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Joy

Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin is awake after his cardiac arrest that shocked the world

'Our boy is doing better, awake and showing more signs of improvement. Thank you God.'

Damar Hamlin update
Images via Buffalo Bills and Wikicommons

Damar Hamlin is reportedly making good progress after his traumatic on-field injury.

In a recent game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field after making a tackle. The game was only about 10 minutes into the first quarter when Hamlin collapsed and a flurry of medical personnel rushed to revive him.

His medical emergency immediately raised questions and put renewed focus on the safety of football as a sport and the degree to which professional sports places profits over the health and safety of the players who make the game what it is.

Hamlin was immediately transported to nearby University of Cincinnati Medical Center and the game was postponed indefinitely while the NFL focuses on Hamlin's recovery and what caused the incident. He was placed into a medically induced coma but has since woken up. According to Yahoo Sports, Hamlin is alert, responsive and asking questions, though he's still on a ventilator.

One of the first things he inquired about was who won the game, and while he can't speak, he has been communicating through writing. Doctors are hopeful as “it appears that his neurological condition and function is intact,” according to Dr. Timothy Pritts, division chief of general surgery and vice chair for clinical operations at UC Health, speaking at a UC Health Medical Center press conference.

Hamlin continues to be in critical condition in the ICU, but the news of him being alert has his NFL colleagues and their families cheering for his continued recovery. Patriots player Jonnu Smith tweeted, "Thank God for improvement just as much as we asked him for healing. If not more." Sarah Taylor, the wife of Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, has organized for schools across Cincinnati to send get-well cards to Hamlin.

Even President Biden tweeted words of support, writing, “Great news. Damar, like I told your mom and dad yesterday, Jill and I – along with all of America – are praying for you and your family.” The entire nation is rooting for Hamlin to make a full recovery. And to show their support, fans have been flooding his fundraisers with money.

Hamlin's The Chasing M's Foundation was formed in 2020 right before he was drafted into the NFL as a sixth round pick in 2021. It was started as his way to give back to his community, according to the foundation's GoFundMe, where Hamlin wrote, "As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I come from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me."

The GoFundMe was set up for the foundation's very first toy drive, but after Hamlin's on-field cardiac arrest, fans have donated millions. Currently, the fundraiser sits at $7.5 million and it continues to climb. Hamlin's father Mario is the executive director of The Chasing M's Foundation and he is asking for people who would like to help to donate to first responders and the University of Cincinnati Medical Center's trauma center. He has also been encouraging people to buy lunch for their local first responders and trauma center staff.

The Chasing M's Foundation has a website where donations can be made to aid Hamlin in giving back to his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. While Hamlin continues to recover, his teammates headed to practice after hearing the good news. We certainly hope his progress continues and he recovers quickly.

If you would like to contribute to The Chasing M's Foundation's community toy drive GoFundMe, click here.

If you would would like to contribute to The Chasing M's Foundation directly, you can click here.

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Science

Astronaut shares the profound 'big lie' he realized after seeing the Earth from space

This change in perspective could change humanity.

via Rubén Moreno Montolíu/Flickr

Our home, from space.

Sixty-one years ago, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to make it into space and probably the first to experience what scientists now call the "overview effect." This change occurs when people see the world from far above and notice that it’s a place where “borders are invisible, where racial, religious and economic strife are nowhere to be seen.”

The overview effect makes man’s squabbles with one another seem incredibly petty and presents the planet as it truly is, one interconnected organism.

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Pop Culture

Special ring that tells people you're single created for folks tired of dating apps

The Pear ring is a new "social experiment" trying to connect folks IRL, not online.

Photo by Michael Discenza on Unsplash

Dating never stays the same.

Why, it feels like it was only yesterday when dating apps were the shiny new trend in the singles world. However, with life becoming increasingly more virtual, many people are looking to become less dominated by screens. As a result, folks are once again hoping to find love from an authentic connection IRL. Swiping just isn’t as romantic (or cutting edge) as it used to be.

That’s where the Pear ring comes in. Self dubbed as the “world’s biggest social experiment,” this $25 brightly colored blue ring offers something classic, with a twist. Basically, folks wear it out to signal they’re single and ready to mingle. Almost like the opposite of an engagement ring, really.
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Family

Wife cooks nachos for 'picky' husband who refused to eat her salmon. But she has a point.

Should she be cooking two meals?

via TheMamaBrianna/TikTok

Brianna Greenfield makes nachos for her husband.

A viral video showing a woman preparing nachos for her "picky" spouse after he refused to eat the salmon dinner she cooked has sparked a contentious debate on TikTok. The video was shared on April 26 by Brianna Greenfield (@themamabrianna on TikTok) and has since earned over 2.5 million views.

Brianna is a mother of two who lives in Iowa.

The video starts with Brianna grating a massive hunk of cheese with a caption that reads: “My husband didn’t eat the dinner that I made…So let’s make him some nachos.”

“If I don’t feed him, he literally won’t eat,” she wrote. “This used to irritate me. Now I just blame his mother for never making him try salmon,” Greenfield wrote. The video features Meghan Trainor’s single “Mother” playing in the background.

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Family

New study shows spanking hurts kids' mental health and is less effective at teaching lessons

Why is it wrong to hit an adult or an animal but OK to spank a child?

Photo by Kat J on Unsplash

Yet another study shows that spanking isn't good for kids.

Whether to spank your child or not is one of the oldest debates among parents. Many live by the age-old wisdom that to “spare the rod” is to “spoil the child,” while others believe it’s wrong to resort to violence to punish a child when so many alternatives exist.

It also begs the question: If it's wrong to hit your spouse or pet, why is it acceptable to hit a defenseless child?

The 2021 American Family Study found that support for spanking has declined in the U.S. over the past few years. In 2015, 54% either somewhat or strongly agreed with the practice, but that number dropped to 47% in 2021. Thirty-five percent of respondents disagree with the practice and 18% neither agree nor disagree.

A new research study from the Parent and Family Research Alliance in Australia led by Professor Sophie Havighurst and Professor Daryl Higgins from Australian Catholic University makes a strong case that people should stop using corporal punishment to discipline their kids. The study “Corporal punishment of children in Australia: The evidence-based case for legislative reform” analyzed countless studies on the topic and found spanking ineffective and harmful.

The study was published to urge lawmakers to make corporal punishment in Australia illegal. Sixty-five states across the world have made corporal punishment illegal, protecting 14% of the world’s children.

The study defined corporal punishment of children as using physical force to cause pain, but not injury, to correct or control a child’s behavior.

The most startling meta-analysis published in the study found that "only 1 out of 111 statistically significant effect sizes was associated with a link between 'spanking' and a positive child outcome," while 110 were found to be associated with adverse outcomes.

The one positive outcome was in a 1972 study of children of the U.S. military living in West Germany that found those spanked showed less amphetamine and opiate use as adults.

However, the remaining 110 significant results found that spanking had adverse effects, including: “reducing trust and connection with those they are closest to, lower self-esteem, more internalizing and externalizing behavior problems including aggression, mental health difficulties, and increased risk for later substance abuse, antisocial behavior, and violence.”

A meta-analysis found that when children are spanked, they are less likely to internalize the moral implications of the behaviors that led them to be disciplined. It also found that non-physical discipline was more effective at teaching “alternative behaviors,” “developing a child’s conscience,” and advancing their “emotional development.”

Another meta-analysis cited in the story found that corporal punishment in childhood was associated with mental health problems, low self-esteem and antisocial behavior.

In the end, the studies show that corporal punishment is counter-productive when it comes to raising healthy, happy children. But it will take much more than a study to get people to reconsider their views of corporal punishment because they are deeply rooted in many cultural traditions.

Looking for some non-physical alternatives to discipline your child? Here’s a great place to start from WebMD.

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Identity

Woman’s experience scheduling an EEG highlights the unconscious bias of textured hair

Though her scalp was exposed for the procedure, they still insisted she take her twists out, making it harder to get to her scalp.

Sadé Naima|TikTok

Woman can't schedule EEG due to unconscious textured hair bias.

Getting a medical procedure done can be scary, or at the very least nerve-wracking, no matter how many times you've had it done. It's something that's outside of your normal routine and you're essentially at the mercy of the medical facility and providers. Most of the time, the pre-procedure instructions make sense, and if something catches you by surprise, it's usually easily explained.

Sadé Naima recently had an experience while attempting to get an EEG that wasn't easily explained away. In fact, the entire situation didn't make sense to the TikTok creator who experiences migraines. Naima uploaded a video to the social media platform explaining the sequence of events that happened after her doctor referred her to receive an MRI and EEG.

An MRI uses a magnetic field to generate images and an EEG uses electrodes that stick to your scalp to create images of your brain waves.

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Joy

Heroic train conductor spots and saves 3-year-old autistic, nonverbal boy lost on tracks

He was dangerously close to the third rail.

via MTA info/YouTube

An MTA employee rescues a 3-year-old child on the tracks.

Five Metropolitan Transportation Authority employees are hailed as heroes for their quick thinking and diligence in the April 6 rescue of a young boy. Locomotive Engineer William Kennedy was operating a southbound Hudson Line train near Tarrytown, a few miles north of New York City, when he noticed an unusual object on the northbound track.

That “object” was a 3-year-old boy.

Kennedy sent an emergency call out to all trains in the area, catching the attention of a northbound conductor, Shawn Loughran, and a trainee. Loughran slowed down his train as he approached the child, who was straddling the electrified third rail.

When the train screeched to a halt, Assistant Conductor Marcus Higgins didn't waste a second. Leaping down the tracks, he sprinted 40 yards ahead of the train, scooping up the young child like a guardian angel.

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