People are sharing good things happening in America that are flying under the radar
Don't let negative headlines overshadow the positive things happening all around us.

We can all use some good news, and thankfully, there's plenty of it.
When you watch or read the news, it can be easy to get down on the world. It's not your imagination that the news has a negativity bias. One study showed that headlines denoting anger, fear, disgust and sadness steadily increased from 2000 to 2019, making it even harder to stay informed without feeling a sense of despair or hopelessness.
But that doesn't meant that everything is bad. The reality is that there are wonderful things happening all around us that fly under the radar. Just because good news isn't flooding our social media feeds doesn't mean it isn't there—we just might have to dig through the muck and mire of the media to find it.
Or, as one person discovered, ask people to share in a Reddit thread.
When Reddit user u/NorthPengyyy asked the Ask Reddit board, "What is a good thing happening in the US right now that people aren’t aware of?" people delivered.
Check out these uplifting developments that might just restore your faith and hope in humanity.
1. There's a promising new drug treatment for Multiple Sclerosis
"We've discovered a drug that places a significant pause on Multiple Sclerosis progression and are in trials for what could very well be the cure." – Alarming-Series6627
As Neuroscience News shares, "A new small molecule drug targeting the glutamate system shows promise in treating MS, potentially repairing myelin damage. This innovative approach could revolutionize MS treatment."
2. Not only that, but a new "inverse vaccine" may revolutionize all autoimmune disease treatment
"Not only MS, but potentially all autoimmune disease, including crohns, T1 diabetes, arthritis, lyme, and even allergies." –AVeryHeavyBurtation
In the lab, a new "inverse vaccine," which removes the immune system’s memory of one molecule, showed an ability to completely reverse autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes without shutting down the rest of the immune system. Could be a gamechanger for autoimmune diseases.
3. Anonymous donor regularly hides thousands of dollars at a children's rehab center
"There's a guy in my hometown who hides thousands of dollars outside a children's rehab center, then calls the front desk and they have a little scavenger hunt until they find it. They then use the money to help families buy holiday gifts. No one knows who he is, but over the years, he's given over $100,000. It's usually front-page news when the year's donation comes in!" – violetmemphisblue
How much fun must that be, both for the anonymous donor and for the employees and kids?
4. A judge in California thought there must be a better solution than locking young young people away for life. So he created an amazing, innovative educational alternative.
Superior Court Judge John Phillips had grown tired of seeing so many young people come through his courtroom and having no recourse but what the system provided—mostly jail time. So he created what he saw they needed. It's called Rancho Cielo and it's a place where kids who are at risk of falling into criminality go for education, support, enrichment. Here they won't fall through the cracks and they are able to become their best selves. Read more about how and why it works here.
5. New treatments for brain cancer have arrived after a long lull
"There is a new treatment for my brain cancer. There have been NO advancements in like 40 years. I should be able to take it next year and it will hopefully delay my tumor growth.
It’s pretty exciting. I have done two clinical trials. One did not pan out. The other one they won’t have the information for probably another 6-10 years." – chasingcomet2
This person could be talking about a new drug that's showing promise for brain cancer that develops in the young, or they could be referring to an immunotherapy treatment for glioblastoma, or perhaps another treatment. The science is moving along quickly on this front!
6. Sea stars are making a comeback after being largely wiped out
"The sea stars on the west coast are returning after suffering a wasting disease a few years back." – suitopseudo

Sea stars are on their way back.
Photo by geoff trodd on Unsplash
In 2013, sea stars (also commonly called starfish) began dying in droves when a wasting disease swept through the population. Thankfully, scientists now have some idea of what caused that deadly epidemic and we've seen an increase in the number of sea stars in Washington, Oregon and northern California after the mass die-off.
7. Americans might soon save on tax filing, thanks to a new IRS program
"The IRS is testing a program in 2024 that will let most people file their taxes for free right at their website, so that should save people a little cash this spring." – ndorox
Yes, calculating and paying taxes is an annoying and tedious process, which is why anything that makes it easier is a good thing.
8. Honeybees are making a comeback, too
"After some really scary news in the late 00's, bee populations have been steadily on the rebound." – CryptoCentric
It's true. Yay for the honeybees!
9. And apparently, so is Detroit. (Go Detroit!)
"Detroit is supposedly making a comeback." – MoreCowsThanPeople
"Can confirm! Certain areas are for real pretty nice and a lot of hip businesses have popped up. It's still a very weird city. You have a gorgeous church or historical venue and two doors down, a burned out building. The blight is diminishing though and it's good to see." – sane-ish
"Lowest crime in 60 years! Downtown Detroit is having a moment right now." – TheDadThatGrills
10. We're kicking cancer's butt all over the place.
"We're killing cancer. Look at cancer survival rates over the last five years." – TheDadThatGrills
In addition to the cancers referenced above, there have been huge leaps in breast cancer treatments and even treatments for aggressive cancers that used to mean a dire prognosis. We still have a long way to go, but the strides made on the cancer front the past decade have been nothing short of remarkable.
11. Local goodness abounds in communities everywhere.
"I look in my community. COVID has changed a lot. Ordinary people are helping out ordinary people either openly or in secret.
"There’s a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant near me. Not great food. But good amounts for cheap. I wondered why it had so many customers. They feed the homeless in the community. Some come and ask for food. Or some help at closing and in exchange get food. They never say no and happily give them food and even ask if they want chips and salsa. As a way of contributing, customers leave huge tips.
"When my friend was diagnosed with breast cancer her old next door neighbor couple took care of her yard and checked in on her." –ClayWheelGirl
"Every year in Atlanta and surrounding areas Clark Howard (and affiliates) raise donations to give literally every single kid in foster care gifts of their choosing for Christmas morning. They make the quota every year, and participating in it is a Christmas tradition at my house. Google Clark's Christmas Kids and give what you can." – LarvellJonesMD·
"Last year I left a Domestic Violence situation and had basically nothing, but my kid got an unexpectedly huge haul from 'Santa.' It was like, 3 huge garbage bags full of toys and clothes. This year she started school and we had to classify her as homeless for her school paperwork because we live with my parents (it was required--I tried to get out of doing it) so she's always getting offers for help from different organizations. We decline them, but it's good to know they exist for those who are truly in need." – NeedsMoreTuba
"Despite a tornado ripping through my town on Saturday, our community has banded together and there are more volunteers and supplies than the churches and schools can manage! People showing up to serve hot meals, loaning generators, taking in fur babies, and cleaning up." – reggaeisanotherbag
12. People are realizing we need more positive news
"This thread does wonders for my mental health. Wow, what a bit of positivity does." – Beliriel
"I'm so used to doom scrolling that I didn't realize how desperately deprived I was of whatever dopamine you could get from good news, but these comments woke it up. Thank you everyone." – Critical_Escape7745
"This thread gives me hope. For the first time in a long time." – JoKatHW
- Seven amazing trends the media ignores that'll make you feel great about the future ›
- Artist takes the best 'good news' stories and transforms them into masterful illustrations ›
- I’m honestly fed up with all the bad news, so I illustrated 50 of the best ones from 2019 ›
- Things people might not know are having a 'golden age' - Upworthy ›



A Generation Jones teenager poses in her room.Image via Wikmedia Commons
An office kitchen.via
An angry man eating spaghetti.via 



An Irish woman went to the doctor for a routine eye exam. She left with bright neon green eyes.
It's not easy seeing green.
Did she get superpowers?
Going to the eye doctor can be a hassle and a pain. It's not just the routine issues and inconveniences that come along when making a doctor appointment, but sometimes the various devices being used to check your eyes' health feel invasive and uncomfortable. But at least at the end of the appointment, most of us don't look like we're turning into The Incredible Hulk. That wasn't the case for one Irish woman.
Photographer Margerita B. Wargola was just going in for a routine eye exam at the hospital but ended up leaving with her eyes a shocking, bright neon green.
At the doctor's office, the nurse practitioner was prepping Wargola for a test with a machine that Wargola had experienced before. Before the test started, Wargola presumed the nurse had dropped some saline into her eyes, as they were feeling dry. After she blinked, everything went yellow.
Wargola and the nurse initially panicked. Neither knew what was going on as Wargola suddenly had yellow vision and radioactive-looking green eyes. After the initial shock, both realized the issue: the nurse forgot to ask Wargola to remove her contact lenses before putting contrast drops in her eyes for the exam. Wargola and the nurse quickly removed the lenses from her eyes and washed them thoroughly with saline. Fortunately, Wargola's eyes were unharmed. Unfortunately, her contacts were permanently stained and she didn't bring a spare pair.
- YouTube youtube.com
Since she has poor vision, Wargola was forced to drive herself home after the eye exam wearing the neon-green contact lenses that make her look like a member of the Green Lantern Corps. She couldn't help but laugh at her predicament and recorded a video explaining it all on social media. Since then, her video has sparked a couple Reddit threads and collected a bunch of comments on Instagram:
“But the REAL question is: do you now have X-Ray vision?”
“You can just say you're a superhero.”
“I would make a few stops on the way home just to freak some people out!”
“I would have lived it up! Grab a coffee, do grocery shopping, walk around a shopping center.”
“This one would pair well with that girl who ate something with turmeric with her invisalign on and walked around Paris smiling at people with seemingly BRIGHT YELLOW TEETH.”
“I would save those for fancy special occasions! WOW!”
“Every time I'd stop I'd turn slowly and stare at the person in the car next to me.”
“Keep them. Tell people what to do. They’ll do your bidding.”
In a follow-up Instagram video, Wargola showed her followers that she was safe at home with normal eyes, showing that the damaged contact lenses were so stained that they turned the saline solution in her contacts case into a bright Gatorade yellow. She wasn't mad at the nurse and, in fact, plans on keeping the lenses to wear on St. Patrick's Day or some other special occasion.
While no harm was done and a good laugh was had, it's still best for doctors, nurses, and patients alike to double-check and ask or tell if contact lenses are being worn before each eye test. If not, there might be more than ultra-green eyes to worry about.