The good guys thread

[kuhio98]

Because Experts Were No Match for a Duck

Doctors told Becci Lomax that her son, Finlay, who has cerebral palsy, would never walk. But then Becci rescued a lame duckling she named Ming-Ming. When a vet showed her exercises to rehabilitate the duck, Finlay started copying. One day Ming-Ming finally took a few steps on his own and so did Finlay. "I walk like the duck, Mommy," he said. His mobility is still improving.

[kuhio98]

There’s nothing unusual about someone saving a friend by using the Heimlich maneuver. You wrap your arms around a choking victim's waist, grasps one fist with the other hand and presses into the upper abdomen with a quick upward thrust. Most people have no formal training, just a general sense on how it's done. Maybe they picked it up from watching TV like Elspeth "Beanie" Mar did.

Last week her friend, Aniyah Rigmaiden, started choking on a piece of food, Beanie immediately performed the technique and out popped a piece of apple. Then they sat down like it was no big deal and finished eating their lunch.

At the Caroline Wenzel Elementary School in Sacramento, CA.

Beanie is six years old and 38 pounds soaking wet.

Where'd she learn to do that? "From 'A.N.T. Farm,'" she says, on the Disney Channel. It's a show about a musical prodigy.

School principal Judy Montgomery said she was more "blown away at how a first-grader could handle something like that so seamlessly. Usually, I would expect them to yell, 'Hey, help! Someone's choking!'"
Instead, a third classmate, Anthony Roy Jr., noticed the friend choking and Beanie jumped to the rescue. The school later honored Beanie and Anthony with an impromptu "Heroes of the Day" ceremony.

A proud mother later celebrated with Beanie with ice cream. Lots of ice cream.

[Karen]

Because Experts Were No Match for a Duck

Doctors told Becci Lomax that her son, Finlay, who has cerebral palsy, would never walk. But then Becci rescued a lame duckling she named Ming-Ming. When a vet showed her exercises to rehabilitate the duck, Finlay started copying. One day Ming-Ming finally took a few steps on his own and so did Finlay. "I walk like the duck, Mommy," he said. His mobility is still improving.

I have a friend Larry who is 70-something, and has cerebral palsy. When he was a baby, his parents were told he would never walk, never talk, and would be retarded. His parents refused to follow that advice, and raised him at home. He walks, talks, and does everything the doctors said he would never do. When he grew up, he moved here to the Boston area for better public transportation and handicapped access than was available in rural northern Maine, and lives independently. He can still walk, albeit haltingly, but only started using a walker a few months ago, as arthritis is kicking in a little. He can speak, and while one has to listen carefully to understand him, he is intelligent, well-read, and works as a counselor for United Cerebral Palsy. I have no doubt part of his job is simply being there to prove doctors can be just plain wrong!

[kuhio98]

Because Good Samaritans Still Exist

"Last summer I was at the pharmacy when I realized I couldn't pay for both of my prescriptions and had to cancel one. As I was walking out, there was an intercom message asking me to return. At the pharmacy window they told me that my second prescription had been paid for by an anonymous customer. For the next five months there was a gift card in my name waiting for me. I still don't know who it was, but I'll always be thankful!"
-- Al Robbins, Chandler, Arizona

[kuhio98]

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." -- Winston Churchill

[kuhio98]

Lost and Found

Recently I received a call from a Toyota dealer asking if I'd lost my car keys. I didn't think I had, but when I checked my purse, sure enough, they were missing. A deliveryman found them outside my office building, and when he noticed a Toyota rewards card on the key ring, he took them to the nearest dealership. A guy in customer service traced the rewards-card number, called, and offered to bring me the keys in person, which he did. Pretty amazing, don't you think?
-- Leslie Resnik, Orange, Ohio

[kuhio98]

Rush-Hour Rescue

I was driving at the height of rush hour on the first really cold day of winter. Some sort of construction bolt was sticking up in the street, and I heard my front tire rupture. I had no idea what to do. At the next stoplight a young man knocked on my window to say that if I pulled over, he would change my flat tire for me. And he did, despite the bitter cold and risk of getting tire grime all over his clothing. We exchanged business cards, and I sent him a Starbucks gift card and a thank-you note. He then e-mailed me to thank me for thanking him!
-- Laura Kotelman, Chicago, Illinois