Heidi Lux

Nov 21, 2025

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An Operation Smile volunteer reverses an oxygen mask so a child with a cleft condition can blow a bubble for the first time in Guadalajara, Mexico. (Operation Smile Photos)

Family, Science

How Bubbles Help Kids with Cleft Conditions

For thousands of children born with cleft conditions, Operation Smile provides simple, playful tools—like bubbles—to strengthen the skills they need to speak and thrive.

Sarah Watts

5/11/2026

While a bottle of bubbles might seem out of place in a hospital setting, you might be surprised to learn that, for thousands of children around the world born with cleft lip and palate, they can be a helpful tool in comprehensive cleft care. Lilia, who was born with cleft lip and palate in 2020, is one of the many patients who received this care.

As a toddler, Lilia underwent two surgeries to treat cleft lip and palate with Operation Smile’s surgical program in Puebla, Mexico. Because of Operation Smile’s comprehensive care, it wasn’t long before her personality transformed: Lilia went from a quiet and withdrawn toddler to an exuberant, curious explorer, babbling, expressing herself with a variety of sounds, and engaging with others like any child her age.

Lilia is now a healthy five-year-old, with the same cheerful attitude and boundless energy. Her progress is the result of care at every level, from surgery to speech therapy to ongoing support at home—but it’s also evidence that small, sustained interventions throughout it all can make a meaningful difference.

Lilia at age 1, before surgery, and at age 5, 4 years post-surgery

Cleft Conditions: A Global Problem

Since 1982, Operation Smile has provided cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries to more than 500,000 patients worldwide with the help of generous volunteers and donors. Cleft conditions are congenital conditions, meaning they are present at birth. With cleft lip and palate, the lip or the roof of the mouth do not form fully during fetal development. Cleft conditions put children at risk for malnutrition and poor weight gain, since their facial structure can make feeding challenging. But cleft conditions can have an enormous social impact as well: Common difficulties with speech can leave kids socially isolated and unable to meet the same developmental milestones as their peers.

Surgery is a vital step in treating cleft conditions, but it’s also just one part of a much larger solution. Organizations like Operation Smile emphasize the importance of multi-disciplinary teams that provide comprehensive, long-term care to patients across many years. This approach, which includes oral care, speech therapy, nutritional support, and psychosocial care, not only aids in physical recovery from surgery but also helps children develop the skills and confidence to eat easily, speak clearly, and engage in everyday life. This ensures that each patient receives the full range of support they need to thrive.

Marie, 11 months, with her mother at Operation Smile Madagascar before her cleft surgery (Operation Smile Photos)

A Playful (and Powerful) Solution

Throughout a patient’s care, simple tools like bubbles can play a meaningful role from start to finish.

Immediately before surgery, children are often in a new and unfamiliar environment far from home, some of them experiencing a hospital setting for the first time. When care providers or loved ones blow bubbles, it’s a simple yet effective technique: Not only are the children soothed and distracted, the bubbles also help create a sense of joy and playfulness that eases their anxiety.

Milagros Rojas, a volunteer speech therapist in Peru, using bubbles in a screening with a patient. (Operation Smile Photos)

In speech therapy, bubbles can take on an even more important role. Blowing bubbles requires controlled airflow, as well as the ability to form a rounded “O” shape with the lips, which are skills that children with cleft conditions may struggle to develop. Practicing these skills with bubbles allows children to gently strengthen their facial muscles, improve breath control, and support the motor skills needed for speech development. Beyond that, blowing bubbles can help kids connect with their parents or providers in a way that’s playful, comforting, and accessible even for very young patients.

Finally, bubbles often follow patients with cleft conditions home in the “smile bags” that each patient receives when the surgical procedure is finished. Smile bags, which help continue speech therapy outside of the hospital setting, can contain language enrichment booklets, a mirror, oxygen tubing, and bubbles. While regular practice with motor skills can help with physical recovery, small acts of play help as well, giving kids space to simply enjoy themselves and join in on what peers are able to do.

Bubbles at Home and Beyond

Today, because of Operation Smile’s dedication to comprehensive cleft care, Lilia is now able to make friends and speak clearly, all things that could have been difficult or impossible before. Instead of a childhood defined by limitation, Lilia—and others around the world—can look forward to a childhood filled with joy, learning, discovery, friends, and new possibilities.

CTA: Lilia’s life was changed for the better with the care she received through Operation Smile. Find out how you can make an impact in other children’s lives by visiting operationsmile.org today.

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Photo credit: Canva – Hair getting cut (left) Deer in forest (right)

Conservation, Nature

Hair salons in Europe are dumping their clippings into forests and it’s miraculous

Deers don’t like it but trees absolutely love it.

Heather Wake

5/19/2026

Every day, hair salons sweep countless hair clippings off their floors and toss them into the trash without much thought. But in parts of France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, those discarded strands are finding an entirely different purpose: helping forests grow.

French recycling company Capillum has developed a surprisingly effective way to reuse human hair by turning it into biodegradable mulch that protects young trees from hungry deer. The company collects hair from participating salons and transforms it into flattened fiber sheets that can be wrapped around vulnerable saplings.

What sounds unusual at first actually solves several environmental problems at once.

A second life for salon clippings

Hair salons generate an enormous amount of waste each year. Most clippings are simply thrown away, even though human hair is remarkably durable because it is made largely from keratin, a fibrous protein that breaks down slowly over time.

Capillum saw potential in a material most people never think twice about. The company accepts hair regardless of texture, length, color, or whether it has been dyed. Once gathered, the hair is fed into a machine that minces everything together into dense fiber sheets that can be laid around the base of trees. The process transforms something typically viewed as garbage into a practical tool for conservation efforts.

Why young trees need protection

A tree sapling, Canva

Many forests depend on saplings surviving long enough to mature and replenish the ecosystem. However, young trees often struggle in areas with large deer populations. Deer are known to chew on bark, especially during seasons when food is scarce. Because saplings have thin bark and delicate trunks, even small amounts of damage can stunt their growth or kill them entirely.

Foresters have historically relied on plastic fencing and tree guards to keep deer away. While those barriers can work well, they also create waste and require maintenance over time.

Capillum’s recycled hair mats offer another approach. The scent of human hair naturally discourages deer from getting too close to the trees, steering them toward other vegetation instead. The method protects saplings without harming wildlife.

A biodegradable alternative to plastic

Unlike plastic guards, the hair fibers gradually decompose and return nutrients to the soil. As the keratin breaks down, it releases nitrogen and amino acids that can support plant growth. That nutrient-rich quality is one reason some gardeners have long experimented with placing hair into compost piles or using it directly in garden beds. Knowing this, Capillum sells its eco-friendly hair mulch to home gardeners interested in more sustainable growing methods.

Human hair is more useful than most people realize

A small clump of hair, Canva

This is far from the first time Capillum has found creative uses for human hair. The company previously mixed hair with wool to help absorb pollutants from water because both materials naturally attract oil.

Around the world, scientists and environmental groups have similarly explored using recycled hair for oil spill cleanup, agricultural mats, and composting projects. Some studies have even examined whether hair fibers could eventually help create insulation materials or textiles.

All this to say: a routine haircut may not seem connected to forest conservation, yet thousands of discarded strands now helping protect young trees suggest otherwise. This is a brilliant example of humanity using creativity for good, and how making just one element of human life less wasteful can have a profound impact.

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Photo credit: TEDx Talks/YouTube – Dr. Richard Harris in a TEDx Talk.

Culture, Identity

Former KKK Grand Wizard shares the life-changing moment when he knew he was being lied to

“The Klan has been lying to me. They’ve been twisting the scriptures.”

Tod Perry

5/19/2026

Dr. Richard Harris is an associate professor at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida. He’s also the first white pastor in the 140-plus-year history of Good Hope Missionary Baptist, a historically Black church in Bartow, Florida. However, if you met him in the late ‘70s, you would have no idea his life would take such a turn. From the age of 16 to 20, he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan, and for the final two years, he served as the youngest Grand Dragon north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Harris was a lonely child in elementary school and was bullied by his classmates. In the late 1960s, when desegregation began at his Indiana school, Harris decided to take out his frustrations on the new students.

Harris is indoctrinated into the Ku Klux Klan

“I got to sixth grade, and all of a sudden my school has changed,” Harris told the Herald-Tribune in 2021. “It was the first time I had ever spoken to a person of color … they’re in my school. I looked at the African-Americans in my school, and I realized that they were displaced. I thought, ‘Maybe I could be the bully for once.’ And that’s exactly what I did.”

The Ku Klux Klan in Muncie, Indiana. Credit: William Arthur Swift/Wikimedia Commons

Harris’ behavior caught the attention of the KKK, who indoctrinated him into their violent hate group by offering family and protection. He was groomed to be a leader in the organization and, after just two years in 1976, he became the Grand Dragon, the highest-ranking member of the Indiana KKK.

In a recent interview with LADBible, Harris shared how he was able to get out of the terrorist organization. It began with a life-changing realization: the Klan was lying to him. After learning one of his guards was plotting to kill him, he realized he needed better protection. So, he turned to God.

“I didn’t know what to do. And in my 20-year-old mind at that time, all I could think of was, ‘I need better security,’” he told LADBible. So, he began reading the gospels and came to the story of the Samaritan woman. He realized that the Klan had completely changed the message to be one of division rather than acceptance.

Harris realized he was being lied to by the Klan

“The whole point of the Samaritan woman at the well story was Jesus accepted Samaritans, race mixers,” he said. “And he loved them, and they believed in him. That’s when the light bulb went on. ‘The Klan has been lying to me. They’ve been twisting the scriptures.”

Harris then called the Imperial Wizard and quit the KKK. “We’re gonna let you out. We’re gonna let you live. If you keep your mouth shut,” he was told with a gun pressed to his head.

Harris then did a complete 180 and began working for racial justice. In 2012, he documented his time in the KKK in his award-winning book, One Nation Under Curse, and would go on to serve as a senior pastor in the Free Methodist Church for 31 years in churches in Illinois, Indiana, and Florida.

“I changed,” he said in a 2023 TEDx Talk in which he explained his transformation from racist to antiracist and discussed his R.A.C.E. framework. “I’m not that guy anymore, thank God. But I know that I caused pain and hurt to so many that today, my life’s purpose is to help others radically reduce racial bias.”

Watch his TEDx Talk below:

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Photo credit: Canva – Newlywed couple flips the script on last names by having their families compete

Family, Modern Families

Newlywed couple has their families compete to see who takes their partner’s last name

“This should’ve been televised.”

Jacalyn Wetzel

5/19/2026

A woman taking her husband’s last name is no longer a given. Couples have been mixing things up for a while now, but one couple decided to turn old and new norms on their heads. Instead of the new husband and wife arguing over why one of them should relinquish their surname, they decided to let the “best family” win.

Women have been expected to give up their family’s last name for their husband’s for hundreds of years. This goes back to when women were considered property transferred from a father to a husband. While the thought of women being considered property stopped with women’s rights movements, the tradition of adopting a husband’s surname persists today.

Bride and groom
Photo Credit: Canva

Why women changed surnames

The practice originated in 14th-century England and was part of “coverture,” which transferred nearly all of a woman’s assets to her new husband, according to Cambridge University. Taking the husband’s last name wasn’t required, but it was widely practiced and spread to other Western countries. In recent years, women have been choosing to hyphenate or retain their birth surname. But one cheeky couple decided to throw all the norms out of the window in favor of a more inclusive process that involved everyone.

Brett Borland and Gorgie Abela recently tied the knot in front of their loved ones. When the time came for reception activities, Borland got on the mic to announce that their families would be competing in a “Battle of the Surname.”

Guests at an outside wedding
Photo Credit: Canva

Battle of the Surname

“What we’ve decided is that neither one of our names is going to disappear,” Borland says. “So what we’re going to do is that we’ve organized some games where we’re going to battle the families out against each other, and the winning family, we will be taking the last name of them.”

That’s right. If Abela’s family wins, then she keeps her name and Borland changes his, and vice versa. In the video uploaded to Instagram, the families (still dressed in their formal attire), played tug of war, potato sack races, and more. By the end of the activities, the scorekeeper announces the couple’s new last name–Mr. and Mrs. Borland.

It seemed that the Borland family had a ringer. While everyone was playing in sock feet and fancy clothes, one participant was sporting sneakers, shorts, and a t-shirt. Some could argue that it gave them an advantage, though it was only beneficial in the game of tug-of-war, not the booty-shaking ping-pong balls out of a tissue box game.

Viewers of the unique surname wedding competition were thoroughly amused, with one saying, “This should’ve been televised.”

One person takes notes, “When dressing for a wedding, pick dress that I could play field games in. GOT IT!”

People playing tug of war outside
Photo Credit: Canva

Another quips, “Imagine losing your last name bc your cousins got too day drunk to win field day games.”

“Planning this while knowing they’d all be in wedding attire is diabolical,” someone else notes.

“This is actually the best thing we’ve ever seen at a wedding reception ever,” one wedding attendant says.

Someone else writes, “The modern human version of natural selection, only the (last name) of the strong will survive.”

One person jokes, “Imagine having your wifes last name because your sister wore a skirt and couldnt potato sack right lol.”

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Gramma and Grampa made a keepsake of their time with Ricky.

Nature, Pets

Gramma and Grampa’s photobook after spending 2 weeks watching Ricky the kitten is everything

It reads like a children’s book.

Annie Reneau

Upworthy Staff

5/19/2026

There are kitten lovers…and then there are Ricky’s grandparents. When Izzie Grass left her kitten, Ricky, with her parents for two weeks, she had no idea what was in store for her after she got him back. Not only had Ricky been well taken care of, but his adventures with his human grandparents were fully documented in a photobook created by Grass’ mother, which she titled “Ricky Goes to Gramma’s and Grampa’s.”

“The photo album that reads like a children’s book first went viral when Grass shared it on TikTok in 2020. Now, it has resurfaced again and people are clamoring for more riveting Ricky content after reading about how the kitten “helped Gramma do the dishes” and how “Cousin Jasper and Charlie ate most of” the pancakes Gramma made for him.

Check out how adorably extra Gramma is:

The comments speak for themselves

Has any kitten ever been more loved?

“I would die for Ricky, Gramma, and Grampa,” wrote one commenter.

“This is GOLD. I want to see ‘Ricky Learns to Drive.’” wrote another.

“My parents didn’t even put this much effort into making scrapbooks for ME,” shared another.

And apparently Grass isn’t the only one with pet grandparents who are a little extra. “My mom made a full year calendar of my dog after only watching her for two days,” a commenter wrote.

Grass told Newsweek that her mom told her she made the book because “that’s what she does,” adding, “She is known for creating very sentimental gifts.”

But Ricky almost didn’t make it at all

Grass also shared that the book almost didn’t get made because Ricky almost didn’t make it as a kitten. He was brought to the veterinary clinic where Grass worked when he was 9 weeks old to be euthanized.

The individuals who dropped him off reported that they found a kitten with broken legs and that was throwing up everything they tried to feed him,” she said. “I came back from my lunch early to care for this kitten and in the kennel was Ricky.”

As it turned out, Ricky had some birth defects and health problems that required specialized care, but he didn’t need to be euthanized. Grass took him home but needed a little time to prepare to give him the care he needed.

“My mom stepped up and offered to watch him for a couple weeks while I got a handle of my schedule,” Grass told Newsweek. “It was during this time that she created the book.”

The fact that Ricky had specialized care needs at the time makes Gramma’s photobook all the more endearing.

“He has made so much progress,” Grass told Newsweek. “His esophagus works significantly better, he has learned how to walk, climb and run, and he continues to help me raise other foster kittens. Ricky is very loved and lives the life he deserved to have.”

With a mom and grandparents like he has, it’s not a surprise.

About those unusual paws in the photos

Of course, the internet’s going to internet, and some people apparently looked at Ricky’s photobook a couple of years after the fact and complained that it was AI generated because of the way Ricky’s paws looked. However, as Grass shared in a video in 2024, those paws aren’t due to AI. They’re just Ricky’s real-life deformities that, ironically, make him appear AI-generated in the photobook. (It’s also worth mentioning that the photobook video came out well before AI-generated technology became available to the masses.)

“Ricky’s legs are actually shaped like candy canes,” Grass explains. “That’s not AI. That’s inbreeding. Spay and neuter your cats.”

You can find more videos of Ricky and the animals Grass fosters on her TikTok channel here.

This article originally appeared three years ago and has been updated.

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Men try a period simulator and hilarity ensues.

Culture, Pop Culture

Four guys try a menstrual cramp simulator and can’t remotely handle it

“It’s stabbing me! What do I do?”

Tod Perry

Upworthy Staff

5/19/2026

They say the best way to understand another person is to walk a mile in their shoes. If you ask most women, though, they’ll tell you to forget about the shoes. They’ve got much bigger problems they wish men could understand.

Imagine how different the world would be if cis-gendered men had the ability to give birth, for example? Would Roe v. Wade have been controversially overturned in 2022, thus ushering in some truly draconian abortion policies, restrictions, and near total bans in various states? If men needed access to abortions, would they be available on-demand? Would we live in a country without mandatory paid maternity leave? How much more affordable would childcare be? Would there be a tax on period products? Overall, how would we treat people experiencing period pain?

Well, in 2021, a few men decided to see what life was like for people who have periods in a funny but enlightening video that went viral on TikTok. In fact, the video started a trend that’s still going strong today.

So some men actually tried it out

In a video posted by Benz Trap House that has millions of views, a group of guys tried a period simulator to experience what menstrual cramps really feel like. Period simulators are essentially the same as labor simulators. They’re called transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) machines that are designed to relieve pain. But when turned up a notch, they can create intense, debilitating discomfort.

The group took a semi-scientific approach to the experiment with a woman acting as a control subject. At the beginning of the video, she attaches the simulator to her abdomen and turns it up to ten, the highest setting. In the clip, the group looks impressed as she endures the extreme setting without showing any discomfort.

The men would not do as well.

When the first guy tried the simulator, he was shocked by the discomfort. “Is it supposed to hurt like that?” the second guy says before erupting in nervous laughter.

The third guy said that he felt the pain all the way down to his knee caps.

The men’s description of the pain certainly seems to indicate that the simulator machine is pretty accurate. According to Mayo Clinic, menstrual cramps are a “throbbing or cramping pain” that radiates to the lower back and thighs. The pain itself, during actual menstruation not simulated by electrical charges, is caused by repeated contractions of the uterus as it sheds its lining.

The cramps can be much worse for women and menstruating people with certain conditions. In fact, they can be debilitating and excruciating. Despite all this, women are expected to just soldier on as if nothing’s happening. In many male-dominated spaces, pain or other difficulties associated with periods are not considered a valid excuse for needing a day off, taking a break, or even going to the bathroom!

The side by side comparison says everything

At one point in the video, the period simulator is attached to a woman and a man at the same time. When the device is turned on, the guy is in extreme pain while the woman stands still, claiming the feelings created by the machine are “not even as bad as a cramp.”

“Yeah, my cramps hurt worse than this,” she added.

See, this is exactly what they mean when they say women have a higher pain tolerance than men. Scientifically, that claim may be dubious, but when it comes to this specific kind of reproductive discomfort, women are far more used to sucking it up.

The comments from women said it all

A lot of people who menstruate felt validated after seeing the guys experience their first period.

“‘You feel that in your back, boi?’ every month, friend,” one commenter said.

One of the most popular comments said: “I’m convinced if men could get pregnant they’d have abortion clinics on every corner and paid maternity leave the whole pregnancy.”

Another commenter pointed out that women have to go through an entire day in pain without a break. “When he said ‘it’s stabbing me what do I do?’ You go to work, clean the house and continue on bb,” they wrote.

“Please this needs to be added to every high school health class … cause some guys really don’t understand the pain” another user added.

This comment took reality up a notch, writing, “Let’s add headaches. And period poops. And bloating. And the feeling of blood leaving you. And the nausea,” she wrote.

Woman experiencing cramps. Photo credit: Canva

If only there were a machine that could simulate all that!

It remains a good thing that this lighthearted video went viral because it’ll give some people newfound respect for the pain that people who have periods go through. Some who watched the video thought that period simulators should be mandatory in sex ed classes.

Imagine how different the world would be if everyone experienced menstrual pain just once in their life.

This article originally appeared five years ago. It has been updated.

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A dog owner picked up a steak from Cheddar's for his dog's last meal.

Nature, Pets

Man ordering steak for dog’s last meal is stunned by restaurant staff’s kind response

Dogs are the perfect family members.

Tod Perry

Upworthy Staff

5/19/2026

There are a few things that are harder than saying goodbye to a pet; it can be as difficult as losing a close friend or family member. But for some reason, many people feel that they are not supposed to grieve as deeply for the loss of a pet as they do for a human. That’s why the kindness shown by the staff at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen in Saint Joseph, Missouri, is so extraordinary.

CousinHomer, a country musician in Missouri, faced the terrible decision to put down his 13-year-old dog, Bella, back in 2023, Bella, so he wanted her last meal to be something truly special: a “big, juicy steak.” The staff at the restaurant asked him what he wanted for sides, and CousinHomer said he just wanted the steak. “They told me it would be the same price with or without them, so I might as well get them. I explained to them that I was having my dog, Bella, put to sleep later that day, and I wanted her last meal to be a nice, juicy steak,” CousinHomer said in his video.

It’s worth noting that Bella actually passed away in 2023, but it took Homer nearly two years before he felt ready to share the story publicly.

An incredible act of kindness

“When I showed up at the restaurant about 30 minutes later to pick up her food, the manager handed me the bag of food and said, ‘We are so sorry about your dog. This meal is on us.’ I really couldn’t believe it. It was so nice of them,” CousinHomer said. However, when he got home, he saw that they had done something even more special: the entire staff had signed a card that read: “Our deepest sympathy in the loss of your best friend. She’ll be waiting for you over the Rainbow Bridge.”

“So I just want to publicly say, thank you, Cheddar’s, for being so kind and thoughtful. It really meant the world to me,” CousinHomer concluded his video. But that wasn’t the end of the story. CousinHomer asked people to tag Cheddar’s in the post, so they know how many saw their act of kindness. Cheddar’s followed up with another act of kindness, which CousinHomer documented in a follow-up video.

After Cheddar’s was flooded with people tagging them in the story, they sent CousinHomer a branded fleece that he can wear like a snuggie. “May comfort wrap around you like a warm Honey Butter Croissant. Your Cheddar’s family is here for you, Cousin,” the company wrote in the comments.

Why the loss of a pet hurts so much

Losing a pet can be just as hard as losing a human loved one, but there is one thing that’s uniquely painful about putting down a pet. No matter how much we know we made the right decision, it still won’t stop us from ruminating over it.

“You do that because emotional pain hurts just like physical pain. And we are hard-wired to recognize pain as a teacher,” Sarah Hoggan, DVM, a veterinarian and pet loss grief advocate, said in a TED Talk. “Our body has reflexes that will pull our hand off a hot stove. We have pulled ourselves to safety even before we know the burn has occurred. Unfortunately, no such instant rescue mechanism exists for emotional pain. That means we need to study the events that led to the pain, to try to learn something from it and avoid it in the future.”

Ultimately, CousinHomer is going to be in a period of grief for quite a while, but it’s nice to know that there are a whole lot of people who recognized his pain and let him know that it was completely warranted to need some love after the death of a pet. At a moment when you have to make an incredibly difficult decision, having people understand your pain can make all the difference.

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

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Photo credit: @lindseyswagmom/TikTok – This daughter knew exactly what to get her dad for Secret Santa

Dads, Family

Daughter surprises her dad with ‘prized possession’ he sold 30 years ago to help the family

The moment he realizes what the gift is.

Heather Wake

Upworthy Staff

5/19/2026

Many people dream of somehow being able to repay their parents for the sacrifices made for them during childhood. Whether that’s something physical, like paying off their mortgage, or simply being the best version of ourselves to make them absolutely proud. For Lindsey Moore, it was finding a “prized possession” her dad once gave up to help the family, and returning it to him once again. Moore still vividly remembers being only seven years old when she saw her father walk into a comic book store to sell a Dan Marino rookie football card from his first season with the Miami Dolphins.

In a TikTok that went absolutely viral in 2023, Moore’s father is seen reliving this memory as he holds onto a Christmas bag and a family member reads a card out loud.

“Money was tight, so you were selling your most prized possession, at least I viewed it as that,” Moore wrote. “I felt your sacrifice and it taught me that I would do whatever necessary to ensure my future family never needed anything. It was a lesson that has stuck with me since that moment.”

She made herself a promise that day

It was also the moment she became “determined” to pay her father back. More than thirty years later, she has drawn her father’s name for Secret Santa. It was the perfect opportunity to fulfill that promise.

“I will never be able to fully repay that debt,” her note continued. “Seven-year-old me would be so elated to see that I finally fulfilled that promise I made to myself. Thank you for everything.”

As he listened, Moore’s dad began tearing up. Sure enough, he opened his gift to see it was the cherished card he sold all those years ago.

The video concludes as Moore and her father enjoy a warm embrace.

For those wondering about the card’s value: a 1984 Topps Dan Marino rookie card in mint condition can fetch as much as $30,000. The sweet exchange certainly struck a chord online.

The internet completely lost it

The sweet exchange certainly struck a chord online.

“When he started crying I LOST IT,” one person wrote.

Another added, “Something about bringing a grown man to tears always gets me.”

A few parents shared their own stories of sacrificing prized possessions:

“As someone who has sold his prized Gretzky rookie to provide for his kids, I appreciate and respect this a lot,” commented one person.

“Just had to sell my signature MacKinnon jersey to pay bills. Sucked so much but kid comes first,” echoed another.

On the flip side, some shared their one experience of getting to repay their parents. One wrote:

“I got to do this for my mom last year. She won a [Dolce & Gabbana] purse one year at work and sold it to buy my prom dress and never thought twice. She never [got] name brand anything. So this year I took her to get her very first name brand fancy hand bag or her picking, my treat.”

But perhaps the best comment belonged to this person, who astutely pointed out: “The card wasn’t the real gift to him. It was hearing his impact on you. Priceless.”

Moore shared another video showing a close up of the Christmas card for viewers to read, as well as the prized football card in question.

There are so many ways to say thank you

We might not all get to reclaim what our parents sacrificed, and that’s okay. There are so many ways to share just how much of a positive impact they made on our lives. Even saying how much we appreciate them can be an invaluable reward. When all is said and done, letting our parents know how much they mean to us and how much their sacrifices matter to us is the best gift of all.

This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.

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Alberto Cartuccia Cingolani wows audiences with his amazing musical talents.

Culture, Pop Culture

Watch a 5-yr-old Italian piano prodigy blow away the crowd with his extraordinary ability

Alberto has talent beyond his years.

Annie Reneau

Upworthy Staff

5/18/2026

Mozart was known for his musical talent at a young age, playing the harpsichord at age four and writing original compositions at age five. So perhaps it’s fitting that a video of five-year-old piano prodigy Alberto Cartuccia Cingolani playing Mozart has gone viral as people marvel at his musical abilities.

Alberto’s legs couldn’t even reach the pedals, but that didn’t stop his little hands from flying expertly over the keys as incredible music pours out of the piano at the 10th International Musical Competition “Città di Penne” in Italy in 2022. Even if you’ve seen young musicians play impressively, it’s hard not to have your jaw drop. Sometimes a kid comes along who just clearly has a gift.

Of course, that gift has been helped along by two professional musician parents, but no amount of teaching can create an ability like this.

How this all got started during lockdown

Alberto first started playing in 2020 in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Italy was one of the first countries to experience a serious lockdown, and Alberto’s mother used the opportunity to start teaching her son to play piano. Alessia Cingolani and her husband Simone Cartuccia are both music conservatory graduates, and mom Alessia told Italian entertainment website Contra-taque that she and her husband recognized Alberto’s talent immediately.

She said that although Alberto spends a lot of time at the piano, he also has plenty of time for school and play and television, like a normal kid.

There’s genuinely nothing “normal” about this kid’s piano playing, though. Watch him playing a piece by Edvard Grieg in front of a crowd in Italy at age five:

Wow, right? There are countless adults who took years of piano lessons and never got to that level of playing.

According to Corriere Adriatico, by the time he was four and a half years old, Alberto had participated in seven competitions and won first place in all of them. He has since gone on to collect more than 70 first prizes in national and international competitions. His mother told the outlet that he started out practicing for about 10 minutes a day and gradually increased to three hours.

“He has a remarkable flair for the piano,” she said. Um, yeah. Clearly.

Some commenters expressed some concern for the boy based on his seriousness and what looks like dark circles under his eyes in the competition video, but if you check out other videos of Alberto playing at home, he is more relaxed. In interviews, his mother has made it clear that they prioritize normal childhood activities.

Now watch him at age eight with an orchestra

Alberto also plays with other musicians. Watch him playing Haydn along with a small orchestra at age eight in 2025:

Where musical ability comes from continues to be somewhat of a mystery, and experts frequently debate how much is due to nature and how much is due to nurture. Some argue that anyone can develop musical skills with enough practice and a supportive environment, but sometimes a kid clearly displays an innate musical sensibility that defies explanation. Some children are just genuine prodigies, and Alberto certainly seems to fit that bill. Can’t wait to see what kind of musical future awaits him.

This article originally appeared four years ago and has been updated.

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