+
Family

20-year-old with just days to live arranges an emotional bedside wedding to his girlfriend

20-year-old with just days to live arranges an emotional bedside wedding to his girlfriend
via Owens Glioblastoma Story / Facebook

Owen Copland, 20, is a perfect example of living life to the fullest, even in the most dire of circumstances.

The university student from Liverpool, England, began experiencing severe headaches late last year but had a hard time getting proper medical attention because of COVID-19 lockdowns.

It took three trips to the hospital until he finally got a CT scan last November. Unfortunately, the news was bleak, he had a Grade 4 Glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer.

Soon after the diagnosis, he went through a six-hour life-saving operation to remove the cancer. But earlier this month he learned that it continued to grow and he only had days to live. The tumor is pressing on his brain stem, significantly affecting the ability of his heart to function properly.



Owen going in for surgery. via Owens Glioblastoma Story / Facebook

After realizing the severity of his health condition, Owen proposed to Sarah Jones, 21, his girlfriend of two years.

"When I came home I saw my girlfriend and said, 'I want to marry you,'" he told The Daily Mail. Sarah said, "Yes."

Given the fact that time is of the essence, the couple was able to throw together a commitment ceremony in a matter of days. He called his buddy Luke and asked him to be his best man, and he was ready with a beautiful speech the next day.

Sarah found a dress, and his family rounded up some flowers, music, and food for the celebration.

"'It felt good to see my friends and hear my best man's speech, who I asked to be my best man just the day before," Owen said. The event was extra special for Owen because COVID-19 had kept him away from his friends for months.

"I'd been wanting to be on my game and speak to my friends online but because of Covid I couldn't see him," he said. "So to get a speech from my best man in person was emotional for both of us."

The wedding was just one of many ways his family has been there for him throughout his cancer battle. "Before I took my family for granted and since my diagnosis I have wanted them there by my side which they have been. I know they will never leave me or give up on me, I love them," he said.

Owen and his family have been very public about his fight to help to raise awareness for brain tumors. Owens mother, Gill, believes there isn't enough funding for the disease, so they created a Facebook page called "Owen & Glioblastoma" to bring awareness to his fight.

They've also set up a GoFundme page "to raise funds to go towards Owen's recovery and healing, cover any costs the family might be facing at this difficult time ..."

"I passionately believe there should be more funding into research for brain tumors," Gill said. "He and others who are suffering deserve this change to happen.

"While all cancers and illnesses are devastating, this is in a league of its own. It's like wading through mud," she added.

A Korean mother and her son

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches."

Keep ReadingShow less

It's incredible what a double-sided magnet can do.


A new trend in treasure hunting called magnet fishing has blown up over the past two years, evidenced by an explosion of YouTube channels covering the hobby. Magnet fishing is a pretty simple activity. Hobbyists attach high-powered magnets to strong ropes, drop them into waterways and see what they attract.

The hobby has caught the attention of law enforcement and government agencies because urban waterways are a popular place for criminals to drop weapons and stolen items after committing a crime. In 2019, a magnet fisherman in Michigan pulled up an antique World War I mortar grenade and the bomb squad had to be called out to investigate.


Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

Woman was mocked online for calling an $80 purse a 'luxury item.' Her response went viral.

"I'm so grateful that my dad was able to get me one. He worked so hard for that money.”

@zohtaco/TikTok

Zoe Gabriel, showing off her new purse from Charles & Keith

Insults of any kind are painful, but jabs towards someone’s financial status are their own breed.

In January 2023, Singapore-based Zoe Gabriel was on the receiving end of this particular flavor of mockery when she posted a TikTok about a purse from local retail brand Charles & Keith—a gift bought for her by her father.

In her excitement, the 17-year-old called the bag, which costs around $80, a “luxury” item as she unwrapped it. Her excitement was sadly cut short by some of the negative comments she received.

One comment seemed to stand out above the rest and prompted Gabriel to post an emotional response video.

Keep ReadingShow less

Ring doorbell video captures what it's like to be the default parent.

Kids, man. I'm not sure of the scientific way audacity is distributed, but kids have a lot of it and somehow make it cute. That audacity overload is especially interesting when you're the default parent—you know, the parent kids go to for literally everything as if there's not another fully capable adult in the house. Chances are if your children haven't sought you out while you were taking a shower so you could open up a pack of fruit snacks, then you're not the default parental unit.

One parent captured exactly what it's like to be the default parent and shared it to TikTok, where the video has over 4 million views. Toniann Marchese went on a quick grocery run and *gasp* did not inform her children. Don't you fret, they're modern kids who know how to use modern means to get much-needed answers when mom is nowhere to be found. They went outside and rang the doorbell.

Back when we were children, this would've done nothing but make the dogs bark, but for Marchese's kids, who are 3 and 6 years old, it's as good as a phone call.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

'American Idol' contestant has perfect response to Katy Perry's 'mom-shaming' joke

The 25-year-old used the moment to stand up for moms everywhere.

@sarabethliebe/TikTok

"Keep loving your babies."

You might recall us singing the praises of Sara Beth, the exuberant young mom with major vocal chops dubbed the “Accidental American Idol.”

During Sara Beth’s initial audition for the show, judge Katy Perry made a joke that rubbed many viewers the wrong way.

Before Sara Beth even began to sing, the 25-year-old revealed that she had three children, which prompted Katy Perry to dramatically stand up from her seat and feign shock. When Sara Beth, all smiles, said, “If Katy lays on the table, I think I’m going to pass out,” Perry retorted, “Honey, you’ve been laying on the table too much.”

Keep ReadingShow less

YouTube creator Steve Mould shows us what echo looks like through an acoustic camera.

It’s bizarre to think about seeing sound, but nowadays we can do just that. If you haven’t seen an acoustic camera before, that’s because they’re mainly used for industrial purposes, but they’ve been available commercially from gfai tech since 2001.

YouTuber Steve Mould, who has a science channel with over 2.1 million subscribers, took the complicated concept of the acoustic camera and made it easy to understand in his latest video, “Acoustic cameras can SEE sound.”

In the video, Mould explains how an acoustic camera is much like your smartphone's video recorder. But it also creates visual representations of sound emanating from where it’s generated within the video.

Keep ReadingShow less