+
upworthy
popular

Man surprises his girlfriend with a wedding proposal on her last day of chemo

Man surprises his girlfriend with a wedding proposal on her last day of chemo

For most of us, the hypothetical question of whether we would stick with a boyfriend or girlfriend through the trials of cancer and the treatments is just that – a hypothetical question. We would like to think we would do the right thing, but when Max Allegretti got the chance to put his money where mouth is, he didn't hesitate for a second.


Jillian Hanson and Allegretti met in true rom-com fashion after Hanson signed up for a dodgeball tournament in college and ended up on Allegretti's team.

They lost touch after she graduated, but then when she moved back to her hometown to take care of her sick grandmother, Allegretti asked her to go to the movies and the rest, as Hanson writes, "is history." Hanson knew Allegretti was the one a month after that movie.

RELATED: A city council voted down a rainbow crosswalk. Now residents have painted 16 of them

And Allegretti for his part knew that she was the only one for him, because when Hanson sat down to tell him about her breast cancer diagnosis and what lay in store, she didn't quite know what to expect. Was he going to back out?

Nope, he just held her hand and said, "I'm not going to leave your side." Which in and of itself must have been incredible to hear. But it's an immense undertaking.

Hanson learned that her cancer had spread and that treatment was going to get intense.

"They tell you how sick you get during treatment, but no one can really prepare you for any of this," Hanson wrote. Not having any energy after radiation treatments, the surgeries to remove lymph nodes, the hair loss after chemotherapy, and Allegretti was there through it all.

He would tell her she was pretty and plan little events like going to the movies or to dinner to make it all just a little more bearable. And it's true what they say, it's the small things that end mattering in the long run.



We all wish we can have someone like this in our corner, and some of us do. Through it all Allegretti was sure he was going to propose. He talked it over with her family and friends, "and we all decided it would bring a lot more joy even to the special day it was going to be already." Allegretti said.

And when the day came and she said yes, the hospital made a video of it (see above). The video then made its way to the LLG Events, an event planning company and they were so moved by it that they threw a wedding for Hanson and Allegretti on the house!

In the end, love literally won over cancer, which is the truest fairy tale there is.

Family

Mom calls out teacher who gave her son a 'zero' grade for not providing class with supplies

Her viral video sparked a debate as to whether or not providing school supplies should be mandatory for parents.

@shanittanicole/TikTok

A zero grade for not providing school supplies?

The debate as to whether or not parents should supply classroom supplies is not new. But as prices continue to rise, parents are growing more baffled as to how they can be expected by teachers to provide all the various glue sticks, colored pencils, rulers and other various items the incoming students might need.

What’s even more perplexing, however, is penalizing the children of parents who won’t (or can’t) provide them.

This was the case for Shanitta Nicole, who discovered her son received a zero grade in his new school for not bringing school supplies for the entire classroom.
Keep ReadingShow less

A group of men look at paperwork.

The massive changes to the American workplace caused by the COVID-19 pandemic invited many to reconsider their professional lives. This reevaluation has led people to push for improved work-life balance, and many now are looking for work to provide a greater sense of meaning and purpose.

When the world returned to work after COVID, many believed they deserved to be treated better by their employers. This resulted in many taking a break from the workforce or changing professions altogether. It also helped usher in a more comfortable culture for calling out companies that don’t treat their employees respectfully.

Recently, a group of thousands came together on Reddit to expose the common mistruths that people often hear at the workplace. It all started when a Redditor named PretenstoKnow asked: "What's the most common lie employers tell their employees?" And over 2,600 people responded.

Keep ReadingShow less

Golden Retrievers are the ultimate good doggos.


If there's any dog breed that encapsulates "good doggo" energy, it's the Golden Retriever. Friendly, gentle, good-natured and oh-so-affectionate, Goldens have come by their reputation honestly. Even "I'm not a dog person" people tend to find themselves taken by Golden Retrievers, and a post on TikTok demonstrates why.

The video shared by @hugoandursula is captioned "my dog getting cuddles from strangers on the train," and that's exactly what it shows in the most adorable montage ever.

Keep ReadingShow less
Photo Credit: William Fortunado via Canva

Amanda Seals breaks down history of DAP handshake

We've all seen people do it. Anywhere from basketball players on television to kids meeting up at the skating rink. Even former president Barack Obama when greeting a mixed group of men gave "DAP" to the Black men in the group, yet switched to a firm handshake when greeting the other men.

It was almost like watching the president code switch, but with body language, in a move that many Black Americans recognize as a gesture of acceptance and comradery. But did you know that there's an actual history behind the DAP that has nothing to do with looking cool? Social justice educator and actress, Amanda Seales, recently re-shared a clip from "The Real" where she was diving into the history of the handshake.

Seales, who has a master's degree in African American Studies from Columbia University, was also admittedly surprised when she learned there was a deeper meaning to the gesture.

Keep ReadingShow less
Health

Neuroscientist reveals perfect amount of time to spend on social media for your mental health

Over several weeks, the participants felt less loneliness, depression and anxiety.

@rachelle_summers/TikTok

Anyone can use this checklist.

There are pretty clear cut guidelines on how much screen time kids should have, but for adults…not so much. And perhaps it’s this lack of clarity that leaves people to go on full blown digital detoxes or get off social media entirely.

And while there is certainly a case to be made for that decision, for many of us, that isn’t quite feasible—especially in certain lines of work.

Luckily, according to neuroscientist Rachelle Summers, there is a way we can still be on social media, without being subjected to its negative side effects.
Keep ReadingShow less
Photo by Kats Weil on Unsplash

Ready for a refreshingly wholesome story?

The stereotypical image we get of bachelor parties is a booze-filled evening of depravity and bad choices. Followed of course by a massive hangover…and some regrets.

And granted, there are plenty of viral videos to show that this is sometimes the case. But there are also plenty of grooms who don’t see it as their “last night as a free man.” On the contrary, they see it as an opportunity to simply celebrate the next chapter with close friends.

Case and point: a husband-to-be named Luke, who apparently couldn’t stop “gushing” about his bride, Sam. This, according to a woman also named Sam, who happened to be at the bar Luke was having his bachelor party at.
Keep ReadingShow less