The good guys thread

[kuhio98]

James’s story:
Several years ago we packed all we had into a storage unit back in the lower forty-eight and hopped a red eye flight to get to Valdez, Alaska – where we were headed. When we landed in Anchorage, we had no money and no way of getting the rest of the way to Valdez. We were hungry and didn't know what to do. Kindly, a stranger bought us pizza and sodas while we were stuck at the airport for nearly two days, until we were able to locate a friend living in Valdez. Despite being very sick with the flu, she drove for nearly seven hours through bad March weather to pick us up in Anchorage, then turned around and drove us all the way back to Valdez. She is a true friend and that has to be an act of kindness.

[kuhio98]

Frank Made My Friday

And I became a believer in the existence of random acts of kindness. I was sitting in my local Japanese restaurant waiting for my take-out order, passing the time playing a game on my iPhone, when a young man standing next to me struck up a conversation. I put down my phone and we spoke briefly about our lives, our jobs and when both of our orders were finished, he picked up my check and said, "I'm paying your bill." I was shocked and said, "WHAT!! Oh, no!" He said, "Oh, yes!" I sat at the table for a few moments completely dumbfounded, went up to him at the register and said, I don't even know your name. He responded, "Frank, and have a great weekend." In that moment, through that random act, a cynic became a believer.

[kuhio98]

Spring Training
Every year I go down to Spring Training in Clearwater, Florida to see the Philadelphia Phillies play. Every game we go early to catch and get some baseballs during hitting practice. My brother and I get so many baseballs we don't have enough room for them. One time, a ball went over my head. I ran over and picked it up, there was a disabled kid and his two parents a couple feet away from me. I walked over to them and gave the boy my ball. His parents insisted I keep it, but I told them I had plenty. His mom started to cry, they were all so happy. Then, they all started crying tears of joy. The boy was so happy he got a baseball, it made his day and it made me feel happy.

[kuhio98]

Jason Kroft: Heart Attack Victim Searches for Savior
Have you seen a 40-year-old red-haired hero in dark blue blazer and dress pants on the streets of New York City? If so, two children want to thank him for saving their dad's life. On October 5, Toronto-native Jason Kroft, his wife, Marci, and their two kids, Harper, nine, and Sloan, seven, were strolling though Midtown Manhattan to get a tour of 30 Rockefeller Plaza from brother-in-law, Andrew Zeller. Kroft, 40, who had no history of heart disease, suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed to the sidewalk. His wife screamed for help as he stopped breathing. Suddenly, a stranger appeared and placed his briefcase under Kroft's head, tore open his shirt, and began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). While Kroft sustained a couple of broken ribs during CPR, Zeller tells Shine, "If he hadn't done CPR compression between cardiac arrest and the time the ambulance arrived, Jason would have severe brain damage." In the commotion after the paramedics arrived, the man disappeared into the crowd before the family could discover his identity. Kroft is recovering at St. Luke's Hospital on the Upper West Side and will eventually be moved back to Toronto for rehabilitation. Over the weekend, Zeller put up about 20 signs around Midtown and Times Square hoping the Good Samaritan would step forward. "We want to thank him," he says. "He's a hero." When doctors began operating on Kroft, they discovered he had suffered two aneurisms caused by a rare congenital condition. After triple bypass surgery, the medical team had to cool his body to 30 degrees Celsius for 24 hours to prevent brain damage. Despite the harrowing treatment, Zeller reports his brother-in-law is "doing really well, It's amazing." He adds, "He is weak, but he's the same old Jason. He has a long road to recovery, but he'll be okay."

[cassiesmom]

I heard about this on the radio and it gave me a smile!

Thanks,
Elyse


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'Turkey Fairy' leaves warm clothes

LYNDHURST, Ohio (CNN/WJW) - A good Samaritan in Ohio is getting a head start on the season of giving.

Someone has been leaving blankets, hats and gloves at a bus stop outside of Cleveland, Ohio. The anonymous donors also leaves a quick note signed "The Turkey Fairy."

Workers at the nearby Family Urgent Care Center discovered the anonymous donation.

"They just want people to recognize what they are doing to help other people and not focus on the person themselves. So I think that's really good. And it's kind of fun to figure out who may be doing it!" said Katie Trolio.

"There are so many negative stories on the news right now and around the world. And it makes me feel good to know that there are people who put it all aside and care about other people," said Nancy Greff.

Workers at the urgent care center believe "The Turkey Fairy" comes overnight. The donations are usually at the bus stop before the center opens at six in the morning.

[carole]

just had to post these, this had me in tears, so moving so many of these enjoy.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/...th-in-humanity

[kuhio98]

Wounded soldier works to help military families have a merry Christmas

Rich and Tonya Watson are looking for a few good gifts. The couple's non-profit enterprise, Christmas for Heroes, is collecting Christmas presents for wounded soldiers and their families attached to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (in Anchorage, Alaska). The holidays can be particularly difficult for injured military personnel, the Watsons say -- and they speak from experience. Rich, a 1993 graduate of Service High School in Anchorage, was seriously wounded in Iraq in 2007." A grenade launcher blew up behind me in a crossfire," he said. He suffered traumatic brain injuries and was sent back to Fort Lewis, Wash., the home base of his outfit, the 2nd Infantry Division, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. Tonya, who had been working as a substitute teacher and nurse's assistant, quit work to take care of him. "Most of his appointments were at the Seattle Veterans Administration Hospital because the military hospital on base was overloaded with other wounded," she said. The cost of driving him back and forth to Seattle three or four times a week, the loss of her paycheck and the end of the additional pay he received while in a combat zone combined to create what Tonya described as "a financial disaster. "It looked like the Watsons and their three children would miss out on Christmas. "We didn't have anything," Rich said. "We didn't have a tree. We were thinking of skipping a car payment to buy a few presents. "Then a Seattle law firm stepped in to help. "To this day we still don't know the name of the firm," said Tonya. "But they gave us the Christmas we would have been missing if not for them. "Other groups helped the Watsons buy food and pay bills. "After that, we wanted to find a way to show our gratitude and pay it forward," she said. The couple formed their own nonprofit organization, the OIF/OEF Aid Group, of which Christmas for Heroes is a spin-off. The initials stand for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Last year they set up donation centers around town to collect donations for two families of wounded soldiers with the Warriors Transition Battalion at JBER, one couple with five children and a single mom. "Christmas often gets overlooked when a soldier is wounded," said Tonya. "It's just the reality. Dad or Mom are hurt and there are a lot of needs that go unmet in order to take care of them. "The 2011 drive went well enough that this year they upped the ante. "We've adopted 22 families and have been told that the number could grow due to the high number of inured soldiers who just returned from Afghanistan," Tonya said. The Watsons have posted a "wish list" of items on their website, christmas4heroes.org.Families on the list are designated by number to protect their privacy. They range from households with several children (ages are given) to couples, single parents, and single male and female soldiers. Family 8 has three girls who all want "princess stuff" -- and one boy, age 5, more interested in "The Avengers" characters. Family 16 is a husband and wife both looking for fishing gear. Family 15 is a single male who would like books and an electronic book reader. The husband in Family 6 is hoping for service dog training. The 22 families represent less than a quarter of the Wounded Warrior Battalion at JBER, Air Force and Army personnel who have been wounded but remain on duty or in the National Guard. All presents will be given to the recipients at a holiday party on Dec. 12.The couple met online while he was on deployment in 2003. When he returned to the states, he offered to fly her to Seattle. He met her at the airport and proposed on the spot, Tonya said. "And we've been together ever since. "But it hasn't been easy. They originally moved to her hometown, Gun Barrel City, Texas, so that they could call on her parents in the case of an emergency while, they hoped, Richard's condition improved. Instead, it got worse. Mini-strokes, degenerative brain disease, sleep problems, early onset Parkinson's Disease and inexplicable maladies piled up. Two years ago he received a terminal diagnosis. "The doctor told me I had four years to go before I became a complete vegetable," he said. They decided to move to his home town, Anchorage. "I wanted to be here in Alaska and let my kids experience it," Rich said. Meanwhile, he's pushing himself to stay active and keep his mind in shape. He just completed a course in grant writing at Alaska Pacific University. "We want to keep this going, even when we're not in town any more," he said. That will be soon. Shortly after the party for this year's families, the Watsons will move back to Seattle where Tonya is due to receive a kidney transplant. "Medical reasons are forcing us to leave again," she said, "for my benefit this time. "If all goes well, Rich expects to be back in Alaska next summer, looking into building a house on land the family owns on the Kenai Peninsula among other things. He's also looking into ways to take the charity national. "I've always been a volunteer," he said. "I volunteered for service and paid a heavy price. I was deployed twice in Iraq and once in Kosovo and got hurt each time. But others paid the ultimate price. "His old unit is in Afghanistan right now and has taken serious casualties, he said. "I owe it to them."

Wish List and other information online at: christmas4heroes.org