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Taylor Swift visits patients at a children's hospital, and their reactions are everything

The hospital staff called it a day they’ll "never shake off."

JDCHospital/X

Yet another reason to love T-Swizzle.

When kids are going through a difficult health crisis, seeing their hero show up just to brighten their day can make a whole world of difference. They get a much needed boost of inspiration, joy, and maybe even a little bit of magic to brighten their day.

That's exactly what the kids got over at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Florida after they were delightfully surprised by none other than T-Swizzle herself.

“You made this a day we’ll never shake off. Thank you, @taylorswift13 for bringing your support and kindness to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital,” the hospital’s official X account tweeted. “You turned hospital hallways into a place of joy, comfort, and connection.”

In a video posted online, we see a girl named Zoe drop her jaw in disbelief as Swift walks in and introduces herself (as if she needs any introduction).

 

“What the????” the young Swiftie says before promptly putting her head in her hands.

The “Blank Space” singer complimented Zoe on her cat eye nails, saying “Are you kidding me? That is beautiful!” before going in for a hug, taking a photo, and handing over a signed copy of her book. After that, Zoe literally swooned.

In a different video, a teen boy named Jamar exclaims “OH MY GOD!” and goes into a laughing fit upon his Swift sighting.

“This is the coolest room I’ve ever seen,” says Taylor, eying the hanging decorations.

“Can I scream?” Jamarr asks. Obviously, the answer was yes.

 

Swift even says hello to his twin sister over FaceTime, who is equally elated.

The visit, which certainly made the rounds online, was well-received, and Swift garnered a lot of praise and gratitude from viewers for her genuine kindness.

“Something like this can definitely speed up the healing faster. 1000% positive,” one person wrote.

Another added, “I'm not a swift fan but this made me tear up. Always use any power you have for good. This truly shined a light in these kids' lives. ”

Celebrity visits to children's hospitals have a long history—notable examples include baseball legends like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in the 1920s and Clayton Moore, aka The Lone Ranger , in the 1950s and 60s—and became more organized and widespread in the 1980s, with the establishment of organizations like Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.

 

It’s worth noting that it's not just individual patients who benefit from celebrity visits. Their influence often draws attention to the needs of the hospital they are visiting, which can encourage donations for vital research, treatments, and support services. It’s truly an amazing way to use fame for good.

If you'd like to donate to the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, click here.

A sweet story of the cat distribution system at work.

Tiny houses are still a popular choice for people trying to downsize but tiny houses for cats are springing up in one man's backyard.

Back in 2024, Barna thought he was doing a good deed for a stray cat that decided that he kinda liked hanging out in this human's backyard. At first, the cat would show up but wouldn't eat the food set out for him. That didn't stop Barna.

The man continued to set food out for the cat. Taking note of the changing weather, Barna decided to take one of his hobbies and build the cat, now named Domino a cozy little house. Building things is a hobby for him, so he made sure to equip Domino's tiny abode with a heating pad, light and camera.

Before too long the situation turned into a version of the famous children's book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Another cat showed up (because of course Domino had a bestie) but it didn't stop there.

Barna built a tiny two story condo for the two cats to hang out in while still keeping Domino's original tiny house. The backyard looks like it was made to host furry tenants in a makeshift cat community because more cats indeed showed up. Soon the tuxedo cat had several neighbors to hang out with and thanks to Barna, none of the cats looked like they were missing any meals.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

"We have about four or five cats who will go in and sleep in the houses," Barna told The Dodo. "One night one of the biggest storms of the year hit, I saw that two kittens actually took shelter in the house. That was one of the sweetest things ever."

Barna had cameras set up inside and outside of the itty bitty kitty community so he can keep an eye on his feline neighbors. The cats' landlord expressed that he feels gratification seeing his little houses be used by furry tenants. Having a group of cats around probably isn't too terrible for keeping pests away either, so it's a win for all involved.

Down in the comments, people applauded Barna for taking such good care of his feline friends.

"If you build it, they will come. what a kind and thoughtful gentleman to take care of these babies during the hard weather."

"This man has such a good heart."

"How a man treats animals reveals who the man is. This is a good man."

"Just imagine how good the inside of those little houses feel to a kitty after he or she has been outdoors in all kinds of weather for who knows how long. They would finally be able to relax and get a good sleep. Kudos for being so kind and handy."

"There is most definitely a special place in heaven for the animal rescuers. I love you."

"This world NEEDS more people like this gentleman.""Indeed, the world could definitely use a few more Barnas. Best of luck to him and his kitty companions.

This article originally appeared last year.

Dad breaks down in joyous tears after finding out daughter won four awards at school

"I've never been an academic student. I've never reached those highs before."

Dad breaks down in tears after daughter won four school awards

Kids are constantly surprising us. It's one of the perks of being a parent, watching your child learn new things as they grow all while making us proud. This can be especially true for parents who may not have had the best childhood or may not have been the best student. One dad attended his daughter's awards ceremony at her elementary school and left in tears after being overwhelmed with pride.

In a video uploaded to social media, Ralmon McAfee is seen with tears streaming down his face and we soon find out why. It's not just because his daughter was the recipient of four awards but because he didn't expect a child he created to be smart enough to receive academic awards.

Photo credit: Canva

While parents often do their best to raise their children with more resources and opportunity than they had, it can be hard to overcome the negative thoughts left over from childhood. Clearly this emotional dad was still holding on to the belief that he wasn't intelligent as a child and therefore unintentionally expected his child to experience what he had in his childhood educational settings. This makes the emotional response all the more intense for the man.

The video was originally uploaded at the end of the school year to TikTok but has recently been reshared on Reddit where it has gone viral again.

 
 @mr.review832 PROUD FATHER NEVER HAVE I EVER RECEIVED ANY OF THOSE AWARDS .....BUT FOR MY SEED MY FLESH BLOOD TO DO IT !!!!!...I COULDNT BE ANYMORE HAPPIER!!!! #fypシ #GRADUATION ♬ original sound - RAMBO 
 
 

"Call me soft. Call me what y'all want. But I never expected my child to receive four awards. And I've never, and I've never been a academic student. I've never reached those heights before. Call me weak, call me lame but I'm crying because I never thought that could come from me and I'm proud of my daughter," the dad says.

Photo credit: Canva

He wasn't the only one exuding excitement. People who viewed the video were happy the dad got to experience seeing his daughter succeed in a way he didn't achieve as a child and didn't know that his children could. As the video was ending the proud father told viewers he was headed back to work to continue to provide for his daughter. Viewers hope he told everyone at work all about his daughter's awards so he had others to share in his joy.

One person says, "I hope he told everyone at work, gotta share the excitement he has for his girl!" before another responds, "You kidding?! He's probably told all his colleagues, his boss, AND EVERY client or customer he's served that day! And rightly so. Every parent is or should be proud of their kids' achievements, no matter how small or big. I was and still am when my kids achieve things. And mine are in their 20's and 30's."

Photo credit: Canva

The video made another dad cry right along with him, "I’m a 6’4 275 lb semi jacked dad bod dude that cries during Disney movies. This dude is the FURTHEST from lame and weak of “soft” (imagine thinking kindness towards others is a bad thing).A real man isn’t afraid to show their emotions, communicates, and has empathy and love for others and their accomplishments. He has it in spades. F-ck anyone else who says otherwise. I’m so happy for him and his daughter. F-ck now I’m tearing up lol."

"This is the opposite of weak in my books. This is a father who is so secure in his masculinity that he is not ashamed of crying over his daughter’s achievements. This is strength I’m so happy for this guy and his little star," another writes.

Photo credit: Canva

"'I never thought that could come from me.' Man that's so deep and heartbreaking. He thought that his makeup, his DNA, was 'bad' and wouldn't allow for someone to be academically inclined. He's having a revelation about humanity and it's beautiful. I hope he knows now that he always had, and likely still has, the potential to be whatever kind of person he wants," someone says.

Another tears up at the dad's thought about himself saying, "The thought that in his mind she accomplished something that he feels or was made to feel like he couldn’t. Now he knows that he does have it in him. Also that he’s nurturing something beautiful in his daughter.As a minority we buy into these narratives that tear us down. I’m so happy to see in this day not only that he got to experience that with his child but that he is able to show emotion for it. Some much going on in this video


Joy

She asked her Muslim neighbor about funeral customs, then left with an unexpected gift

This heartfelt video is reminding everyone about the beauty of sharing cultures.

@babybugz213/TikTok

No one would argue that the United States of America has felt…not so united lately. And the results of the 2024 election, distressing headlines about seemingly never-ending political divide, the very real possibility of hard won human rights being snatched away…it all adds to feelings of disillusionment. Not only in the ethos of the American Dream. But of humanity itself.

And yet, its times like these when it becomes more important than ever to seek out moments that suggest otherwise. Those real life acts of compassion, kindness, respect and generosity that help us believe, as a wise 13 fifteen year old once said, that “people are really good at heart.”

This is one of those stories.

In a video captured by a ring doorbell camera (the modern day gadget that gives us glimpses into the soul of humanity on the regular) we see an older white woman approaching her Muslim neighbor.

In case you’re anxious—this is not going to turn into a Karen moment.

Rather, the woman lets her neighbor know that she is going to a Muslim funeral, and is a bit daunted by wearing a headscarf to the ceremony. So she asks for instructions as to how to put it on appropriately.

A truly lovely interaction ensues, where the Muslim neighbor not only gives the woman a demonstration and encourages her to practice wrapping the scarf in real time, but lets the woman keep the item. The conversation ends with the neighbor telling the woman “you look beautiful.” No animosity. No politics. No battle of beliefs. Just two women of different walks of life connecting through kindness.

Watch:

It’s no wonder why this video has been going viral on multiple social media platforms. It’s giving people things to appreciate about a wide range of topics.

Check out some of the lovely comments below:

“Awww. And honestly, her generation don’t think to pull up a tutorial on YouTube, their instinct is to ask somebody that they know. This so genuine and wholesome ❤️”

“As a Muslim, I just knewwwwwwww and expected that she would say keep it. Palestinians are the same with keffiyehs and the hospitality is engrained in both the religion and culture.”

“Being open to being educated about one another is what starts beautiful relationships and understanding. We are all human just trying to make it through this life, on different paths but really, end up in the same place at the end 🌈”

“I wish more people would realize this. All the time on the internet and social media [and] they aren’t seeing real world. Just a small ugly portion that of course is going to be posted on the net to get views. Like Yelp, far more people are likely to post a negative review than to post a positive review imo. Also kindness starts in your communities. It can't happen at a global level without first starting at a small local level.”

“That is the most wholesome interaction I’ve seen between two people, that is beautiful.”

“More of this please.”

Lots of folks chimed in to say that this was the perfect example of what it truly means to be an American.

“This is the America that I was raised up believing. I was taught in school that America was a melting pot and that we all come together to make this country great. I just don't know how we got to where we are today.”

“This is the “melting pot” in full effect. THIS is what makes America beautiful. Learning & *embracing* (key word here) each other’s differences.”

“THIS IS AMERICA. This is when America is great.”

Of course, it’s not like this everywhere. But these moments do happen more often than the news or the internet would have us believe. Times are tough right now—but there is always goodness to be found. And searching for it is just one small way we fight to create a better world.