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father

All illustrations are provided by Soosh and used with permission.

I have plenty of space.

This article originally appeared on 04.09.16


It's hard to truly describe the amazing bond between dads and their daughters.

Being a dad is an amazing job no matter the gender of the tiny humans we're raising. But there's something unique about the bond between fathers and daughters.

Most dads know what it's like to struggle with braiding hair, but we also know that bonding time provides immense value to our daughters. In fact, studies have shown that women with actively involved fathers are more confident and more successful in school and business.

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Heckling can be a dangerous sport. Especially when you try it with comedian Steve Hofstetter.

A sexist heckler recently learned this the hard way in front of his own daughters.

It started when Steve told a joke about why heckling is a bad choice.

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You might recognize Chris Hemsworth as the secretary in the upcoming "Ghostbusters" reboot, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Thor, or as the older brother of Miley Cyrus's sometimes beau, Liam.

But what you might not know is that the Australian god of thunder also has aspirations of culinary greatness and a 4-year-old daughter named India whom he dares not disappoint.

When his sweet little girl requested a chocolate T. rex cake to celebrate her birthday, the Mighty Hemsworth knew exactly what to do: order a cake from the cake store.

But life is not without its roadblocks, even for an in-demand leading man. We can’t say for sure if Hemsworth was hindered by the famously terrible L.A. traffic on the Rainbow Bridge to Asgard, or if he just waited too long to call the local bakery, but either way, the end result revealed the same shocking, awful truth: The cake store wouldn't have time to create the requested culinary dino-concoction in time for his daughter's birthday.

"What do you mean, you can't bake me a cake for my daughter's birthday? I'm $@ing THOR." — what the ever-friendly Chris Hemsworth definitely did not say. Photo by Anthony Kwan/Getty Images.

So Hemsworth swung into action, like a huntsman in that movie where he plays the huntsman.

Lest he return to his home empty-handed, Hemsworth consulted with Odin's great wisdom and found a recipe for such a cake as his daughter did desire.

With the knowledge of the Norns in hand, he got the the necessary ingredients from a store, just like a normal person who is also a father and wishes to do right by his daughter would do.

Photo by Torsten Laursen/Getty Images.

It was not until he returned to his humble Los Angeles abode that he realized he had forgotten eggs!

(OK so this part didn't actually happen. But I'm taking some creative license just so I can share this funny picture of an exasperated Chris Hemsworth.)

Photo by Alberto Alcocer/Getty Images.

With the clock ticking down toward the anniversary of his daughter's day of birth, the heroic Hemsworth grabbed the mixing bowl and fervently whisked the ingredients together and poured the batter blend into a dinosaur-shaped dish...

Tens of minutes passed as he anxiously awaited for the sugary mixture to settle into its spongy form within the oven...

Watching a cake bake is really, really boring, so here's a lovely photo of Chris and his wife, Elsa Pataky.

Photo by Samir Hussein/Getty Images for StudioCanal.

With seconds to spare (I'm editorializing), the kitchen timer sounded out an ear-piercing ding, and Hemsworth retrieved his Tyrannosaurus creation from the oven's fiery bowels!

He named his fine dino-delicacy "La TRex al la chocolate," which is a lost Latin phrase that I assume means "Chris Hemsworth made a totally awesome dinosaur cake for his daughter 'cause he's the man."

The lesson here is clear. Next time you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed, or afraid that you might disappoint the one you love, remember: It doesn't take a magical hammer or the power of the gods to bake a dinosaur cake.

Even a god of thunder can screw up and forget a simple task that he probably should planned for ahead of time. But as long as you remember that there's always room to improvise, even if it means you get your hands dirty in the name of love (and not to forget the eggs), you'll be just fine. 

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Devon Still's daughter is officially cancer-free, and social media helped in a big way.

As Devon Still's 5-year-old daughter battled cancer, his social media followers offered amazing support.

This is Devon Still, a player in the NFL who recently signed with the Houston Texans.

Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images Entertainment.

Sure, the dude has big muscles, but his biggest and strongest muscle is his heart.

Leah, pictured at the 2015 ESPY Awards. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment.

That's a nightmare for any parent. 

Nobody would fault Devon if he chose to keep his hopes, dreams, and fears about this to himself, but he decided to do something completely different.

He documented his journey with Leah on social media so he could have a support system for his daughter, while also helping others who are going through the same thing. 

The outpouring of love Devon and Leah received was pretty awesome to see, and the #LeahStrong hashtag was born as a universal sign of support as they embarked into the unknown.

Here are just some of the heartwarming photos and messages Devon shared during the tumultuous year: 

1. During one of many trips to the hospital, Devon wished his daughter could live a stress-free life.

2. There were bad days, but Devon always offered his comfort and love.

3. Devon pulled out all the stops to make her smile.

Her beatbox game is CRAZZYY! 😂😂😂

A video posted by Devon Still (@man_of_still75) on

4. Sometimes Devon had to leave on business, and that was heartbreaking for him.

5. But, over the course of time, a beautiful thing happened: Leah got stronger.

LOVE

A photo posted by Devon Still (@man_of_still75) on

6. Then the best news arrived. There was no evidence of the cancer in Leah's body.

7. Leah was all smiles as she got ready for her last round of treatment.

8. And now, Leah's cancer-free!

With Leah finishing her last treatment last night, I can really say my daughter BEAT CANCER! Words can't describe how proud I am of this girl. No matter how hard it got or how painful the treatments were (and it was pretty bad a lot of the times) she never gave up! I want to thank everyone who followed us as I documented her fight on social media. The amount of support we received was beyond amazing! I can honestly say that you all made a big difference. Every time we received bad news or felt like it was coming to a point were we couldn't fight anymore, I would go to the comments you all wrote cheering us on and it would make us fight so much harder. I ask that since Leah's fight is at the end that you follow other families journeys and cheer them on just as you did us! My advice to any family going through this battle: no matter how hard it gets, no matter what the doctors tell you, always remain positive! Speak victory into existence. Give your child's fight with cancer a purpose. Use it to raise awareness so that you can help all kids fighting this disease. No matter how big or small your platform/following is, you will reach that one family that just needs to know they're not alone in the fight so they don't give up. drop to your knees everyday and pray. I was never a big spiritual person but I always believed in God and knew who to turn to in the time of need. Keeping faith that God will see you through doesn't make the battle easier but it makes winning possible! It gives you back the hope that is stripped away from you every time you watch your kid endure the pain from the treatments and the bad news you often receive from the doctors. #LEAHSTRONG #STILLSTRONG

A photo posted by Devon Still (@man_of_still75) on

It's wonderful to see the immense powers of social media being put to good use.

As we admire Devon for his love and dedication to his daughter, he wanted to show his admiration for his followers on social media who helped him along the way.

Every time we received bad news or felt like it was coming to a point were we couldn't fight anymore, I would go to the comments you all wrote cheering us on and it would make us fight so much harder.

He also gives great advice to other parents who are experiencing similar challenges.

My advice to any family going through this battle: no matter how hard it gets, no matter what the doctors tell you, always remain positive! Speak victory into existence. Give your child's fight with cancer a purpose. Use it to raise awareness so that you can help all kids fighting this disease. No matter how big or small your platform/following is, you will reach that one family that just needs to know they're not alone in the fight so they don't give up. 

Not everyone is as fortunate as Devon and Leah were, and cancer continues to wreak havoc on families all over the world. 

But having a support system helps to demonstrate that there are people on our side. Even when those people are cheering us on from their laptops or smartphones. 

Devon and his daughter Leah endured a tough road together. Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images Entertainment.

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