The good guys thread

[kuhio98]

Good Samaritans, Airmen Save Family From Burning SUV In NH

SHERBORN (CBS) – David Sullivan, a Sherborn father, humbly thanked the man who saved his family’s life. “It’s only by the grace of God you guys were there it’s totally a miracle. I just want to thank you and whoever else was with you on that afternoon,” Sullivan said speaking with Chris Cronen on the phone. “It was a big teamwork effort,” Chris responds.

Chris says he was on his way home from a ski trip when he came upon a horrifying scene. A car tipped over on a New Hampshire highway. Chris says trapped inside was David Sullivan with his three kids along with three of their friends.

Chris who is a certified tactical medic for the federal government says he immediately jumped out of his car to help. When he looked inside he saw two boys stuck inside. “Crying and screaming it was pretty tough. I immediately yelled for help and here comes three Air Force guys running toward the scene,” Cronen said.

With the help of the Air Force men and two other good Samaritans they were able to get everyone out safely. “It’s just a miracle he came to after he pulled him out of the vehicle,” Cronen said.

David is recovering at home. “I got a concussion and shattered vertebrae, neck brace. Tell you what the kids are fine,” Sullivan said.

The accident remains under investigation, David says he wants to thank everyone in person who was involved in the rescue. “I am glad I was there able to help and even more glad that the civilians and Air Force guys were there to assist to help get boys out and you out,” Cronen said.

[kuhio98]

Man Wearing Superman Hoodie Rescues Baby from Burning Building

Move over, Man of Steel. There's a new superhero on the loose – and he's even a fan of your wardrobe.

Dallas resident Tori Phillips caught a baby dropped from a burning Dallas apartment complex Monday while coincidentally wearing a Superman hoodie, reports NBC 5 in Dallas/Fort Worth.

Phillips, who lost his own apartment in the four-alarm blaze, assisted a family trapped inside an upper floor frantically trying to escape with their baby.

"I [saw] this family on a patio trying to jump down and they had the baby, they did not want the baby to let go, and I came in and said, 'I'm right here, I can catch the baby.' And I was there for the right catch," he said, adding that another Good Samaritan helped the parents to safety.

When asked how it felt to return the baby to its parents on solid ground, Phillips replied with characteristic superhero modesty.

"It felt real good," he said. "They made me very humbled and made me cherish my little ones."

The experience also seemed to put Phillips's own apartment loss into perspective.

"I know little ones are more important than material things," he added.

[mon]

Just wanted to give a shout out to all Pet Talkers out there. With all the sad and horrible stuff that happens in the world and on the news it is SO nice to take a break and just check in and hear about peeps that simply love their pets and wanna share them with other folks. So, thanks people!!!! High fives!

[kuhio98]

Police officer stops to save life of distraught dog

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – She knew she had to stop. She knew she had to pay it forward.

Richmond Police officer Karen Spencer-Boyles is a dog lover, so when she spotted two dogs in the middle of Jeff Davis Highway Tuesday morning, she simply could not drive off.

One of the dogs was dead. It was hit by a car.

The other dog was scared and whimpering, refusing to leave its friend’s side.

A women who works nearby spotted Officer Spencer-Boyles and stopped to take a photo of what she called the officer’s act of kindness.

“A Richmond city police woman stopped because a dog was hit and his friend was beside him barking,” Michelle C. said. “She stopped and got him out of the road and soothed him.”

Carrington said the officer’s actions likely saved the dog’s life.

“For her to stop and take a moment of her time to show just a little compassion to an animal that obviously just lost his best friend goes to show us – there are some people out there that really do care,” Michelle said.

Officer Spencer-Boyles said she too could tell the dog was scared and she also feared it would get hit by a car if she did not act fast.

“You could just tell he was scared,” Spencer-Boyles said. “He just looked helpless. It’s kind of like if you had a friend and your friend had been hurt. He just stood by his friend.”

Thirteen years ago, while in the police academy, Spencer-Boyles got an English Cocker Spaniel named Tex. In 2009 her dog ran out into the road and was hit by a car.

A stranger saw what happened, stopped and helped to save the Spencer-Boyles’ pet.

Today the Richmond Police Officer paid it forward.

The surviving dog, who is being called Giusseppe, was collected by Richmond Animal Control and is at their office on Chamberlayne Ave. Animal Control believes Giusseppe has an owner because he is neutered and had a flea collar on.

The Animal Shelter said if the owner does not come to get Giusseppe within 10 days, he will be put up for adoption. You can contact them at (804) 646-5573.

Officer Spencer-Boyles urged pet owners to get their pets spayed or neutered.

“We see so many animals that are just roaming the streets, don’t have any families and don’t have anybody to take care of them,” she said.

[kuhio98]

Ana Jimenez-Hami Brings the Arts to Low-Income Kids

Growing up in Puerto Rico, Ana Jimenez-Hami's father, Freddy, never let her forget about the importance of helping those who weren't as fortunate as she.

"He'd always say, 'You have to learn to give back to others in need,' " recalls Jimenez-Hami, 52, who now lives in Irvine, Calif.

Two decades ago, when her father, mother and 13 others were murdered by gunmen during a robbery at Freddy's jewelry store, Jimenez-Hami's life was turned upside down.

Searching for some way to make sense of her devastating loss, she thought back to her father's words and they inspired her to create the Orange County Children's Therapeutic Arts Center, which uses the arts – be it painting, music or dance – to transform the lives of low-income children in crime-ravaged Santa Ana, Calif.

"When he died, his words about 'giving back to others' were the very first thing that came to my mind," she says. And she put the words into action: The organization she founded in 2000 has touched the lives of more than 15,000 children – often at no charge to their parents.

Martha Rivera was one of those struggling who found her way to Jimenez-Hami's center.

Rivera, who came from a troubled, impoverished family, wanted to learn to play piano, but staff members quickly discovered she was a natural musician, capable of playing numerous instruments.

"I want to cry when I tell her story," recalls Jimenez-Hami. "She was on the verge of becoming just another statistic – either ending up in a gang or getting pregnant."

With the help of music instructors – and academic tutors – Rivera, now 23, went from a D student to graduating as valedictorian of her high school. Recently, she earned a master's degree in psychology from Harvard.

"Dr. Ana's dedication to her community is second to none," says Rivera, who now manages the center's after-school arts programs.

"I am where I am today because of her guidance," she says. "She instilled in me the belief that education is the most important thing in my life."

Besides focusing on the arts, the center – with its 45 part-time instructors and five full-time administrators – has branched out into other programs that include job training and family wellness classes for stressed-out parents of disabled children, many of whom are students at the center.

"Studies have shown that they have a much higher rate of falling into depression," says Jimenez-Hami, who has a doctorate in educational psychology.

The arts, she insists, is much more than just teaching kids how to paint pretty pictures and strum the guitar.

"Unfortunately, we live in a society that doesn't value arts as much as sports," she says. "But the arts are food for the soul. They help make creative minds, and that's exactly what we need – creative minds – to make a better society."

Freddy would be proud.

[kuhio98]

Bruno the Police Dog Recovering After Being Shot In the Face

A police dog named Bruno is recovering after being shot during a parole check in Anaheim, Calif.

The 7-year-old German Shepherd had emergency surgery to remove a bullet from his lung and repair his jaw after a man began shooting at police officers on March 20. Bruno was injured after guiding officers to where Robert Moreno Jr., a known gang member, was hiding.

"The dog alerted that the suspect was hiding behind a trash can. As they went up, the suspect stood up and started shooting at the direction of the officers and purposely aimed at the dog, shooting the dog," Anaheim Police Lt. Tim Schmidt told CBS Los Angeles.

Bruno was shot in the jaw and the bullet exited his mouth and lodged in his chest, less than an inch from his heart.

"[He was shot] point blank, it was a horrific thing to have to watch. My entire world came tumbling down in the matter of a second," Bruno's partner, officer RJ Young, told ABC News. Bleeding profusely, the 6-year K9 veteran barely whimpered and returned to his partner's side. "He never made a sound."

A police escort cleared roads to rush the injured dog to an animal hospital where surgeons worked for three hours to remove part of his damaged lung and repaired his shattered jaw.

"He's doing extremely well for all he's been through," veterinarian Dr. Steve Dunbar told CBS. Bruno, who's expected to recover, will have to wear a cast around his jaw for the next two months and was on a feeding tube, but on Sunday he ate unassisted for the first time and also went on a short walk.

Officers have praised Bruno for saving their lives after he sniffed out the 21-year-old suspect, who was killed at the scene. "If Bruno weren't there, there's not a doubt in my mind that someone would have gotten hurt," Young said.

Bruno underwent a second surgery on his jaw and lung Friday at Yorba Regional Animal Hospital, during which surgeons removed his breathing tube and reattached the bottom portion of his tongue.

"The surgery went really well. Removing the tube from the lung was a big step forward," said Young, who's called the bond between him and Bruno "unexplainable." "I know we have more surgeries ahead of us to reconstruct the jaw, but today was a good day for us. I just want him to heal so I can bring home."

The Friends of the Anaheim Police K-9 Association is collecting donations to cover Bruno's medical care through their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/AnaheimK9friends

[Catty1]

Mom is the "good guy" here.

“Ugly.” That is one word that an Internet troll used to describe a picture of a blogger’s special little boy. It’s also what caused an inspirational backlash that was absolutely perfect. This was the mother’s reply to the comment of “Ugly” that some stranger left on a photo of her baby boy with Down Syndrome:
Dear @JusesCrustHD,
Since I started blogging about my son Quinn and his disability, I knew this day would come. There’s no shortage of trolls on the Internet who hide behind the anonymity of a screen name with the intent to be cruel, and I’ve seen their hostility many times before. In fact, in the wake of a recent robbery at the Down Syndrome Association of Houston’s headquarters, in which $10,000 worth of technology was stolen, there was no shortage of ignorant comments on the news story reporting the incident. One user asked, “how will they learn to count to potato?” Another claimed that wasting computers on “retards” was stupid anyway and that the organization deserved to be robbed. These comments, while offensive, simply serve to showcase people’s hate-fueled ignorance and aren’t worth my time. I grimace when I read them, but realize there’s little to be done about such stupidity. But last Saturday, you targeted my son personally and instead of being angry, I’d like to give you some advice: Don’t be a d*ck. It will come back to haunt you.
I don’t want to make assumptions about you, but I can only guess that you know little about the helplessness that parents feel when caring for a sick infant with respiratory issues. Quinn was sick last week, but was feeling much better by Friday. We decided to sit in the backyard and soak up the sun after school. There aren’t many things in this world more beautiful than seeing your recently-ill child light up in a smile, and I snapped a few photos to celebrate his recovery, then posted them on Instagram with the hashtag “#downsyndrome.” I love to look through those photos myself in my spare time, because damn if those kiddos aren’t adorable. Of course, you feel differently because you, JusesCrustHD, found this photo and left a comment with one simple word:
Ugly.
“The fact that you find my child ugly is one thing. You are entitled to your opinion.”

maemennes


“But the fact that you intentionally search #downsyndrome to find pictures to insult (sadly, Quinn is not the only victim of your behavior; I came across many other inflammatory responses) is both childish and sad.”

maemennes


“Your profile is also full of offensive posts and crude statements.”

maemennes


“In one such photo, featuring two kids with Down syndrome and the word “wiitard,” you get bent out of shape because many, MANY people called you on your prejudice.”

maemennes




You claim it was a joke and that people should lighten up. But what about purposefully seeking out pictures of our children? What about the fact that a beautiful photograph of my son was tarnished by your hatred? That’s not a joke. That’s cyberbullying. Needless to say, I reported your profile.
This will not be the last time someone discounts my son because he is different. It will not be the last time someone makes a joke at his expense, but to actively seek out actual people to tease goes beyond cruel. It’s inhuman.
I recognize that you want to see me get worked up about your little “joke.” I’ll be honest; it’s hard not to be angry about it, but I can’t allow myself to carry that weight on my shoulders. I can’t allow myself to feel anything but sorry for an individual with so little tact. Because in end, you will be the one to face the consequences of your choices someday. There are few people in this world who tolerate that kind of backwards thinking, and you’ll eventually mouth off to the wrong person. My guess is that you already have, which is why you hide behind a screen name.
God knows there were plenty of cruel adolescent boys in my time: boys who took pleasure in pranks and jokes at others’ expense. There were even a few of them that were directed at me, but it gave me tough skin and I grew from the experience of facing such mistreatment. Maybe that’s why I’m willing to let this one go; I know where most of those boys ended up, and it’s nowhere I’d want to be. And as a teacher, I’ve seen kids like you crash and burn. Go outside. Read a book. Compliment someone. Most importantly, enlighten yourself; there’s already enough cruelty in this world, and anyone worth their salt should be striving to make this place better, not worse.
I simply hope my own children learn to look past ignorant comments and actions and treat others with respect and dignity. We all deserve it, even you.
Sincerely,
A Proud Mama

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