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Dad with impaired mobility can walk his newborn after crafty teens built him a 'wheestroll'

Dad with impaired mobility can walk his newborn after crafty teens built him a 'wheestroll'
Air 1 News / Twitter and Matt Zigler / YouTube

Three years ago, Jeremy King, 37, of Germantown, Maryland, underwent surgery for a brain tumor. He was able to walk after the procedure but still has some challenges maintaining his balance.

In June 2020, he and his wife, Chelsie, 32, learned they had a child on the way and were concerned whether Jeremy would be able to go on a walk with a newborn.

"Over the last few years we've kind of navigated his new adaptability and last summer when we found that we were expecting that introduced a whole new set of challenges," Chelsie told Today. "Parenting is hard enough, but when you have a physical disability, especially one that is still fairly new ... We immediately started researching things to find ways to make parenting accessible for Jeremy, and honestly we didn't come up with a lot."


Chelsie is a school teacher so she asked fellow educator, Matt Zigler, at Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, if he could help.

Zigler teaches a high school class called "Making for Social Good," where students work to create products that have a positive social impact.

High School Students Create Wheelchair Stroller for Teacher's Husbandwww.youtube.com

"The idea of the course is to start out by trying to understand the problem, so we did interviews with the family," Zigler told "Good Morning America." "We talked to somebody at the local fire department who actually does infant car seat installation training to try to better understand how those things work."

Zigler asked his students to come up with ideas for a wheelchair attachment that could accommodate a car seat and then create 3D models of what they would look like. The students also got to speak with the Kings to learn about their specific challenges.

The students were even more excited about the project because they felt a special connection with the Kings. "It was a good experience to have because we could ask them questions," Ibenka Espinoza, 17, told "Good Morning America." "I think that was the most fun."

The students soon realized that a car seat attachment was only a temporary solution and that they'd need to design something that works for strollers as well. "Children grow and they grow out of a car seat so we wanted Mr. King to be able to walk with his son no matter what age he was," Jacob Zlotnitsky, 18, said.

The students used a 3D printer to make custom parts for the attachment and took several trips to Home Depot for additional materials. They also borrowed a wheelchair from the nurse's office to use as a model.

WheeStroll - Wheelchair Stroller Attachmentwww.youtube.com

The students finished both attachments in March, just before Chelsie's due date. A few weeks after the birth of their son, Phoenix, they were able to successfully use the car seat attachment to take him on walks.

"Using it was overwhelming because I never thought I would be able to do something like this with our son," Jeremy said. "Most people can go out on a walk with their family but that is really difficult for me — most people take that for granted."

The great thing is that the students' inventions are gifts that will keep on giving. Zigler has made the instructions for building the attachments available to everyone online. "With fairly cheap materials and tools, somebody that's a little bit handy could make these for someone," Zigler said.

"I love the idea that these students got this project and it'll be something long-lasting," Chelsie said. "I know that they'll remember that for years to come, which is all you can hope for as an educator."

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.


Health

Over or under? Surprisingly, there actually is a 'correct' way to hang a toilet paper roll.

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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Humans have debated things large and small over the millennia, from the democracy to breastfeeding in public to how often people ought to wash their sheets.

But perhaps the most silly-yet-surprisingly-heated household debate is the one in which we argue over which way to hang the toilet paper roll.

The "over or under" question has plagued marriages and casual acquaintances alike for over 100 years, with both sides convinced they have the soundest reasoning for putting their toilet paper loose end out or loose end under. Some people feel so strongly about right vs. wrong TP hanging that they will even flip the roll over when they go to the bathroom in the homes of strangers.

Contrary to popular belief, it's not merely an inconsequential preference. There is actually a "correct" way to hang toilet paper, according to health experts as well as the man who invented the toilet paper roll in the first place.

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Some who saw the video thought that Asero came off as entitled and exemplified the younger generation’s lack of work ethic. In contrast, others sympathized with the young woman who is just beginning to understand how hard it is to find work-life balance in modern-day America.

“I’m so upset,” she says in the video. "I get on the train at 7:30 a.m., and I don't get home until 6:15 p.m. [at the] earliest. I don't have time to do anything!" Asero said in a video.

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"A man and his son are driving in their car when they are hit by a tractor-trailer.

Photo via iStock.

(We were driving at the time, so of course this was the riddle he decided to tell.)

The father dies instantly.

The son is badly injured. Paramedics rush him to the hospital.

Photo via iStock.

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