+
upworthy
More

Her son died at age 14. 23 years after donating his heart, she got to hear it beat again.

She lost her son long ago, but she got to hear a part of him that still lives.

What would you do if a complete stranger gave you a second chance at life?

It seems like an appropriate time to ugly cry. GIF from "America's Next Top Model."

It probably wouldn't feel like enough, but at the very least, you'd likely want to thank them.


Meet Daniel Titley. His life was saved when he received a heart transplant at just 11 years old thanks to a teenage donor.

Image from "Real Stories with Ranvir Singh."

As reported by "Real Stories with Ranvir Singh," Daniel was born with severe heart complications and the doctors said he wouldn't live past a few months. He underwent multiple surgeries, most of which helped, but he still needed a new heart. And he finally got one at the age of 11 thanks to a donation from a 14-year-old boy who had died in a car crash.

Daniel long wondered about the child who made his new lease on life possible.

At the age of 35, after having his new heart for twice as long as his original heart (!!!), he decided to find out exactly who this child was.

After some digging into records, he found out his donor was a teenager named Stephen Norris. Daniel was hesitant to reach out because he didn't want to remind the donor's family about a painful memory. But he contacted the family and asked to meet anyway. He had to say thank you.

His donor's mother, Gillian Norris, agreed to meet.

And when they embraced, she not only heard Daniel's thanks and appreciation. She got to listen to the heart of her son beating, 23 years after his death.

What? No, I'm not crying. I just have something in both of my eyes. GIF from "Real Stories with Ranvir Singh."

These types of meetings are rare. But Gillian and Daniel wanted to share this intimate moment with the world.

They wanted to encourage individuals and their families to participate in organ donation.

In case you missed the news, there's a shortage of organ donors in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a new name is added to the national transplant waiting list every 10 minutes and an average of 22 people die every day while waiting for an organ transplant. Daniel lives in the U.K., where up to three people a day die while waiting for a donation. That's still a lot of deaths that could have been prevented.

Gillian and Daniel's story shows how the benefit of organ donation goes beyond the lives saved. It's helpful for the survivors as well.

Making the decision about organ donation can be a really tough thing to do on top of dealing with losing a loved one. However, agreeing to it can be helpful for the survivor dealing with loss. Gillian is one of those people. She told ITV, "Knowing that there's people out there given time that they wouldn't have had without a donor is a comfort to me."

If you want to learn more about organ donation, including how join your state's donor registry, visit Donate Life America.

True

Making new friends as an adult is challenging. While people crave meaningful IRL connections, it can be hard to know where to find them. But thanks to one Facebook Group, meeting your new best friends is easier than ever.

Founded in 2018, NYC Brunch Squad brings together hundreds of people who come as strangers and leave as friends through its in-person events.

“Witnessing the transformative impact our community has on the lives of our members is truly remarkable. We provide the essential support and connections needed to thrive amid the city's chaos,” shares Liza Rubin, the group’s founder.

Despite its name, the group doesn’t just do brunch. They also have book clubs, seasonal parties, and picnics, among other activities.

NYC Brunch Squad curates up to 10 monthly events tailored to the specific interests of its members. Liza handles all the details, taking into account different budgets and event sizes – all people have to do is show up.

“We have members who met at our events and became friends and went on to embark on international journeys to celebrate birthdays together. We have had members get married with bridesmaids by their sides who were women they first connected with at our events. We’ve had members decide to live together and become roommates,” Liza says.

Members also bond over their passion for giving back to their community. The group has hosted many impact-driven events, including a “Picnic with Purpose” to create self-care packages for homeless shelters and recently participated in the #SquadSpreadsJoy challenge. Each day, the 100 members participating receive random acts of kindness to complete. They can also share their stories on the group page to earn extra points. The member with the most points at the end wins a free seat at the group's Friendsgiving event.

Keep ReadingShow less
Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Van Gogh’s Starry Night.



Van Gough never got to enjoy his own historic success as an artist (even though we've been able to imagine what that moment might have looked like). But it turns out that those of us who have appreciated his work have been missing out on some critical details for more than 100 years.

I'm not easily impressed, OK?

I know Van Gogh was a genius. If the point of this were "Van Gogh was a mad genius," I would not be sharing this with you.
Keep ReadingShow less
Family

Mom shows why painters tape is her 'weird' thing she'll never travel without

For parents with young kids looking to have a little less travel stress this holiday season—this one's for you.

@nicholaknox/Instagram

A mom shows all the ways painters tape can be useful while traveling

Traveling can be stressful for anyone, but it’s particularly challenging for parents with really young kids. The sitting still for long periods of time, the changes in schedule, the abundance of stimuli, the unexpected stomach bugs, the suddenly running out of diaper wipes…all the things that make trips triggering for toddlers and therefore chaotic for mom and dad.

And while there might not be a way to completely avoid every travel-induced aggravation (it’s all part of the journey!) there are definitely tips and tricks and tools to make it a bit smoother of a process.

For one mom, a peaceful trip always begins with a roll of painter’s tape.
Keep ReadingShow less

Gen Xer shares some timeless advice for Gen Z.

Meghan Smith is the owner of Melody Note Vintage store in the eternally hip town of Palm Springs, California, and her old-school Gen X advice has really connected with younger people on TikTok.

In a video posted in December 2022, she shares the advice she wishes that “somebody told me in my twenties” and it has received more than 13 million views. Smith says that she gave the same advice to her partner's two daughters when they reached their twenties.

The video is hashtagged #GenX advice for #GenZ and late #millennials. Sorry older millennials, you’re too old to receive these pearls of wisdom.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pets

Dog mom has the most random phone conversation that adorably captures her dog's attention

This nonsensical conversation has the puppy ready for tacos...now!

Dog mom's random conversation has dog on edge of his seat

Dogs are constantly listening even if we don't know it. Their little ears perk up anytime they hear something suspicious or tilt their heads trying to understand what's being said. Some dog owners avoid saying words like "walk," "ride" or "treat" in front of their dogs because they know it will get the dogs overly excited.

One dog mom decided to test her luck by holding a fake phone conversation while her dog was nearby and it was shared to social media by HrtWarming. The conversation was about as nonsensical as it could get because no one else was on the other end of the phone.

"Yeah, did you get the treats? Well, he specifically wanted peanut butter. Yeah. Peanut butter treats. Yeah because we're going to go for a ride later," She says. "I think we're going to go for a ride and go to daycare. Camp. Yeah."

At this point the dog is pretty invested in the conversation as he keeps tilting his head from side to side but as the random conversation goes on, he gets more excited.

Keep ReadingShow less
Family

Baby still in diapers is blowing people away with his musical ability at the piano

Young Gavrill seems to intuitively understand music, and the best part is that he does it with such joy.

Gavrill Scherbenko appears to be a musical prodigy.

Mozart blew people away with his composing abilities at age 5. Franz Liszt played piano professionally for the aristocracy when he was 9. Yo-Yo Ma played cello for President John F. Kennedy at age 7.

Musical prodigies have fascinated people for centuries with their mastery of music at unexpected ages. Most of us have the same questions: How and at what age were their abilities discovered? Is it nature or nurture or a combination of both? Can prodigies be created on purpose, or is it something no one can predict or control?

While each musical prodigy has their own unique story, one family is giving the world some early glimpses of what an innate sense for music looks like in a baby who's still in diapers.

Keep ReadingShow less

Is it always best to be honest with friends?

A big parenting trend over the past few decades is people giving their children names that help them stand out instead of fit in. Social scientists say that a big reason for the change in America is the rise of individualism.

“As American culture has become more individualistic, parents have favored giving children names that help them stand out—and that means more unique names and fewer common names,” Jean Twenge, a San Diego State University psychology professor, told the BBC.

However, being an individualist comes with some risks. One can be an iconoclastic trendsetter or seen as desperate, inauthentic and cringeworthy.

Keep ReadingShow less