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This gold medalist deserves a shout-out for returning her award to Prince Harry.

You truly are a class act, Sgt. Elizabeth Marks.

Do you know about the Invictus Games?

This year's just wrapped up in Orlando, Florida, and they might just be the coolest sporting event not on your radar.


Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus Games.

The event brought together more than 500 athletes from 15 different countries. And the competition was fierce.

Launched in 2014 by Prince Harry, the games allow both active-duty and veteran military members who've been injured to compete in various sports.

First lady Michelle Obama and Prince Harry meet with kids of service members at the opening ceremony. Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus Games.

"The word 'Invictus' means 'unconquered,'"the event's website explains, noting the games were launched to honor those who've sacrificed for their countries — not give them sympathy.

"It embodies the fighting spirit of the wounded, ill, and injured service members and what these tenacious men and women can achieve, post injury."

While every athlete there deserves a salute, Sgt. Elizabeth Marks, a 25-year-old in the U.S. Army, did something during the games that was especially cool.

Sgt. Elizabeth Marks poses with Prince Harry. Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus Games.

After dominating in all four of her swimming competitions, Marks handed one of the gold medals she won back to Prince Harry, who had presented her with the award.

Instead of keeping the medal herself, Marks — who has no feeling in her left leg after sustaining a hip injury in Iraq about six years ago — requested Harry give it to Papworth Hospital in the U.K.

Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus Games.

Why? The folks at Papworth Hospital "absolutely saved [her] life" at the Invictus Games in 2014, she said.

Two years ago, Marks nearly died at the games in London. Papworth came to her rescue.

Marks fell ill after arriving across the pond to compete and woke up days later after having been in an induced coma.


Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images for Invictus Games.

If it hadn't been for the team at Papworth, who'd scrambled to put her on life support after she went into respiratory distress syndrome, Marks likely wouldn't be alive today.

"I can't thank the U.K. enough for having that kind of medical support and taking such good care of me," she said, BBC News reported.

"How do you say thanks to the people that saved your life?"

Marks' selfless gesture of gratitude embodies what the Invictus Games are all about: honoring those who've sacrificed for others.

Whether they be a service member, a nurse, a teacher, or even just a friend who helped you survive a particularly rough time, we all have people in our lives who deserve credit in getting us where we are today.

Marks' story serves as a great reminder: Now is the time to tell them thanks.

Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus Games.


Time travel back to 1905.

Back in 1905, a book called "The Apples of New York" was published by the New York State Department of Agriculture. It featured hundreds of apple varieties of all shapes, colors, and sizes, including Thomas Jefferson's personal favorite, the Esopus Spitzenburg.






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Health

Gen Xer explains sense of 'impending doom' that seems to define the Millennial generation

Somebody finally put it into words and a lot of Millenials are feeling seen.

A woman looks to the ground in dispair.

At the end of his YouTube video “Does Anyone Else Feel Like Everything Has Changed?” self-development influencer Stephen Antonioni makes a rather haunting observation: "In many ways, the world is a better place than it was yesterday, just judging by objective measures. But I can't help share the feeling that something is off and perhaps terribly so. And therefore, I have to ask the question: Does anyone else feel like everything has changed?"

The most popular comment on the video, which was liked over 28,000 times was written by a YouTuber named Tracy Smith. Even though, at 57, she’s a Gen Xer, her thoughts have resonated with thousands of Millenials.

“I am 57. Not only does it feel like ‘something wicked this way comes’ but there is also this feeling that the whole world is holding its breath. Almost as though we are all waiting for some catalyst or sign or event that puts an end to this feeling of being put on hold,” Smith wrote. “This vague, unexplained unease we feel. Something terrible lurking just out of our field of vision but we all feel it closing in. I cannot count the number of people who have told me they wish that whatever is going to happen would just get on with it. That this waiting for the thing in the darkness is unbearable.”

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Melissa Pateras explains how dry cleaning works.


Have you ever wondered what happens at the dry cleaners? Or are you like me, who just assumed the people at the dry cleaners were wizards and never questioned their magic? Turns out, dry cleaners aren't magic and there's actually a pretty interesting explanation of how they came to be and what they do.

Melissa Pateras is known on Tiktok for her laundry knowledge. Seriously, her ability to fold laundry is hypnotizing. This time, she created a video explaining what actually takes place at the dry cleaner and the internet is aghast.

Before Pateras explained what happens in the mysterious world behind the counter of a dry cleaner, she asked a few of her friends what they thought dry cleaning was. Their answers were...interesting to say the least.

One friend surmised, "You put it in a box, right...and then you let some wind, really fast wind, blow around on your clothes and it wipes off all the dirt." The friend, whose username is @unlearn16, continued with her working hypothesis, saying that the clothes are then blasted with infrared heat to sterilize the garments. While that is certainly an interesting theory, that's not what happens.

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Joy

Doberman's blissful reaction while getting pampered at bathtime goes viral

This "scary" dog's next-level beauty routine proves there's nothing scary about him at all.

Representative Image from Canva

May this adorable video show that Doberman's don't deserve their bad reputation.

Let’s face it, Hollywood has given Doberman’s a bad reputation. So often they are depicted as the canine henchman to the evil villain, that many people assume that’s their temperament in real life.

But the truth is: like just about every dog on the planet, Dobermans are sweet, loyal and affectionate canine companions. And, much like Pit Bulls, they are not nearly as inherently aggressive as pop culture makes them out to be—especially when properly trained.

I mean, just take a look at Atlas. This goodest of good bois recently went viral on TikTok while getting a nice, relaxing bathtime session. He proved that not only are Doberman’s capable of extreme levels of chill, they can have a deep felt appreciation for some good old fashioned pampering.

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Photo by Gustavo Fring|Canva

Therapists explains being 'touched out' and gives tips to help

Just about every mother has experienced the feeling of being touched out. They may not know that's what it's called, or some may feel embarrassed to admit they're feeling that way due to fear of judgement. But when you think about it, being touched out, especially when you have younger kids seems inevitable.

The sense of your body not belonging to only you can start during pregnancy. Everything you do directly affects your developing fetus, and once the baby is born, it needs a lot of physical contact for proper brain, social, and emotional development. So babies are held a lot outside of feedings. Those babies turn into toddlers who then turn into early school agers, all of whom rely very heavily on co-regulation of their emotions and being physically near their parent to feel safe.

It's pretty much a constant state of being touched throughout much of the day. When psychologist, Dr. Raquel Martin reveals she too feels touched out in a video on Instagram, parents across the internet felt validated.

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No better time to grab a little shut eye.

For those in the military, sleep can mean the difference between life and death. But shut-eye can be very hard to come by, especially during active conflict.

According to Sharon Ackman, the U.S. Navy Pre-Flight School developed a scientific method to help its pilots fall asleep. Through this technique, 96% of the pilots were able to fall asleep in two minutes or less.

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