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upworthy
Identity

Trans doctor says major insurance companies are refusing to pay her after legal name change

"As long as they're denying my claims for my services on that ground, they can do that to any trans healthcare provider of any type."

insurance companies; trans rights; trans doctor; trans community
Courtesy of Dr. Tiffany Najberg

Insurance companies can withhold pay for trans doctors and one doctor is fighting back.

Insurance companies can be a frustrating maze for consumers and for providers. It's not uncommon to call the number on the back of your insurance card and get a different answer every time you call with the same question. But for Dr. Tiffany Najberg, the fight with the insurance companies is a bit more personal.

Najberg is a transgender woman who has run into a multitude of problems in the insurance claims world—not as a patient, but as a provider. After changing her name legally and updating all of the required information on official websites, including the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare and the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System, two websites insurance companies look at to verify providers' credentials and ability to practice, her claims have been denied.

In the beginning of this year-long saga, Najberg was receiving checks, but the checks were in her dead name and couldn't be cashed. After going several rounds with the insurance companies, the checks stopped coming and the insurance companies started denying her claims altogether. Of course, this prompted even more questions and frustration since Najberg updated the insurance companies with her legal name as required.

Najberg told Upworthy that on six different occasions, she and her billing company attempted to rectify the situation to no avail. These aren't small companies that may have never encountered such a request. In fact, many Americans with insurance are likely covered by one of the companies she's currently challenging. "Human, Cigna and Aetna flat out refused, but Medicaid, BlueCross BlueShield changed it immediately so it clearly has been approved through national databases," Najberg said.

The insurance companies' refusal to pay has been hurting Najberg and her practice, UrgentEMS, located in Shreveport, Louisiana. "My clinic treats everyone, but we aim towards communities that are underinsured and uninsured. I don’t have money to pay my rent next month because of this," the doctor told Upworthy.

Najberg explained that between the three major insurance companies, she is currently owed nearly $200,000 in unpaid claims. Of course, she could turn patients who have these particular insurances away, but for Najberg, that's not an option because she focuses on serving those who are underinsured and people in marginalized communities. She currently has over 100 trans patients who need continued healthcare with someone who makes them feel safe.

During the height of the pandemic, her clinic served as a place where people could get COVID-19 treatment, with Najberg proudly saying she treated everyone across the political spectrum. Najberg has built such a reputation on TikTok for her openness and ability to present public health issues in a relatable way that CDC officials have contacted her for pointers on how to engage the public.

But none of that matters if she can't keep her doors open, and the fear that comes from recognizing that possibility keeps her up at night. Through tears, Najberg expressed her concerns for the most vulnerable population she treats, saying, "I'll likely have to sleep in my car, and what about my trans patients? If my clinic closes, a few of them may kill themselves."

Dr. Najberg runs a clinic in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Courtesy of Dr. Tiffany Najberg

Najberg actually found herself in the position to lose everything last month after once again not being paid, but thankfully someone anonymously paid the rent on her office space, which costs around $5,000 a month. Recently, she has relied on donations from her followers in order to keep her doors open until she wins her fight with the insurance companies.

During the interview, Najberg informed Upworthy that one insurance company is now complying. "Aetna has started processing all the back claims and a new contract has been signed. I have no retirement anymore. I have no savings. I’ll never own property. For a lifetime to be wiped away over a name change is ridiculous," Najberg said.

A name change isn't uncommon. People change their names for multiple reasons, the main one being marriage, so it would stand to reason that insurance companies know how to navigate name changes within their system. What makes this name change so different if other companies had no issue?

It took Najberg months of phone calls to find out the reason for her denials was due to her name change and she was advised to submit under her dead name. But submitting an insurance claim under a different name than your own is insurance fraud and kind of illegal, she protested.

For Najberg, who's had a lifelong passion for helping people, the fight isn't just for herself.

"If they’re doing this to me, they have to be doing this to other people. If they get away with this, they’ll do it to other trans providers," Najberg told Upworthy.

If you'd like to support Dr. Tiffany in her fight against the insurance companies, you can sign her petition here, and if you'd like to donate to help her pay rent and get needed medical supplies, you can do that here.

From Your Site Articles
trans rights
Education

Youth interest in STEM peaks around age 11. UScellular wants to change that.

Kids are losing interest in STEM subjects between ages 11 and 15. Here's what that means for future innovation.

Photo courtesy of UScellular

Kids on a field trip learn from Sania Naseem, Senior RF Planning Engineer at UScellular.

Imagine being a 12-year-old girl in a small town who’s interested in computers. You’ve learned a bit of programming online, but you don’t know anyone who works in the tech field and your school district doesn’t have the kinds of classes you need to explore further.

How likely would you be to keep and pursue that interest?

Since the internet changed everyone’s lives in the 1990s, there’s been a push for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Universal reliance on technology has made STEM careers not just desirable but vital, and the speed at which those fields are moving means we need young people to stay interested in them.

Research indicates that we’ve largely succeeded in reaching kids when they’re young—children demonstrate a deep fascination with STEM subjects up to age 11. But something shifts during adolescence. Past age 11, interest in STEM starts to wane, often dissipating by age 15.

The question is why.

To get to the bottom of this STEM age/interest gap mystery, wireless carrier UScellular partnered with developmental psychologist and researcher Richard Rende, Ph.D. Through a state-of-the-art analysis of the research, Dr. Rende helped uncover the barriers that prevent youth—particularly girls and those living in rural communities—from maintaining and nurturing their interest in STEM.

kids walking with an adult guide near a school busStudents taking a STEM field tripPhoto courtesy of UScellular

Dr. Rende found that keeping kids from losing STEM interest as they become teens requires programs that are equitable, relatable, relevant and supportive.

Here’s what those four drivers look like in practice:

Equitable

- Bringing STEM programs to rural areas that don’t have access to advanced courses or school-based curriculum
- Countering the notion that STEM isn’t for everyone and offering buffers for when kids are confronted with stereotypes or biases

Relatable

- Exposing girls to women in STEM professions who share similar backgrounds in smaller and rural communities
- Having STEM professionals share their experiences growing up so youth don’t see them as “superheroes” doing something unattainable

Relevant

- Programs and field trips that demonstrate how STEM is applied, especially in ways that connect to the local environment or technology kids already use
- Incorporating kids’ voices to help guide the elements of a program

Supportive

- Provide supportive mentorship, especially when projects become more complicated and require emotion regulation and resilience
- Teach cognitive skills that will help kids believe they have the capacity to succeed in STEM subjects

kids on a STEM field trip Kids learning about cell towers from Cheryl Dennard, Senior Manager of Core Services Engineering at UScellularPhoto courtesy of UScellular

To test out his findings before sharing them with the world, Dr. Rende worked with UScellular’s non-profit partner, YWCA, which has an after-school and summer program called TechGYRLS, designed to inspire girls in grades 3 to 8 to consider future careers in STEM fields. Together they created a refreshed STEM program guide incorporating Dr. Rende’s research and worked with focus groups at various YWCA locations to get feedback.

“What we see to date is that programming and mentoring to ‘train’ kids to be STEM people is not always enough to sustain and encourage interest during the transition to adolescence, especially for underserved youth,” says Dr. Rende. “We need to help them see the opportunities in STEM that spark their curiosity and gain belief that they can confidently explore all the possibilities available to them in STEM, including those that go beyond the traditional STEM careers like mathematician or scientist. It could be a vet, a nurse, wireless network engineer, arborist, audio engineer, turf scientist, or mechanical engineer and may not be a career that requires years and years of higher education.”

After-school enrichment programs like YWCA’s TechGYRLS can be found in communities all over the country, and parents, guardians and teachers can help the kids in their communities by identifying similar programs and encouraging them to participate. If teachers or youth-focused non-profits want to create their own STEM program, Dr. Rende’s whitepaper can help inform their approach and design to keep kids interested.

UScellular and YWCA are working on a digital version of the program guide to increase access for even more youth and help educators improve their STEM programming. Longer term, the perceptions and attitudes of the TechGYRLS participants will be measured to evaluate if the current decline in STEM interest is being reduced or averted. Advancing innovation requires people who pursue careers in STEM fields, so the more interest we can spark and sustain in young people, the brighter our future will look.

Learn more about how UScellular is supporting STEM education here.
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stem
Most Shared

Young artist who sold $7 million worth of paintings before she was 14-years-old

You can see her talent in her very first painting.

Autumn De Forest

When Autumn de Forest was 5, she picked up a paintbrush for the first time.

It wasn't long before she was ready to show the world what she could do.

After a year of practice, the then-6-year-old asked her father if he could get her a booth at a local art-in-the-park program.

"People would come up to the booth, and they would talk to my father, and they'd say, 'This is great!'" she said. "Apparently they thought it was Take Your Daughter to Work Day."

Almost everyone thought the artwork was her father's. And when they found out that tiny Autumn was the artist, people couldn't believe their eyes.

Autumn created this piece when she was just 5 years old.Autumn de Forest

Soon, Autumn rose to national fame.

When Autumn was 8, she was featured on the Discovery Health Channel. There was a slew of media attention in the years that followed. There was Disney. There was The Today Show. There was Wendy Williams.

She was called a child genius, a prodigy, and an expert painter.

Autumn de Forest


Suddenly, Autumn de Forest was everywhere.

But not everyone was so accepting of the young artist and her work. Some people in the art world had ... questions. Sure, she was good for a kid. But was her art actually good? Others wondered if the whole thing might be an elaborate hoax.

Autumn decided not to listen.

By 14 she developed a startlingly organized daily routine that went far beyond a 9 to 5.

Somehow, as the focus on her age begins to wear off, Autumn's work ethic and art only grow stronger. She said that most days, she'd wake up in her parents' Las Vegas home at 7:30 a.m. After breakfast, she'd break out her supplies for a one- or two-hour painting session.

From there, she dove into her school work. Most brick-and-mortar schools can't accommodate her travel schedule, so she did the majority of her schooling online.

Before dinner, it's back into the studio.

"That session can last much longer, that can be three or four hours when I really get into it," she said. "Then I probably have dinner and go to bed."

Autumn de Forest


The results? They speak for themselves.

Autumn de Forest

Her work has been displayed in galleries and exhibitions all over the world.

Autumn held a public demonstration before a showing at The Butler Institute of American Art.

Autumn de Forest

In 2015, Autumn received the International Giuseppe Sciacca Award in Painting and Art.

The award took her to the Vatican for a private showing of her artwork with the pope.

Autumn de Forest


She's also worked with the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, headed up by Michelle Obama.

As part of the program, de Forest traveled to underprivileged schools around the country and led painting workshops.

Oh, and if you're looking for some hard numbers to attach to Autumn's talent, she's got those, too.

Her paintings raked in over $7 million at auctions by the time she was a teenager — fetching as much as $25,000 each — much of which has gone directly to charities and disaster relief funds.

Autumn de Forest


At 22 years old now, what's Autumn de Forest up to lately?

A lot!

The transition from child prodigy to respected artist has kept her busy.

In 2017, the Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center in Hendersonville, Tennessee hosted a major solo exhibition for de Forest titled "Her White Room: The Art of Autumn de Forest."

That same year, de Forest was listed as one of Teen Vogue's "21 Under 21." In her profile she was praised for her talent as well as her commitment to art education.

"In dis­advantaged schools, they consider the arts an extracur­ricular activity," she told Teen Vogue. "It's devastating, as there could be child prodigies in these schools, but they don't know that they have this God-­given gift because they're not given the opportunity because there's nearly no art programs in schools."

In 2018, de Forest was featured in the music video for the song "Youth" by best-selling recording artists Shawn Mendes and Khalid. The video highlights exceptional young people working to change the world, including de Forest, Emma González, and Elias and Zion Phoenix.

The video has over 17 million plays on YouTube.

And of course, Autumn continues to share her absolutely incredible artwork on Instagram and in shows and exhibitions around the globe.

The Autumn de Forest Foundation, helps her keep track of the kids she's met throughout the years and to continue to help them with their art careers.

A portion of the foundation's money goes to a 529 account set up for the students while 10% goes to them directly.

"A lot of these kids that I work with, they're not very old, they're in second grade, third grade, fourth grade. Maybe in 10 years, they may only have four or five thousand dollars but that could be the difference between them going to college or not," Autumn told Teen Vogue.

Autumn's incredible rise in the art world is an astonishing feat for someone who's still in her teens. But that accomplishment is easily matched by her generosity and commitment to helping develop tomorrow's prodigies as well.

For more information, visit the Autumn de Forest Foundation.


This article originally appeared on 5.30.16

From Your Site Articles
Family

School is back in session. Here are 5 simple lunch ideas to keep you sane while you keep your family healthy.

With O Organics, it's easy.

Photo credit: Canva

Yes, school lunches CAN be easy, healthy and inexpensive.

Parents, let’s face it: prepping school lunches can feel like trying to solve a complex math equation. It's got to be nutritious, appealing, fast, and let's not forget…within budget. But what if we told you there’s a secret weapon that can make this whole ordeal a breeze? Enter: O Organics from Albertsons.

O Organics offers a wide range of affordable, USDA organic goodies that are perfect for school lunches. From crunchy apple slices to delicious, creamy greek yogurt, they've got you covered. Plus, their prices won’t break the bank, proving that healthy eating doesn’t have to be a luxury.

Now, let’s get down to the good stuff: the food! Here are some simple, kid (and wallet) friendly lunch ideas—made entirely with O Organics ingredients—to help you ditch the processed junk and give your kids the fuel they need to conquer the classroom:

1. Pasta Salad

  • Main: A cold pasta salad made with O Organics whole-grain rotini pasta, O Organics chopped vegetables (like cucumbers, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes), and Italian dressing. Add protein with chickpeas or a three bean blend.
  • Side: O Organics apple slices.
  • Snack: A serving of O Organics Greek yogurt, with some granola for a fun topping.

2. Egg Salad Sandwich

  • Main: A sandwich using whole wheat bread filled with a mixture of O Organics hard boiled eggs, mayo (or Greek yogurt for extra protein), mustard, dill, onion powder, salt and pepper.
  • Side:O Organics tortilla chips and salsa.
  • Snack: A pack of O Organics fruit strips.

3. Peanut Butter Apple Wrap (great for toddlers)

  • Main:O Organics peanut butter spread on a couple of flour soft taco tortillas, topped with thinly sliced apples. Drizzle some O Organics honey, roll it up and voila!
  • Side:O Organics baby-cut carrots with a side of hummus.
  • Snack:O Organics cottage cheese.

4. Quickie Quesadilla

  • Main: A tortilla filled with O Organics Mexican Style Shredded Cheese, black beans, and a sprinkle of chili powder.
  • Side: A couple of hard boiled O Organics eggs.
  • Snack: Ants on a log.

5. A Hot Dog…that stays hot

  • Main: You know the drill. Hot dog (we recommended the O Organics Beef Franks). Mustard. Cheese. Bun.
  • Side: A colorful side salad with spring mix, cherry tomatoes, and vinaigrette dressing.
  • Snack:O Organics banana chips.

But how the heck do you keep the hot dog hot? We’ve got just the tip, courtesy of Allrecipes.com:

Step 1

  • Preheat an insulated beverage container by filling it with boiling water. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes. Right before leaving, dump out water and replace with more boiling water. The preheating keeps it hot for a longer time. Place the hot dog into the water and close the lid.

Step 2

  • When your child is ready for lunch, they can take the hot dog out of the container and place it on the bun.

Remember: This list is just a starting point. You can totally customize it to your kid’s needs and preferences. You can even involve your kiddos in the lunch-packing process to make it more fun for everyone. Let them help choose the menu, make a shopping list, pack their lunches…even grow their own veggies! If you’re feeling ambitious, that is.

No matter how you choose to give your kids the best possible start to their day, making small changes and taking advantage of resources like O Organics can help make it happen in a sustainable and enjoyable way.

So, what are you waiting for? Shop O Organics now exclusively at Albertsons, Safeway or any sister store. Your kids' bodies (and taste buds) will thank you.

From Your Site Articles
kids

House renovation reveals a hidden hilarious 136-yr-old feud between construction workers

Carpenter Smith spilled the tea on his boss, "McBride the Bulldog," in beautiful penmanship on the back of a shingle.

Photo credit: Canva

A Plymouth homeowner found a note under a shingle

When you renovate an old home, you never know what you're going to find. Some unexpected discoveries are a bummer (hello, asbestos) but sometimes you can get some delightful glimpses into the past. Maybe a forgotten stash of cash or an old tool or a note from a previous owner.

But if you're like one lucky Plymouth family, you get the dish on a petty spat between co-workers from over a century ago.

Someone on Reddit shared a photo of a framed piece of wood with handwriting on it, with the caption "136-year-old note found on a shingle when my parents renovated their house." They added that the text, which is written in beautiful penmanship, reads:

"I was discharged from work on this house by McBride the Bulldog for being drunk only once, when he is drunk all the time. Carpenter Smith, Plymouth March 27, 1888.”

Well, well, well. Mr. Smith had his drunken pantaloons in a twist that day, didn't he.

People wanted to get to the bottom of the shingle story

Just one sentence tells a story that people in the comments were dying to get to the bottom of. Who was this Carpenter Smith and McBride the Bulldog? What's with the nickname? Was is complementary or insulting? Was Smith really only drunk one time on the job or was he just angry at being discharged? Did I imagine someone, someday, turning over that shingle and finding his note?

One thing is for sure—Smith definitely couldn't have imagined a bunch of strangers discussing his note on a Reddit thread on the internet on their computers or mobile phones. Those words wouldn't even have meant anything to him in 1888, a little over a decade after the first basic telephone was patented by Alexander Graham Bell.

via GIPHY

One super sleuth did a little digging and found out who Smith and McBride may actually have been. Self-professed amateur genealogist "digginroots" shared:

"McBride the Bulldog was probably Thomas C McBride, a carpenter who was listed in Hull, Plymouth, Massachusetts in the 1880 census (which is right by Nantasket) and in Nantasket in the 1900 census. He was born in Maine in 1830 and died in Boston of heart failure on 5 Jan 1911. He had a son, William, who was also a carpenter and died in 1913, and his wife Harriet died in 1885.

I’m guessing Smith was James William Smith, who was born in Oak Island, Nova Scotia in 1830 and was also listed as a carpenter in Hull in the 1880 census. His father was from Scotland. He died in Hull on 24 Nov 1892 of nephritis (his love of the drink possibly being a contributing factor)."

Ah, the beauty of Reddit bringing together people of various niche interests. The original poster was elated to have this unproven-but-entirely possible little history to add to the shingle's story. "I can’t wait to show this to my parents, they’re going to be thrilled," they wrote.

Home renovations can be full of surprise treasures

Potentially finding hidden treasures is one of the joys of owning an old home. One couple found that their old home renovation turned up all kinds of happy surprises, from antique trinkets to cast iron stoves to beautiful four-panel doors that had been covered up by 1960s space-age stylings.

via GIPHY

But even homes that aren't that old can have some delightful discoveries. Another couple was having their bathroom remodeled in 2015 when they found a photo of the previous owners hidden behind the walls along with a note, dated 1995, that read, "What's wrong with the way we did it?" HA.

All of these tales are reminders that buildings tell stories. Our homes have a million stories to tell about the people who lived there, the people who built them, and the people who dreamed them into existence. What a fun gift to get a small glimpse of a bigger story written on a single shingle.

From Your Site Articles
history
Business

This Map Reveals The True Value Of $100 In Each State

Your purchasing power can swing by 30% from state to state.

Image by Tax Foundation.

Map represents the value of 100 dollars.


As the cost of living in large cities continues to rise, more and more people are realizing that the value of a dollar in the United States is a very relative concept. For decades, cost of living indices have sought to address and benchmark the inconsistencies in what money will buy, but they are often so specific as to prevent a holistic picture or the ability to "browse" the data based on geographic location.

The Tax Foundation addressed many of these shortcomings using the most recent (2015) Bureau of Economic Analysis data to provide a familiar map of the United States overlaid with the relative value of what $100 is "worth" in each state. Granted, going state-by-state still introduces a fair amount of "smoothing" into the process — $100 will go farther in Los Angeles than in Fresno, for instance — but it does provide insight into where the value lies.

The map may not subvert one's intuitive assumptions, but it nonetheless quantities and presents the cost of living by geography in a brilliantly simple way. For instance, if you're looking for a beach lifestyle but don't want to pay California prices, try Florida, which is about as close to "average" — in terms of purchasing power, anyway — as any state in the Union. If you happen to find yourself in a "Brewster's Millions"-type situation, head to Hawaii, D.C., or New York. You'll burn through your money in no time.

income, money, economics, national average

The Relative Value of $100 in a state.

Image by Tax Foundation.

If you're quite fond of your cash and would prefer to keep it, get to Mississippi, which boasts a 16.1% premium on your cash from the national average.

The Tax Foundation notes that if you're using this map for a practical purpose, bear in mind that incomes also tend to rise in similar fashion, so one could safely assume that wages in these states are roughly inverse to the purchasing power $100 represents.


This article originally appeared on 08.17.17

From Your Site Articles
money
Joy

15 wholesome gestures that led to romantic feelings, from the folks who caught them

Sometimes it's the simplest things that make us swoon.

Photo credit: Canva

Romance found in the everyday, from everyday folks.


Feelings of romance can show up from the most innocent and unexpected places. Many people can attest to suddenly feeling a certain way for someone—a coworker, a friend, and acquaintance—not because of an outright physical attraction, but because they did something that displayed kindness, generosity, or compassion.

It just goes to show that even in a world where your next relationship hinges on whether or not a profile picture is swipe-right-able, we still have to rely on our hearts to show us what, or who, we truly want.

Recently, some asked “What’s something completely non-sexual someone did that made you catch feelings to them?” and the answers prove this very point. So many people wrote in to share stories of sweet, even silly thing that endeared then to someone they might have otherwise never thought of that way. And yes, many folks are now married to that someone.

Check out some of the most interesting stories below:

1. "Once, a friend helped an old lady carry her groceries up the stairs. It was such a small thing, but seeing him be kind and patient just hit me."—u/Human_Choice1680

2. "She paid attention to my favorite foods and drinks and started randomly bringing me them whenever I was stressed at work."—u/agent_x_75228

3. "A friend and I in high school were cast in a one-act play as fiancés and had to hold hands most of the play (her character was sitting up, comatose, in a state of shock for most of the performance). Subconsciously, she would rub my hand with her thumb during the scene. The play was part of a state competition, and after we finished first, I kissed her on the cheek as the cast celebrated. She would later tell me she caught herself rubbing my hands, but I didn't think I noticed until the kiss. That was in 1998; we have been married since 2003. She still rubs my hand with her thumb when we hold hands." —u/jcillc

4. "This is a bit lame, but I really like watching it when my husband buckles and/or unbuckles his belt. I think it stems from watching Indiana Jones buckling his belt in Raiders of the Lost Ark. It's pretty hot!"

i.giphy.com

—u/BERNADETTEsharklase

5. "When I saw my future wife using keyboard shortcuts like a super nerd, I knew it was meant to be."—u/BriansRevenge

6. "He would warn me when graphic/scary parts came up in movies and describe what was happening instead so I didn’t have to watch. It was something he did without me even needing to ask. It was so thoughtful, and I had never had someone do something like that so casually. We’re married now." —u/k_e13

7. "I was walking with a platonic coworker to the subway from a late-night work event, and it was raining. We were chatting and sharing an umbrella and there was a medium puddle we had to step over to cross the street, she looped her hand around my bicep as she jumped over it and boom it was like a firework went off in my chest. I never had feelings for her before that, but afterward, I definitely thought of her differently." —u/gagreel

8. "He remembered my coffee order without asking. My brain immediately: 'So this is what soulmates do. Guess we’re getting married now.'"

via GIPHY

—u/Victoria-Secrets

9. "They celebrated my birthday. I don't celebrate birthdays or holidays, and most people just never bring it up again. But this friend, for my 21st birthday, took a few days off from work, dropped by, told me to pack, drove me to Vegas, and celebrated my birthday weekend. It was so sweet. I think I sobbed the whole four-hour drive there, lol." —u/Sufficient-Berry-827

10. "They carried his arthritic dog up the stairs. I knew in that moment I was in love."—u/MahStonks

11. "25 years ago, an extraordinarily hot co-worker grabbed my hands while I was standing in front of her desk and started massaging lotion into them because they were 'very dry.' She was not hitting on me, but it turned me into jello, and I kind of blacked out a little, lol. I still think about this regularly. So, so good."—u/darthshaver

12. "I watched him teach piano to a six-year-old girl. I could tell at the moment he would make a great dad, and I wanted to have his babies. Good news — we're engaged now!"

i.giphy.com

—u/No-Breadfruit9399

13. "An old friend from high school. We were great friends for over 20 years. It was never romantic or anything. Not even a kiss. A few bro-type hugs, that's it. My adopted daughter became very sick and was in the hospital for over a month, and my friend dropped everything to come every day. She made sure I ate, made sure I went home and showered. She cared more than my own parents."—u/Northmech

14. "We left work around the same time one night, but not together. He walked to his car, and I walked to the bus stop. It started raining while I was waiting. A few minutes later, he pulled up and offered me a ride. We've been together for 14 years and are celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary later this month." —u/CarrotJerry45

15. "I have chronic pain, and before I got my uterus removed, I had crippling cramps and bleeding near daily. Around the first week I met him, I used my heating pad around him. I set it to five. I told him why I was using it, and he seemed to understand. Fast forward to the next time he was over. I asked him to grab my heating pad for me because I couldn’t move. He grabbed it, plugged it in, set it to five, and put it on my tummy area. When I tell you, that was the exact moment I knew I could love this man." —u/JazzySharks

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Humor

British grandpa blown away when he tries Southern style biscuits and gravy for the first time

What a delightfully heartwarming reaction.

@grandadjoe1933/TikTok

Ah, biscuits and gravy. the food version of "never judge a book by it's cover."

If you haven’t stumbled across Grandad Joe (@grandadjoe1933) on TikTok yet, you’re in for a treat. The charming 91-year-old, who lives with his daughter Sasha in the UK, delights over 6 million followers with his infectious joy and enthusiasm—particularly when Sahsa cooks him special meals.

Recently, by “popular request,” Joe got to introduce his taste buds to that deceptively delicious Southern staple: biscuits and gravy.

“Guess what I got for you” Sasha can be heard sing-songing in the clip as she brings a smiling Joe a plate with with a heaping helping of the exotic cuisine.

“It’s from the South, sort of down Texas way, I think. Maybe Alabama,” she explains as Joe readies his napkin.

As she places the plate down, Joe wonders if the biscuits are scones. Which is a fair assumption, since, as we know biscuits in the UK are actually cookies. Whereas scones, while still semi-sweet, appear more like American biscuits.

Of course, Sasha does admit that she did make scones, since “you can’t really get the American biscuits, I don’t think. But I think they’re pretty similar.”

But that hardly seems a problem, judging by the ecstatic look on Joe’s face when Sasha tells him that the gravy includes sausage.

All in all, the video just hits a sweet spot between witnessing an elder display child-like joy, wholesome family bonding, and appreciation of good food. What’s not to like?

Feast your eyes below:

@grandadjoe1933 Here is Grandad Joe reacting to the highly requested American meal of Biscuits and Gravy! Thank you to everyone that recommended it, he absolutely loved it . Please recommend some more recipes for him to try 🙏 #bisuitsandgravy #grandadjoe #americanfood #dadanddaughter ♬ original sound - Grandadjoe

Needless to say, Joe liked his meal, and his tasting video inspired a few bona fide Southerners to chime in.

“As a southerner (eastern nc) that has introduced this meal to many, I am so happy that grandad Joe likes it so much! ❤️,” one viewer wrote on Reddit.

“This is so funny to me, because I grew up in the south and ate this, as well as, fried chicken biscuit sandwiches for breakfast every morning growing up 😆” another added.

Others felt compelled to share their own personal love for the dish.

“Biscuits and gravy is one of the tastiest and easiest ‘impressive’ comfort foods to make for people. I love making it for people and I love seeing how much they enjoy it. Not great for you, but worth the few extra miles you have to run the next day every time,” one person shared.

“It's one of my fav breakfast foods!!! My lovely wife makes it all the time. She adds a little bit of cayenne pepper to spruce it up just a bit. I'm drooling just thinking about it.” wrote another.

And others still simply shared their love of sweet Grandad Joe. I think this commenter sums up what we’re all feeling:

“May we all live with this much glee and wonder in our everyday lives.”

And by the way, if you’re jonesing to watch more endearing videos of Brits trying American foods, click here , here and here. Bon apetit.


This article originally appeared on 4.29.24

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