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Anonymous music store customer buys kid a 'Pantera' guitar for the sweetest reason

Anonymous music store customer buys kid a 'Pantera' guitar for the sweetest reason

Fallon got the surprise of a lifetime when an anonymous person gifted him his favorite guitar.

Is there anything better than someone going out of their way to make a kid's dream come true? Yes, there is. It's an anonymous person going out of their way to make a kid's dream come true.

Fallon is a kid who loves music. Metal music in particular. He's also a kid who has Williams syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that comes with a host of developmental and physiological challenges. It also comes with the gift of extreme friendliness and abundant love for people, often leading them to interact with people over toys as children.

For years, however, Fallon has enjoyed interacting with one specific guitar at J.B. Hart Music Co., Inc. in Grand Junction, Colorado. Fallon would ask to play it every time he came into the shop, and another patron took notice.


The music store posted the delightful story on Facebook, sharing photos of Fallon with the guitar and writing:

"This is Fallon. Over the last couple of years, he would visit the store from Montrose. His request each time was to play the 'Pantera' guitar, meaning the Dean Dimebag Darrell ML Guitar. We were shocked he knew some Dimebag riffs. Fallon is impacted by Williams Syndrome and has an excellent knowledge and a love for music. His dream was to own this guitar.

Eight months ago, when he was in the store playing it, another customer took notice of Fallon. It moved this customer so much he returned to the store later, purchased the guitar, and asked us to give the guitar to Fallon anonymously the next time we saw him. However, we didn’t see Fallon until today. We tried finding him to no avail. Today, his family came in the store, and we learned they had moved to Texas and returned this week for a visit. It was a wonderful experience to gift Fallon his dream guitar as a gift from a kind stranger. His mom burst into tears, and Fallon beamed with excitement. It was a special moment. There are still good people in this world."

Pantera themselves reshared the story:

So darn sweet.

It's particularly sweet considering Pantera's history with special guitars.

Dimebag Darrell, the "Pantera" guitar's namesake, was the lead guitarist for Pantera before the band broke up. He was tragically shot and killed in 2004 by a deranged fan while performing on stage with a different band, sending shock waves through the heavy metal world.

As reported by Loudwire, Darrell had been a huge fan of Eddie Van Halen and had been delighted to meet him just weeks before his death. After he was murdered, Eddie Van Halen called Darrell's family to ask if there was anything he could do for them. They wanted to bury him with a guitar, so they asked Van Halen to stripe one for Darrell like his iconic yellow striped guitar from the Van Halen II album cover.

Instead, Eddie Van Halen brought his original 1979 yellow striped guitar that Darrell loved so much to the viewing and memorial service so he could be buried with it, saying, "Dime was an original and only an original deserves an original."

How wonderful to see such care for one another carrying on, and the love of music being shared by people who don't even know each other. Rock on, humanity.

Identity

Celebrate International Women's Day with these stunning photos of female leaders changing the world

The portraits, taken by acclaimed photographer Nigel Barker, are part of CARE's "She Leads the World" campaign.

Images provided by CARE

Kadiatu (left), Zainab (right)

True

Women are breaking down barriers every day. They are transforming the world into a more equitable place with every scientific discovery, athletic feat, social justice reform, artistic endeavor, leadership role, and community outreach project.

And while these breakthroughs are happening all the time, International Women’s Day (Mar 8) is when we can all take time to acknowledge the collective progress, and celebrate how “She Leads the World.

This year, CARE, a leading global humanitarian organization dedicated to empowering women and girls, is celebrating International Women’s Day through the power of portraiture. CARE partnered with high-profile photographer Nigel Barker, best known for his work on “America’s Next Top Model,” to capture breathtaking images of seven remarkable women who have prevailed over countless obstacles to become leaders within their communities.

“Mabinty, Isatu, Adama, and Kadiatu represent so many women around the world overcoming incredible obstacles to lead their communities,” said Michelle Nunn, President and CEO of CARE USA.

Barker’s bold portraits, as part of CARE’s “She Leads The World” campaign, not only elevate each woman’s story, but also shine a spotlight on how CARE programs helped them get to where they are today.

About the women:

Mabinty

international womens day, care.org

Mabinty is a businesswoman and a member of a CARE savings circle along with a group of other women. She buys and sells groundnuts, rice, and fuel. She and her husband have created such a successful enterprise that Mabinty volunteers her time as a teacher in the local school. She was the first woman to teach there, prompting a second woman to do so. Her fellow teachers and students look up to Mabinty as the leader and educator she is.

Kadiatu

international womens day, care.org

Kadiatu supports herself through a small business selling food. She also volunteers at a health clinic in the neighboring village where she is a nursing student. She tests for malaria, works with infants, and joins her fellow staff in dancing and singing with the women who visit the clinic. She aspires to become a full-time nurse so she can treat and cure people. Today, she leads by example and with ambition.

Isatu

international womens day, care.org

When Isatu was three months pregnant, her husband left her, seeking his fortune in the gold mines. Now Isatu makes her own way, buying and selling food to support her four children. It is a struggle, but Isatu is determined to be a part of her community and a provider for her kids. A single mother of four is nothing if not a leader.

Zainab

international womens day, care.org

Zainab is the Nurse in Charge at the Maternal Child Health Outpost in her community. She is the only nurse in the surrounding area, and so she is responsible for the pre-natal health of the community’s mothers-to-be and for the safe delivery of their babies. In a country with one of the world’s worst maternal death rates, Zainab has not lost a single mother. The community rallies around Zainab and the work she does. She describes the women who visit the clinic as sisters. That feeling is clearly mutual.

Adama

international womens day, care.org

Adama is something few women are - a kehkeh driver. A kehkeh is a three-wheeled motorcycle taxi, known elsewhere as a tuktuk. Working in the Kissy neighborhood of Freetown, Adama is the primary breadwinner for her family, including her son. She keeps her riders safe in other ways, too, by selling condoms. With HIV threatening to increase its spread, this is a vital service to the community.

Ya Yaebo

international womens day, care.org

“Ya” is a term of respect for older, accomplished women. Ya Yaebo has earned that title as head of her local farmers group. But there is much more than that. She started as a Village Savings and Loan Association member and began putting money into her business. There is the groundnut farm, her team buys and sells rice, and own their own oil processing machine. They even supply seeds to the Ministry of Agriculture. She has used her success to the benefit of people in need in her community and is a vocal advocate for educating girls, not having gone beyond grade seven herself.

On Monday, March 4, CARE will host an exhibition of photography in New York City featuring these portraits, kicking off the multi-day “She Leads the World Campaign.

Learn more, view the portraits, and join CARE’s International Women's Day "She Leads the World" celebration at CARE.org/sheleads.


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Let's settle this silly-but-surprisingly-heated debate once and for all.

Elya/Wikimedia Commons

Should you hang the toilet paper roll over or under?



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