Centre at the University of East Anglia (UEA) suggests that policies supporting renewable energy and energy efficiency are helping to reduce emissions in 18 developed economies. The group of countries, which includes the UK, US, France and Germany, represents 28% of global emissions.
The research team analyzed the reasons behind changes in CO2 emissions in countries where emissions declined significantly between 2005 and 2015. The findings, published in Nature Climate Change, show that the fall in CO2 emissions was mainly due to renewable energy replacing fossil fuels and to decreasing energy use.
Not surprisingly, countries where CO2 emissions decreased the most were those with the largest number of energy and climate policies in place.
The researchers compared countries with declining emissions with countries where emissions increased. They found that policies encouraging energy efficiency were linked to cuts in emissions across all countries.
They also found that policies which encouraged renewable energy were linked to cuts in emissions, but mostly in developed economies with decreasing emissions only, not elsewhere.
The data suggests that efforts to reduce emissions are underway in many countries, but these efforts need to be expanded and enhanced to limit climate change to well below 2°C of warming, in line with the Paris Agreement.
The authors argue that “untangling” the reasons underlying recent changes in emissions is critical to guide efforts to tackle climate change.
“Our findings suggest that polices to tackle climate change are helping to decrease emissions in many countries. This is good news, but this is just the start,” said lead researcher Prof Corinne Le Quéré of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at UEA.
“There is a long way to go to cut global emissions down to near zero, which is what is needed to stop climate change. Deploying renewable energy worldwide is a good step but by itself it is not enough, fossil fuels also have to be phased out.”
Dr Charlie Wilson, also from the university, said: “New scientific research on climate change tends to ring the alarm bells ever more loudly. Our findings add a thin sliver of hope. It is possible for countries to peak and then decline their emissions year in, year out.
Despite not being a long-term match for each other romantically, these Minnesota divorcees turned into a medical match made in heaven.
Mary Ziegler and Bill Henrichs were only 14 years old when they started dating in high school. Immediately after turning 18, they tied the knot.
After 24 years of marriage, however, they realized that they were not destined to be true soulmates, so they decided to get a divorce. They agreed, however, never to allow the end of their marriage to affect their two kids.
Indeed, it’s been two decades since then, and Henrichs and Ziegler have remained close; although their friendship took a surprising turn back in February when Henrichs started having diabetes-related kidney problems.
When Henrichs was told that he would need a transplant, dozens of friends and family members got tested to see if they were a match. His daughter turned out to be a match, but donating her kidney would prove to be difficult since she has been raising children of her own.
Ziegler could not bear to see their daughter undergo the transplant, so she followed her intuition and got tested to see if she was a match.
Surprisingly, she turned out to be a perfect fit for Henrichs’s uncommon blood type.
Ziegler and Henrichs underwent a successful surgery in October; and even though she has received national attention for her willingness to help out her wuzband, Ziegler is quick to take no credit.
“If this story changes one person’s actions or attitude towards their ex, it’ll all be worth it,” Ziegler told KMSP. “For me, it wasn’t even a decision. It was kinda like him calling up and saying, ‘can you come over and help us rake leaves?’ That’s how I think of it.”
(WATCH the interview below) – Image from screenshot of KMSP video
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Ady and six other fifth-graders make up the core of the club. They are Ava Kallunki, Elsie Ostmoe, Jillian Roberts, Lauren Havemeier, Tessa Boche and Noah Lambertz.
Kindness is seeping into the classrooms and corridors of an elementary school in Minnesota thanks to a group of fifth-graders.
The kids at Parker Elementary School started a Kindness Club last year, and observers say it’s having a positive impact on classroom culture.
“There had been some issues in fifth grade of kids not being very kind to each other,” said Ashley Justen, a social worker at the school in Elk River. Teachers had talked to some of the students and told them things had to change because ‘that’s not how you treat people,’ Justen said.
Fifth-grade teacher Matt Greenhoe said he had been talking with his students one day about improving the situation when one of the kids, Ady Bollinger, suggested starting the Kindness Club.
“I said, ‘That’s a great idea,’ and I just kind of let them go,” Greenhoe said.
Since then the Kindness Club has blossomed, sprinkling kindness throughout the school.
Ady said they started the club because they want kids at Parker to feel safe in school. They also want to stop bullying and improve self-esteem, she said.
Ady and six other fifth-graders make up the core of the club. They are Ava Kallunki, Elsie Ostmoe, Jillian Roberts, Lauren Havemeier, Tessa Boche and Noah Lambertz.
“It kind of makes the world a better place having someone your age to turn to for help,” added club member Elsie Ostmoe.
The club has initiated several kindness projects. They now have a bucket on display where people can drop in notes that tell of random acts of kindness they have seen, which club members plan to read during school announcements.
Before Christmas, club members launched Operation Candy Cane, where they gave every student a small candy cane — 600 in all — with the note “Happy Holidays from the Kindness Club.”
During Holly Jolly Week, they put notes of kindness on the lockers belonging to students with special needs. They also have produced a slideshow about kindness that they intend to share with others.
Currently, they are rehearsing a play based on the book “Stop,” about a girl who is being bullied and the friend who helps her. They plan to perform the play for first-graders.
Greenhoe said the students have given up recess time to work on the Kindness Club.
Club members feel they have made a difference and said there is less bullying going on at Parker. In fact, there are fewer students using the Buddy Bench, a specially designated bench on the playground where students can sit if they are feeling alone and want to be invited to play with others.
Member Tessa Boche said she wants people to know they’re not alone and are part of a larger community: “It makes us feel good that everyone is getting included and no one feels left out.”
And the kindness is spreading: Other students are following suit by expressing random acts of kindness, like putting positive notes on students’ lockers.
“They definitely have created a ripple effect,” she said.
This is the fifth-graders’ last year at Parker Elementary School, but those in the Kindness Club hope to carry on their kindness crusade into middle school.
They also hope some of the fourth-graders at Parker will continue with the Kindness Club and would like to see other schools pick up on the idea as well.
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We may soon have access to a mobile bioprinter that can be filled with a patient’s cells, wheeled to their bedside, and print out brand new skin for large wounds and burns.
Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) scientists have created such a mobile skin bioprinting system – the first of its kind – that allows bi-layered skin to be printed directly into a wound.
“The unique aspect of this technology is the mobility of the system and the ability to provide on-site management of extensive wounds by scanning and measuring them in order to deposit the cells directly where they are needed to create skin,” said Sean Murphy, a WFIRM assistant professor who was lead author of the paper published this month in Nature’s Scientific Reports journal.
Wounds that are large, chronic, or non-healing wounds (such as diabetic pressure ulcers) affect millions of Americans and are especially costly because they often require multiple treatments. It is also estimated that burn injuries account for 10 to 30% of combat casualties in conventional warfare for military personnel.
The major skin cells – dermal fibroblasts and epidermal keratinocytes – are easily isolated from a small biopsy of uninjured tissue and expanded. Fibroblasts are cells that synthesize the extracellular matrix and collagen that play a critical role in wound healing while keratinocytes are the predominant cells found in the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin.
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, WFIRM
The cells are mixed into a hydrogel and placed into the bioprinter. Integrated imaging technology involving a device that scans the wound then feeds the data into the software to tell the print heads which cells to deliver exactly where in the wound layer by layer. The bioprinter deposits the cells directly into the wound, replicating the layered skin structure, and accelerating the formation of normal skin structure and function.
The researchers demonstrated proof-of-concept of the system by printing skin directly onto pre-clinical models.
The next step is to conduct a clinical trial in humans. Currently, skin grafts to treat wounds and burns are the “gold standard” technique, but adequate coverage of wounds is often a challenge particularly when there is limited availability of healthy skin to harvest. Skin grafts from donors are an option, but they risk immune rejection of the graft and scar formation.
“The technology has the potential to eliminate the need for painful skin grafts that cause further disfigurement for patients suffering from large wounds or burns,” said WFIRM Director Anthony Atala, and a co-author of the paper. “A mobile bioprinter that can provide on-site management of extensive wounds could help to accelerate the delivery of care and decrease costs for patients.”
“If you deliver the patient’s own cells, they do actively contribute to wound healing by organizing up front to start the healing process much faster,” added James Yoo, who led the research team and co-authored the paper. “While there are other types of wound healing products available to treat wounds and help them close, those products do not actually contribute directly to the creation of skin.”
Quote of the Day: “Cheerfulness, like spring, opens all the blossoms of the inward man.” – Jean Paul Richter
Photo: by glancs, CC license via Flickr
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If you live in the San Francisco area and you share our love of flowers, then you’ll have to stem your excitement over tomorrow’s holiday.
In honor of American Tulip Day, over 100,000 tulips will be free for the picking on Saturday March 2nd.
The tulip garden, which is being displayed at Union Park, will be open to the public between 1PM and 4:30PM.
The multi-colored flowers are being transported to the park courtesy of Dutch flower bulb trader Royal Anthos, iBulb, and the Consulate General of San Francisco
“The tulips, which were planted in America, were produced from Dutch flower bulbs. Dutch traders export flower bulbs to more than 100 countries all over the world,” says the American Tulip Day website.
“And America is by far the biggest export market for Dutch-grown tulip bulbs: a half billion of them every year. Besides, Dutch companies also export many other types of flower bulbs to America, such as lilies, hyacinths, daffodils, dahlias and gladioli.”
Help To Peddle The Pedals By Sharing The News With Your Friends On Social Media – Photos by American Tulip Day
Rather than keeping his NBA memorabilia and awards in a trophy room, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is putting hundreds of his basketball treasures onto the auctioneer’s block to raise money for disadvantaged kids.
In addition to auctioning signed basketballs, jerseys, and even his iconic game goggles, the Lakers legend is also selling four of his six championship rings.
The items, which are being sold through Goldin Auctions, have already racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in bids – and the auction won’t even be ending until March 2nd.
The bulk of the money generated from the auctions will be given to The SkyHook Foundation, Abdul-Jabbar’s charity for helping underprivileged children pursue STEM educations.
When asked why he decided to give away all of his stuff, he simply told KCAL that keeping his possessions felt hollow.
“When it comes to choosing between storing a championship ring or trophy in a room, or providing kids with an opportunity to change their lives, the choice is pretty simple: sell it all,” wrote Abdul-Jabbar.
“Looking back on what I have done with my life, instead of gazing at the sparkle of jewels or gold plating celebrating something I did a long time ago, I’d rather look into the delighted face of a child holding their first caterpillar and think about what I might be doing for their future. That’s a history that has no price.”
Five teenagers are being hailed as heroes after they came to the rescue of an 8-year-old boy who was dangling from a ski lift earlier this week.
Video footage of the rescue at Grouse Mountain in Vancouver, Canada shows a man – who is presumed to be the boy’s father – hanging onto the youngster’s arms from underneath the lift’s safety rail.
As anxious skiers watched the situation unfold, a group of teenagers jumped into action by grabbing a piece of netting and holding it underneath the boy.
Gabriel Nielson, one of the teenagers who facilitated the rescue mission, told Global News that it took some time to convince the boy to kick off his skis and fall into the netting – but after some coaxing, the boy finally let go of his father and fell safely into the plastic hammock 20 feet below.
“At one point, we were just like, ‘OK, you just need to trust us, you just need to drop,” said Nielson. “And so then he dropped, and we caught him.”
The boy was unharmed by the fall, but he was still taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution. Though ski mountain officials are unaware of how the boy ended up in the harrowing predicament, they are giving the teen rescuers free season ski passes as rewards for their actions.
(WATCH the video below) – Photo by Carolina Prada Akoglu
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One of the world’s largest chemical companies is working to reduce their environmental impact by turning plastic waste into roads – and they have already diverted over 220,000 pounds of plastic from ending up in landfills.
Dow Chemical began their recycling efforts in 2017 when they launched several pilot programs to test the plastic roads in India and Indonesia.
In addition to the roads lasting longer, they were also estimated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 tons. Now that the roads have proved successful, the company has started laying plastic roads in the US.
Because American states have more restrictive requirements for new roads in comparison to Indonesia, it has proven difficult to facilitate the recycling program in America, but Dow recently finished two new plastic roads in Freeport, Texas using 1,686 pounds of recycled low-density polyethylene plastic — which is the equivalent weight of about 120,000 plastic grocery bags.
“Right now we’re focused on using projects like this to increase awareness that plastic roads are a viable option,” Dow’s global sustainability leader, Jeff Wooster, told Business Insider.
Collectively, Dow has now laid more than 26 miles of recycled plastic pavement around the world, which has saved about 100 tonnes of waste from going to a landfill.
In Indonesia, Dow worked with the government and various stakeholders to complete the first plastic road trial in Depok. Approximately 3.5 metric tons of plastic waste material were mixed into asphalt to create the road over the course of two months, which reportedly resulted in a highly resistant plastic waste-based road that was more durable and stronger than typical roads.
“We are extremely pleased with the success of this project and what it promises,” said Bambang Candra, a commercial vice president for the company’s Asia Pacific packaging branch. “The technology behind these new plastics-based roads has proven simple enough for wide-scale application in Indonesia’s transport infrastructure. We are confident it will help manage the sheer volume of plastics waste the country produces.”
Dow has also become one of the founding companies of a new international nonprofit called the Alliance to End Plastic Waste. Upon announcing the alliance’s creation in January, the company said they would be committing $1 billion to end plastic pollution with the additional goal of raising another $1.5 billion over the course of the next five years.
“Companies do not make plastics with the intent of it ending up in the ocean, and we acknowledge the strong role the industry must play in order to help eliminate ocean plastic waste by 2035,” said Candra.
(WATCH the Alliance to End Plastic Waste promo video below)
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“Hello Emma! My name is Hamdi and I live in Quebec, Canada. I am a 13-year-old pug. I love meeting new friends! I am sending you lots of kisses and I will be thinking of you xoxo.” –Hamdi’s owner Isabelle via GoFundMe
Dogs may not have the proper appendages to type out heartfelt messages on the internet, but over 100,000 pups have sent letters of love to a 7-year-old girl with an inoperable brain tumor.
Mail first started pouring in for Emma Mertens after she was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive kind of tumor called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) back in January.
Though Emma is described as being a brave young fighter and an avid dog lover, a family friend made a social media post shortly after her diagnosis asking their followers to send her letters and dog pictures as a means of lifting her spirits.
“Hi Emma! My name is Paisley and I just turned 5! Here is a picture of me in this ridiculous hat my mom made me wear at my birthday party. I hope it brings a smile to your face! I’m thinking about you and wish we could have a cuddle. All the wet kisses, Paisley.” – Paisley’s owner Rikki via GoFundMe
Emma’s father, Geoff Mertens, says that the response to the post has been overwhelming.
“Without us even knowing, a friend of ours had about a dozen friends send in pictures, and at some point it just took off,” Geoff told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal. “I have no idea who made that post, [but it’s] been shared over and over.”
Thousands of compassionate canines from all over the world have “written” letters, emails, and social media messages of encouragement and love.
“Hi Emma, [my name is Parker]. We live in Woodland, California. It’s raining buckets here right now! Our Mom told us what a brave and feisty girl you are… and we appreciate those amazing qualities!! We are sending you oodles of kisses and hugs. Children are one of our favorite things and we think you are one in a million!!!!” –Parker’s owner Molly via GoFundMeThe Mertens family started receiving so many messages, they had to set up a new post office box and email address in order to accommodate the flood of love letters to their home in Hartland, Wisconsin.
Geoff guesses that they have been receiving roughly 2,800 emails every hour – and snail mail by the truckload.
“I’ve stopped counting, but we were at 20 different countries at one point and every state,” Geoff told the news outlet. “We’ve gotten pictures from Australia, Venezuela, Japan, Italy, Russia — and actually a lot from Scotland and the Netherlands for some reason.”
“Hi Emma!! My name is Max and I am a 3 year old Golden Retriever/Yellow Lab. I live in Ohio and love to play ball and frisbee and taking walks. My family will be thinking and praying for you.” –Max’s owner Angie via GoFundMe
Furthermore, a GoFundMe campaign that was set up for the Mertens family has raised over double its original goal with over $108,000 in donations and counting.
The money, which will help to pay for Emma’s medical expenses, will also allow Emma’s mother to stop working so she can care for her daughter.
“Hi Emma! Phoebe says hi all the way from Florida! Phoebe girl is still a puppy (15 weeks old) who loves cuddling, chasing geckos, and belly rubs! People always say she looks like a fluffy teddy bear! We hear you are a very brave girl with a family who loves you so much. Stay strong Emma and hold on to that big smile of yours! ♥ woof woof, Love Phoebe.” –Phoebe’s owner Alex via GoFundMe
Though DIPG is an aggressive cancer, Emma is going in for her second surgery, and her family is optimistic that their newfound emotional and financial support will help them pull through.
Because the family has received so much mail, however, they have since set up a Facebook page for people to post their dog photos.
“If you knew Emma, she’s the most kind, big-hearted girl,” Geoff told Good Morning America. “To see so many people take a few minutes out of their day to put a smile on her face is overwhelming.”
(WATCH the news coverage below) – Feature photo by Geoff Mertens
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Quote of the Day: “I loved the sound of wind through the trees. I laid back and closed my eyes, and I was comforted by the sound of a million tiny leaves dancing on a summer morning.” – Patrick Carman
Photo: by Tom Gill, CC license via Flickr
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Almost 200 Amtrak passengers have been featured across national news outlets this week after they became stranded aboard a train for more than 36 hours amidst record-breaking snowfall.
Though there were numerous reported trials and tribulations for the distressed travelers, some passengers were also quick to highlight how they all showed each other patience, compassion and camaraderie during their plight.
The train had been on its way from Seattle to Los Angeles when it hit a tree that had fallen across the tracks near Eugene, Oregon on Sunday night.
Rather than turning the situation into something reminiscent of The Lord of the Flies, the passengers displayed remarkable unity.
“It’s just been like a giant kumbaya party,” passenger Rebekah Dodson told CNN from onboard the train. “Strangers are playing cards. A teenager played his ukulele to kids to get them to sleep. Ladies who have never met before were dancing in aisles.”
“We really wanted for nothing except for maybe someplace comfortable to lie down and a shower,” another passenger told KOIN shortly after leaving the train. Another traveler told the news outlet: “We played cards, we took naps and we looked at the snow piling up (outside).”
Even the Amtrak staffers aboard the train received a shoutout from Dodson on Monday for “going over 30 hours while our train is stuck and still [being] polite and professional.”
After Amtrak crews worked around the clock to clear the debris and snowfall from the tracks, the train finally made it to a station in Eugene, Oregon on Tuesday afternoon.
Amtrak later published a statement saying that all of the passengers will be given “refunds and other compensation as appropriate.”
(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by Rebekah Dodson
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Earlier this week, Etsy became the first global e-commerce company to offset 100% of shipping emissions generated by their sellers.
The company has already hit several milestones in their pursuit of sustainability. They are already on track for their 2016 goal of powering their operations with 100% renewable electricity by 2020; their offices fulfilled their goal of generating zero waste two years ahead of schedule; and they have given away thousands of dollars in solar panel discounts to their sellers.
However, 98% of Etsy’s emissions are generated solely through the packages that are shipped from their 2.1 million vendors.
According to the company, the distance that e-commerce packages travel every day amounts to roughly 133,000 trips to the moon and back – and that’s only for packages shipped in America.
In order to offset the total amount of greenhouse gases that are generated by their customers, Etsy will now automatically purchase carbon offsets for every product that is purchased on their website.
“These purchases support environmental projects, including protecting forests that improve air quality and absorb carbon, sponsoring wind and solar farms that generate clean energy and replace fossil fuels, and developing greener methods for producing auto parts,” says Etsy CEO Josh Silverman.
“To jumpstart our efforts and celebrate this milestone, we will also offset shipping emissions for the entire US e-commerce sector for [the day of February 28th],” he added. “Offsetting this impact for one day is the equivalent of protecting 100 square miles of US forests for one year.
“While we are proud to be the first major online shopping destination to offset 100% of carbon emissions from shipping, we certainly hope we are not the last. Considering these offsets will cost less than one penny per package for Etsy, we don’t believe that cost should be a prohibitive factor for others to follow in our footsteps. For the benefit of future generations, how can we all afford not to take this action?”
(WATCH Etsy’s announcement video below)
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This firefighter’s conversation with Tegan McCall may have only been about one minute long, but its emotional impact will last a lifetime.
Firefighter Lt. Mike Rheault was responding to a call at an apartment building in Manchester, New Hampshire last month when three floors of smoke alarms all started going off at once.
As Rheault was checking out the building, he saw a young boy with cerebral palsy standing in the doorway of an apartment.
When Rheault noticed that the nonverbal youngster “looked like he wanted to say something,” the firefighter intuitively asked Tegan if he knew sign language.
Rheault then proceeded to greet the boy in American Sign Language and introduce himself as Mike.
“And Tegan is just standing there like, ‘Oh my God, someone is signing to me,’” Tegan’s mother Amy told WMUR.
Amy quickly pulled out her phone and started recording the heartwarming exchange. After Tegan signed his own name, Rheault taught him the sign for “fireman” and gave the boy a high-five before leaving the hallway.
The @ManchesterFD responded to our building tonight when 3 floors of alarms were going off. Firefighter Mike noticed Tegan not speaking and asked if he knew sign language right before I recorded this. Thank you Fireman Mike and Manch FD ❤️ @mhtinformationpic.twitter.com/aAv9wM3cno
Rheault says that he became fluent in sign language during his childhood because both of his parents were deaf. Over the course of his career as a fireman, he says that it has helped him with almost a dozen different encounters on the job – including Tegan.
“[Tegan’s] not going to forget it,” said Amy. “I’m not going to forget it.”
Thanks to a trailblazing new surgery being performed in European hospitals, Bethan Simpson’s unborn daughter has been given a second chance at good health.
The 26-year-old mom recently became the fourth woman in the UK to undergo a procedure that treats an infant’s spina bifida before they are even born.
Spina bifida is a birth defect that hinders a child’s physical development, which generally results in paralysis and impaired motor function. If a fetus is diagnosed with the defect, doctors generally advise mothers to terminate the pregnancy.
Simpson and her husband were heartbroken to hear that their daughter had developed the condition – but then Simpson heard about a groundbreaking new surgery that treats spina bifida outside the womb.
Surgeons can treat the fetus by removing it from the womb, fixing the spinal cord, placing it back inside the womb and sewing the mother back up again.
The surgery was successfully completed for the first time in the UK at the Great Ormond Street Hospital back in October. Prior to its success, the procedure had only been performed in Belgium.
Simpson opted to undergo the surgery at 24-weeks-pregnant – and the mother-to-be from Essex is delighted to say that it was a success.
“I feel our baby kick me day in and day out, that’s never changed,” Simpson told The Sun. “She’s extra special, she’s part of history and our daughter has shown just how much she deserves this life.”
(WATCH the explanatory video of the surgery below) – Photo by Bethan Simpson
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You’ve heard of the cat in the hat, but have you heard the one about the fat rat stuck in the manhole cover? Because that’s exactly what German animal rescuers found earlier this week.
A little girl in the town of Bensheim saw the chubby female rat struggling to escape from one of the smaller openings in the manhole cover.
Due to the rodent’s excessive amount of “winter flab”, she was unable to bring her hips through the grate.
By the time the little girl’s family had called firefighters to the scene, local animal rescuer Michael Sehr was already struggling to free the fat critter – but to no avail.
The firefighters then pried open the manhole cover and kept it supported while Sehr gently worked the rotund rat loose from the other side.
After a surprising amount of difficulty, the crew was finally able to safely extract the rat and set her free back into the sewer.
Berufstierrettung Rhein Neckar, the animal organization that Sehr works for, later posted photos of the rescue operation to social media earlier this week.
Some people have shared the viral photos so they can praise the rescuers for their compassion towards a humble sewer rat; others were simply amused by the concept of a chubby critter finding itself in such a predicament.
But when Sehr was asked why so many people had worked so hard to save a rat, he simply told local reporters that “even animals that are hated by many deserve respect.”
The photos have since been shared thousands of times – and if the pictures of the rat weren’t cute enough, the rescue organization also included a photo of Sehr being given a drawing of the rat from the little girl who found it.
Sehr’s services are always free of charge, but he says that the heart-filled picture was payment enough.
(WATCH the rescue mission below)
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