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Heroes

The 10 happiest things we saw this week

The 10 happiest things we saw this week

Every day, people are being amazing in large and small ways. When headlines get you down, you need a little boost of humanity's awesomeness to remind you that things aren't as bleak as they can seem. Here are 10 of this week's best examples of people being awesome.

1. Felix Gretarsson, the man who received the world's first full double arm and shoulder transplant, is making incredible progress.

Doctors expected might have feeling near his elbows after a year. It's been less than six months, and he's already able to move his bicep voluntarily and has feeling as far down as his forearms. Read his amazing story here.

Felix Gretarsson/Instagram


2. Rudy Willingham is making the world a little more delightful with perfectly placed stickers and paper cutouts.

How fun is this?


3. Sarah Cunningham shares how she started giving #FreeMomHugs to people in the LGBTQIA+ community and launched a movement.

Many LGBTQIA+ people aren't embraced by their families when they come out. Sarah Cunningham's warm heart offers a beacon of love and hope for Pride month.


4. An anonymous donor whose great-grandfather enslaved people gave a six-figure inheritance to a Black-led nonprofit.

The grad student got a big inheritance on their 25th birthday, and when they found out how the family's wealth was built, they decided to do something about it. Read the whole story here.

Change Today, Change Tomorrow/Instagram


5. This dad's unbridled joy—and impressive acrobatics— at his kid's graduation.

Everyone needs a cheerleader with this much enthusiasm in their lives.


6. A 17-year-old yeeted a mama bear off a wall in her backyard with her bare hands.

The "Oh No" soundtrack and the fact that no parties were seriously harmed make this absolutely wild story a happy one. (But yes, don't try this at home, kids.)

@bakedlikepie

My cousin Hailey yeeted a bear off her fence today and saved her dogs. How was your Memorial Day?! (WTF?!) #ohno #badass #brave #fight #bear


7. A reporter was doing a story on animal shelters and got adopted by the sweetest doggo ever.

How could anyone say no to this? Is there a heart melting emoji?

8. Speaking of dogs, Tornado the service dog is making a huge difference in this 5-year-old autistic boy's life—and his mother's.

Dogs really can be incredible friends to humans.


9. When a neighbor sees a need and steps up to meet it unasked, a community thrives.

This neighbor saw kids playing volleyball without a net in an empty lot. So he brought out a net and the neighborhood kids all pitched in to get it set up. Caring community at its best.

@katiedavies71

@willowhope25 #foryoupage #veteran #neighbors

10. Doorbell camera captures kids returning a wallet they found in someone's driveway.

"I'm just going to put it over here so no one takes any money." Honesty. Integrity. Helpfulness. Someone has taught these kids so well!

Good things are happening everywhere, all the time—we just need to look for them. Hope this happiness round-up helps you end the week on a positive note!

Pop Culture

People are loving Drew Barrymore's live reaction to her first perimenopause hot flash

“I don’t know that I have ever heard a celebrity talk about a hot flash in the moment. Thank you for being so real."

The Drew Barrymore Show/Youtube

Drew Barrymore getting a quick assist from Jennifer Aniston

It feels safe to say that many, if not most people hail Drew Barrymore as the “Queen of Candid.” She can seemingly talk to absolutely anyone about anything in a way that’s consistently warm and authentic.

That even goes for when she experiences her first hot flash in front of a live television audience, apparently.

While speaking with guests Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler on her talk show, Barrymore abruptly appears flustered, fanning herself and removing her jacket.

Without missing a beat, she says, “I am so hot, I think I'm having my first perimenopause hot flashes.”
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Science

Fascinating video shows how an orangutan mom learned to nurse from a breastfeeding zookeeper

Zoe had been orphaned at a young age and hadn't developed her maternal instincts.

Metro Richmond Zoo/Youtube

Just two new moms helping each other.

Whitlee Turner, a zookeeper for the Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia, was given a unique task—teach an orangutan to breastfeed.

Turner’s pupil, Zoe, had been orphaned at a young age, and without guidance presumably hadn’t learned any maternal instincts. Zoe’s first baby had to be hand-raised after she was unable to nurse, so when baby #2 came around, the zoo was determined to reach a different outcome.

That’s why they called on Turner, who had coincidentally also become a new mom. Thinking Zoe could be taught by example—a strategy that’s proven successful in the past—Turner was asked to bring her newborn son, Caleb, in to give a demonstration.

Turner agreed wholeheartedly.

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Baby Cora bears a striking resemblance to actor Woody Harrelson.

We can all get a little fascinated by doppelgängers and it's fun to find people who look alike. But what do you do when your baby girl looks uncannily like a famous middle-aged man?

Mom Dani Grier Mulvenna shared a photo of her infant daughter Cora side by side with a photo of Woody Harrelson on Twitter, with the caption "Ok but how does our daughter look like Woody Harrelson." The resemblance truly is remarkable, and the tweet quickly racked up hundreds of thousands of likes, shares and replies.

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A subway station at 59th street in New York City.

New Yorkers may seem like a brash, uncaring bunch to the uninitiated. But when you get to know the people and the city, you’ll probably realize that they are “kind, but not nice,” as opposed to how many describe people on the West Coast as “nice, but not kind.”

A great example of New Yorkers looking out for one another happened on Reddit’s AskNYC subforum earlier this month. AskNYC is where New Yorkers consult one another on various topics, such as where to get cheap rent, subway shortcuts, and places to volunteer.

It all started when a Redditor named Andy, 21, who is autistic, reached out for help in a post titled, “Please help, where do I wait.” On the forum he goes by the name GalacticBambi. Andy is a native New Yorker who moved away at a young age. His father passed away two years ago, so he came back to the Big Apple to see his cousin and learn more about his father.

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Joy

Basketball referee has an emotional reunion with the player who saved his life on the court

Not many people survive a "widow maker," but thanks to the player's quick actions, this ref lived to call another game.

Basketball referee reunites with player who saved his life.

There are some things people are never quite prepared to experience, and a heart attack is high on that list. Semi-pro basketball referee John Sculli found himself on the receiving end of an unexpected heart attack, right in the middle of reffing a game.

Sculli was keenly watching the game between Toledo Glass City and the Jamestown Jackals when he went from following the players down the court to sprawled out on the ground. He was quickly surrounded by other referees, but his fall got the attention of Myles Copeland, who recognized Sculli was unresponsive and immediately began CPR.

"I had never witnessed someone just collapse, but I knew what had to be done," Copeland told CBS.

Turns out Copeland wasn't just a basketball player, he was also a firefighter, and his quick actions saved Sculli's life. Doctors told the referee and his fiancé, Donna, that he had a "widow maker" heart attack, which is often fatal. So when the two men got a chance to reconnect with Donna in tow, emotions ran high and CBS caught it on video.

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No more cleaning mattresses. Mom has a hack for stomach bugs.

Whether you have kids or plan to have kids in the future, you should know that you're going to clean up someone else's bodily fluids and waste. It's just a fact of caring for small children. In fact, you can almost guarantee that you're going to clean up vomit that exits a tiny person's body with more force than you knew possible. Is it fun? No. Does it help that kids are cute and just want cuddles when they're not feeling well? Absolutely.

There are all kinds of tips and tricks to make your little ones feel better during cootie season, which can sometimes feel year-round. Some people swear by homeopathic preventions and remedies while others stock up on vitamin C. But outside of Pedialyte popsicles and keeping a bucket nearby hoping for the best, there's not really a trick to surviving the dreaded stomach bug.

Except, maybe there is. A mom who runs the TikTok account @lovedthishatedthat may have just cracked the code to surviving those long nights when your kid has a stomach bug: an inflatable bed.

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