The good guys thread

[robinh]

Love these stories - they make me smile!

[kuhio98]

And They Call It Puppy Love

One night in Seattle my girlfriend, Sadie, and I saw a homeless man tie his puppy to a parking meter and head into a supermarket. Unhappy about being left outside, the puppy started barking. The man turned around, shouted "Shut up!" and kicked this poor little dog so hard it lifted off the ground. Sadie, who is allergic to dogs, marched into the store and offered the man $50 for the puppy. He accepted and she took the puppy home, made a few phone calls and within hours found him a home with a couple who live in a farmhouse.
-- Francis Holland, Brooklyn, New York

[Taz_Zoee]

This was posted on Facebook by someone I went to highschool with.

So, last Sunday in church Pastor Peder talked about how Christ is the homeless, hungry, imprisoned, etc. Well, my husband took a second job at a gas station and has had a homeless guy coming in to get coffee and sometimes food if he was able to find enough money. When my husband works he buys him his coffee and food like hotdogs. He does it because he realizes we don't have everything but the least he can do is buy him a couple of dollars worth of food and drink. We have more than we need. Well, the homeless guy was not coming in for the last couple of weeks and my husband was worried that something happened to him. He showed up last night at the gas station cleaned up and told my husband, he got a job and just got his first pay check and he wanted to buy my husband supper. My husband thanked him and told him he was very happy for him but he had already had supper. As my husband told me this today we both had tears running down our faces. I have never been so proud of my husband. Thank you God for taking away his overtime so he could meet this man by trying to support his family. I am seeing a path that God is laying for us.

[kuhio98]

Randy's Kindness

Randy and his wife Beth are very kind people who GAVE us a car! We are not family. My husband worked with Randy. They just saw that our car was very, very old (1980), and they gave us a safer, much, much newer, beautiful red car. I will never forget their kindness. They also gave us a large container of gumballs for our little girl. The car and gumballs were given as a surprise! One of the best days of my life! Thank you!

[kuhio98]

Boy grows hair out for cancer patient

HAMDEN, Conn. -- He's just 10-years-old but a Hamden boy is making a big difference in the life of a cancer patient.

It was a two year odyssey that recently had a big payoff.

One could argue there is no such thing as a "bad hair day" in the Carrano family.

"She's a hairdresser and he's a barber, so, it's basically just an important part of our family," said Damian Carrano.

When your Mom cuts hair for a living, your dad cuts hair for a living, chances are, their kids are going to have good hair as well so 10-year-old Damian Carrano had an idea about his hair, inspired by the Ronald McDonald House.

"Two years ago, my mother used to take me to the Ronald McDonald House to just play with the kids, know what it's really about," said Damian.

"There was this one particular little girl that he took too, he was playing with her, she was 2, 3-years-old, so cute, and she was missing hair," said Grisel Carrano, Damian's mother.

"I wanted to do this since my mother has cut her hair, and I feel like I really did a good thing for people," said Damian.

Mom Grisel shed and donated her locks for wigs to be used for cancer patients so Damian, then just 8-years-old, vowed to do the same thing, must to the astonishment of his brother.

"Well it would go in his eyes sometimes, and it will cover his face," said Cameron Carrano, Damian's brother.

Much to the astonishment of everyone else, amazed that two years passed without a single clip.

"People in school used to say, "Why do you have long hair? You look like a girl," said Damian.

"It started to go through that funky stage, and I thought that would crack him, and that didn't crack him," said Ron Carrano, Damian's father.

It wasn't the weight of the world on young Damian's shoulders, just hair, 12 inches of it.

"The worst thing about my hair is I had to wash it for like five minutes," said Damian.

His silky mane is now on the way to help a sick child and that, would be a true definition of a "good hair day."

"I just kept on going because I knew it was for a good cause," said Damian.

[kuhio98]

Gonzo the blind sled dog



BRETTON WOODS, NH - If you see him in action, you can tell Gonzo is meant to be a sled dog.

"He just throws his head in the wind. He's just wagging his tail -- he's just along for the ride," says dog musher AJ Norton. "He's such a ham."

But sudden illness threatened to take him off the team. Three years ago, Gonzo went blind in the span of just a couple weeks. Treatments didn't work, and no surgery could restore his sight. His future as a sled dog was in limbo.

"We kind-of went to our vet and we said, 'You know, what do you think?' And he said, 'Run this dog. You know, just take him out and see what he does,'" Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel owner Karen Tolin says. "He looked excited to go, so we harnessed him up, slowly reintroduced him, and over the span of about a year reintegrated him into running with the team. Because he wanted to. He was very sad when he got left behind."

A solution developed when Gonzo's brother, Poncho, became his seeing eye dog. It was a process that took time.

"When Gonzo began to lean into Poncho at first, that's when he became frustrated. But eventually he began to allow that when he realized there was something different about his brother," says Tolin.

And with that realization, Gonzo's future as a sled dog didn't seem so far-fetched anymore.

"Poncho might lean into him, nudge him, bark at him. They've developed a system of commands far beyond what we could teach," Tolin says.

"If they're back there Poncho will kind-of give Gonzo a little nip like, 'Hey bro, there's a hill coming up,'" Norton says.

Though Gonzo and Poncho work quite well as a team, they are trying to make Gonzo more comfortable with other dogs, that way he isn't too dependent on his brother.

"If something were to happen to Gonzo's brother we would want him to feel like he could stand on his own two feet and be confident," says Tolin.

Gonzo's neck line also helps keep him running straight, but his brother has his back when Gonzo's blindness lands him in trouble.

"Gonzo stepped, literally fell off the trail into the deep snow and went 'Poof!'" Tolin says. "The story goes, Poncho literally leaned over and on the X of the X-backed harness, grasped with his front teeth, brought him up, and then they kept going."

And their wagging tale of inspiration has given his handlers a new perspective on disability.

"We perceived him as having a limitation, so we were a bit more hesitant, but for the dogs, the sky's the limit," Tolin says. "He says 'Okay, I'll adapt and keep going.'"

"I figure that if I was blind, I'd rather be out running doing something for fun than sitting at home, you know," says Norton.

They told us that as long as this dynamic duo wants to pull sleds, they're not going to stop them.

Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel also has an active sled dog rescue and adoption program for other dogs. You can learn more about that here: http://www.dogslednh.com/

[kuhio98]

Take a book, leave a book, it's free

FOLSOM, Calif. —Kelly Friesen was struck the moment she saw it at the intersection of Stoney Hill Drive and Gable Street in Folsom.

"Wow. What a great idea," said Friesen, a Folsom resident.

A 6-year old girl took a few looks and expressed satisfaction.

"Yeah, I like it," said Alison, who lives down the street.

Duane Samples watched it all from across the street this week and smiled.

"It's a great feeling," Samples said.

Last week, Samples built a free, mini-library perched atop a wooden post at the corner of his front yard.

"It's named a Little, Free Library," Samples said.

The two-shelf box, with a wood-framed glass door, was built to hold books for anyone to take or leave, at no cost or obligation.

"A lot of times, neighbors don't know neighbors anymore," Samples said. "Hopefully, this will help bring our community a little closer."

[cassiesmom]

(Reuters) - A trade group representing makers of artificial limbs on Tuesday promised to provide prosthetics free of cost to the estimated 20 to 25 victims of the Boston Marathon bombings who underwent amputations.

The American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association offered initial services and prosthetics not covered by insurance for patients injured in the blasts, which tore the lower limbs off some spectators near the finish line of the race on April 15.

Costs for a below-knee device average $8,000 to $12,000 each and $40,000 to $60,000 for above-knee prosthetics, said Greig Martino, a prosthetist treating bombing victims.

Three people died and 264 were injured in the blasts, which police said resulted from two homemade bombs in pressure cookers that a pair of ethnic Chechen brothers left near the race's finish line. One of the suspects died in a shootout with police and the other has been charged with crimes that could result in the death penalty if he were convicted.

The association's offer, announced on a conference call with reporters under the name Coalition to Walk and Run Again, will only cover a portion of the expected costs for amputees. Victims who lost both legs face estimated medical bills of $450,000 over the next five years, said Tom Fise, executive director of the association, citing a Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs study.

The association estimates that at least half the Boston Marathon amputees lack enough insurance to cover their prosthetic costs as some policies provide as little as $1,000 per device or only provide one artificial limb. Many prosthetics need replacing every five to seven years.

"The last thing that someone should have to worry about when they lose ... a leg is to have adequate insurance coverage for a prosthetic device," said Kendra Calhoun, president of the Amputee Coalition, an organization supporting the estimated 2 million amputees in the United States.

Other efforts are under way to help victims of the largest mass-casualty attack on U.S. soil since the attacks of September 11, 2001. The One Fund, a relief group set up to provide aid to victims, has brought in some $27.7 million in donations that it promised to pay out to victims.

Members of the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association, including prosthetists and manufacturers, will provide the evaluation needed to design devices and treat the bombing victims, at least one of whom is a child.

"Many of these patients even today don't know what their insurance has in store for them, nor do we, so the program is about making sure the decisions to restore mobility to these patients are made as independent as we can from any considerations of what the insurance limitations may be," Fise said.

[kuhio98]

BECAUSE THESE BRACELETS COULD BUILD A SCHOOL

Ladies’ Home Journal Editor-in-Chief Sally Lee often wears these gorgeous bracelets in her office. When we asked where we could get them, we were surprised to find that they’re handmade by Samburu tribeswomen in northern Kenya. And they’re not just colorful arm candy: 100% of the profits go to the Thorn Tree Project, which builds schools and funds scholarships in the poorest regions in Africa. www.thorntreeproject.org

[kuhio98]

Pet oxygen masks donated to fire crews
Donation made by Emma Zen Foundation

SAN DIEGO - Local firefighters and first responders now have the necessary equipment to help save pets thanks to the efforts of a nonprofit group.

No one can forget the scene in Ocean Beach last December when firefighters had a four-year-old dog named Spyder hooked up to an oxygen mask and administering CPR.

Numerous rescues like this have taken place throughout San Diego County, but now crews are better prepared for any future incidents.

"It's going to standardize the equipment that we use and there won't be a delay in trying to figure out how to put an adult mask or something that works on a human on a pet," San Diego Fire-Rescue Capt. Harold Lemire told 10News.

The pet oxygen mask kit has three different sized masks, and its unique shape and rubber seal gives pets in an emergency the best chance for survival.

"These actually close the joules on the pet and deliver the oxygen directly to the pet's nostrils so it simulates proper CPR," said Debra Jo Chiapuzio, president of the Emma Zen Foundation.

Firefighters are also given proper training on not only how to use the masks but also the best way to check for vitals and administer CPR. The masks also work on birds, cats, dogs and pigs.

"Yes, any normal sized household pets, the most interesting rescue I've seen with the mask is a hamster," said Chiapuzio.

Each kit costs $75 and the nonprofit holds several fundraisers throughout the year to purchase the kits.

So far, Fire Station 28 in San Diego is the first to receive them, but they are hoping to get the kits to every station in the county by the end of the year.

"When you can say to a family, 'We saved your pet,' everything else doesn't matter. That family is so happy and appreciative. They thank you; that gives the fire fighters such a great feeling, it makes them just as excited as if they had saved a human," said Lemire.

[kuhio98]

BECAUSE SCREENING SAVES LIVES

When genetic testing showed she had a 90% chance of getting breast cancer someday, Marissa Levesque got a preventative double mastectomy. After her surgery she couldn’t stop thinking about all the high-risk women who can’t afford the expensive tests – and those lives would be at risk. So she started Pink-Surance which provides funding which provides funding to screen for mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that can cause breast and ovarian cancer. Learn more at www.pink-surance.com

[kuhio98]

Hundreds of beds donated for families in need

TUALATIN, OR (KPTV) - Hundreds of new beds will help give people in need a good night's sleep throughout the Portland metro area.

Sealy Mattress Manufacturing is donating 360 mattresses to agencies including Community Warehouse, The Salvation Army, the Good Neighbor Center and Human Solutions shelters.

More than 160 brand new beds arrived at the Tualatin Community Warehouse, 8380 S.W. Nyberg St., Wednesday.

The beds range in sizes from twin to queen and will be ready for families when the agency opens Thursday morning.

Community Warehouse serves as a furniture bank for the region, offering essential household items to 6,000 people each year.

"This is huge for us," said Tom Elston, program manager at Community Warehouse. "The most requested item is always beds, and one of the hardest things is looking at our empty mattress section in the morning, knowing 10 families will be visiting that day in need of beds. This will help tremendously."

[Catty1]

This is just FANTASTIC!!!!

[QUOTE=cassiesmom;2468440](Reuters) - A trade group representing makers of artificial limbs on Tuesday promised to provide prosthetics free of cost to the estimated 20 to 25 victims of the Boston Marathon bombings who underwent amputations.

The American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association offered initial services and prosthetics not covered by insurance for patients injured in the blasts, which tore the lower limbs off some spectators near the finish line of the race on April 15.

Costs for a below-knee device average $8,000 to $12,000 each and $40,000 to $60,000 for above-knee prosthetics, said Greig Martino, a prosthetist treating bombing victims.

[cassiesmom]

Here's a link http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0..._ref=good-news

Kevin Spacey adopted a dog from the North Shore Animal League ...
And named her Boston, in honor of the city

[kuhio98]

A story I found on the net (not sure of the website).

She was Lost and Sick

He stood in the middle of the street and called me over in a heavy accent. A lady in a car had that here's-the-map-but-I'm-lost look. We three conferred and then I got in the lady's car and guided her to her hotel. She was in town for a week of medical treatments and had driven 13 hours. It was a beautiful summer evening and I was able to walk home, smiling the whole way.