+
A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM UPWORTHY
We are a small, independent media company on a mission to share the best of humanity with the world.
If you think the work we do matters, pre-ordering a copy of our first book would make a huge difference in helping us succeed.
GOOD PEOPLE Book
upworthy

faith in humanity

Joy

NICU nurse adopts 14-year-old patient who delivered triplets alone

“I knew it would be impossible to find a foster home that would take all four of them. No one was going to take a teen mom and her preemie triplets.”

Today|YouTube

NICU nurse adopts teen with three babies.

Having your first baby is a scary experience. Everything is new—you've quite literally never done this before—not to mention an entire human is going to be removed from your body one way or another. Childbirth, no matter how your baby leaves your body, is not for the weak. But imagine giving birth alone to not just one baby, but three, all at the same time. Then imagine doing that feat at the age of 14.

Shariya Small experienced that scenario in a hospital in Indiana, and her nurse Katrina Mullen took note. Small's babies were premature, born at just 26 weeks, when the average gestation for triplets is 33 weeks, according to ReproductiveFacts.org. Due to their early birth, the babies, Serenitee, Samari and Sarayah, had to stay in the NICU at Community Hospital North in Indianapolis for more than five months, according to Today.com.

During their time in the NICU, Mullen noticed the young mom visited her babies alone, not appearing to have much of a support system. “She’d be there alone for days at a time sitting at her babies’ bedside,” Mullen told Today.com.

The pair got to know each other over the months that the babies were in the hospital, but Small continued to be reluctant to open up about her family life. That changed after she found out that Mullen had her first child at 16 and had given it up for adoption. Their experiences bonded the two moms, and Mullen began helping to care for the babies and Small by giving her advice and showing her how to properly care for the infants.

Eventually, Mullen gave Small her phone number before the babies were discharged from the hospital. It quickly became apparent that Small did not have a support system, as she called Mullen often asking for advice. Out of concern, the nurse went to visit Small an hour away, where she was living with a family member.

The condition of the home was concerning enough, but Mullen became even more worried when she saw how thin Small's son Samari was. It turns out he had to be admitted to the hospital, which prompted a visit from Child Protective Services, who determined that Small and her three infants would need to enter foster care. She gave the social worker Mullen's information and things began to fall into place.

Listen to Small and Mullen explain their unique story below:

This article originally appeared on 4.10.23

From Your Site Articles
nicu nurse
Heroes

Iconic 1996 photo of Black woman  protecting a KKK member is even more powerful today

Keisha Thomas is a true hero.

Screenshot from The Fire|YouTube

Teen photographed protecting KKK member, now a human rights activist

In 1996 there was a moment that was captured on camera that took place that would become a piece of social justice history. In Ann Arbor, Michigan, the Ku Klux Klan held a rally when counter protestors showed up as a means to show that white supremacist group was unwelcome in their town. The historic moment came when a man, Albert McKeel Jr., wearing a confederate flag shirt with SS tattoos enters the counter protestors' side alone.

Keisha Thomas, then just 18-years-old was in the crowd to protest the KKK being in Ann Arbor when things . People in the crowd at first attempted to chase the man out of the crowd when it was announced he was there, but the group quickly became violent. That's when Thomas was shocked into action.

Though she is Black and the man was wearing symbols that depict his alleged hatred of Black people, Thomas didn't let that stop her.

The teen threw herself on top of the man demanding that the crowd stop hitting and kicking him. In that moment, she let compassion for another human being lead the way, possibly saving his life. In an update video with The Fire, a non profit organization, Thomas said it felt as if two angels lifted her in that moment.

Albert McKeel Jr. fleeing

Mark Brunner|flic.kr

Years later, Thomas ran into the man's son at a coffee shop where he thanked her for stepping in to save his dad. The two stayed in touch over the years, allowing Thomas to speak to McKeel's 12-year-old daughter after his passing in 2016. The little girl also thanked the woman expressing that if it weren't for her then she wouldn't exist.

Thomas tells MLive, "When I heard that, I thought this was the future and the past of what peace has created," Thomas said. "The real accomplishment of all this to me is to know that his son and daughter don't share the same views. History didn't repeat itself. That's what gives me hope that the world can get better from generation to generation."

ann arbor kkk protest

Mark Brunner|flic.kr

To think she made a piece of history before she even graduated high school. The photo of her throwing herself on top of McKeel won Life Magazine's best photo of the year for 1996. The now iconic photo even landed Thomas an interview with Oprah.

But what is Thomas up to now? It seems she still has a passion for social justice and human rights. According to the Michigan media site, MLive, she's done everything from volunteering after 9/11 to distributing food to Hurricane Katrina victims. She also walked from Selma, Alabama to Washington D.C. for voting rights with the NAACP and volunteered at a hospital in Haiti.

Thomas has been on the move to help other people in any way she could since that photo was taken nearly three decades ago. The moment didn't just inspire her to keep showing up for other people, but it continues to inspire others every time it goes viral on social media.

Watch her update video below:

From Your Site Articles
keisha thomas update
Joy

Postal carrier had a 'gut feeling' after seeing mail pile up for three days. It saved a life.

This dedicated public servant became a small town hero.

YouTube

Kayla Berridge went above and beyond.

Kayla Berridge had been walking her normal 9-mile delivery route in Newmarket, a small town in New Hampshire, when she noticed something unusual.

The mail she had been delivering continued to pile up over a matter of days at one resident’s home. The resident was an elderly woman in her 80s, and would occasionally share a chat with Berridge, according to CNN.

Berridge told CNN that after noticing the unattended mail pile, she got “a little concerned.”

“I just had this gut feeling and wanted to make sure,” Berridge told WMUR 9 News, explaining that “most people put a hold in if they’re not there, so when people pick up their mail every day, you start to notice their habits.” Not to mention, the woman’s car was still in the driveway.

Berridge followed her instincts and called the local police department for a wellness check, and in the process saved the elderly woman’s life.

CNN reported that officers found the woman trapped on her bedroom floor under heavy artwork and frames. The theory is she tried to use her bed for support, and in the process these items on the bed fell onto her, pinning her down for three full days. Though she was suffering from hypothermia and dehydration, Police Lt. Wayne Stevens confirmed she was stable and recovering.

I can only imagine the agony and fear this poor woman was in, lying in the cold and not knowing if help would come. Luckily, help was on the way, and this story has a happy ending.

In this instance, the familiarity that comes from living in a small town really paid off. “Everyone has each other’s backs,” Berridge told CNN.

But Officer Stevens wanted to give credit where credit was due. He agreed that Berridge’s quick thinking was “part of being a letter carrier in a small town,” he added that her actions were “taking your job to the next level.”

While wellness or welfare checks have historically been associated with the elderly, they are seen as an equally “critical tool” for the safety of many young people as well, especially with the “rise of suicide rates among adolescents and young adults.”

An example of this is when "Saturday Night Live" star Pete Davidson received a wellness check back in 2018. The comedian posted an alarming message to Instagram, saying “I really don’t want to be on this Earth anymore. I actually don’t know how much longer I can last.” This was after breaking off his engagement with Ariana Grande.

Though it certainly didn’t happen in a small town, the interconnectedness of social media helped raise some red flags and prompted authorities to make a visit.

If there’s anything to make you question someone’s well-being, it’s better to be safe than sorry.


This article originally appeared on 02.02.22

From Your Site Articles
wholesome
Community

Woman's plea on Nextdoor app after cancer diagnosis leads to life-changing friendship

She desperately needed help to get to appointments.

CBS Mornings|YouTube

Woman makes life-changing friend on Nextdoor after cancer diagnosis

Sometimes in life you need a little help. Going through any major life event can be scary but to have to go through it mostly alone can be downright terrifying. April Goodman found herself in that very situation over a year ago. Goodman was diagnosed with uterine cancer and would need assistance getting to and from her appointments for chemotherapy and radiation.

But Goodman didn't have anyone she could call on for help, which left her reliant on attempting to seek assistance through the app Nextdoor. This app is often used for neighborly things like informing people of accidents, recommendations, and sometimes help with smaller things like food or lawn equipment. It essentially brings neighbors together in one spot to allow them to communicate and look out for one another.

Goodman needed more than to borrow someone's weed whacker, she needed a trustworthy friend to get her to and from appointments. She had no choice but to take a chance and ask a group of strangers to help her during an extremely vulnerable time in her life. Lyn Story answered the call without hesitation.

Story saw Goodman's plea and immediately offered to get the woman to and from her appointments. Goodman tells CBS Mornings that at first she ignored the generous offer, "someone spoke up and said, 'I'll take you to your appointments' and I kind of ignored it cause it was a stranger. What do you do? So she messaged me again and said, 'I'll take you. I mean it, I'm honest. I'm sincere.'"

That started a life-changing friendship between the two. Story has taken Goodman to over 25 appointments so far. She's seen her graduate from chemotherapy before starting her radiation. But it turns out Story didn't stop with answering Goodman's call on the Nextdoor app. Another neighbor who is legally blind was forced out of retirement and needed rides to work, that's where Story once again lended her help.

If no one else is doing it, Story is restoring people's faith in humanity, one neighbor at a time. Watch the entire inspiring interview below.

From Your Site Articles
nextdoor app friend
Trending Stories