Attending college or University can be challenging in its own right. The quantity of homework, the near-heart stopping levels of reading, or even just trying to navigate a large rambling campus can induce stress amongst even seasoned students. So add to this something as complicated as living with a tiny leaky human with serious needs and you don't exactly come up with an Easy A. This is why when we hear about educators who understand the challenges students with children face — and step up to HELP those students — we respond so positively.
Seven year-old Audrey Nethery has known more doctor's visits and medical interventions than most of us will in our whole lives. Audrey has Diamond Blackfan Anemia, a blood disorder described as "a rare inherited bone marrow failure syndrome, characterized by a failure of the bone marrow (the center of the bone where blood cells are made) to produce red blood cells," which is an extensive way of saying she (and others affected) require frequent and uncomfortable blood transfusions.
We make jokes about being "hangry" when we haven't eaten. I always have a granola bar in my purse, and I generally pack a small cooler for trips longer than 20 minutes. Being hungry sucks, sure, but for most of us, finding the next meal or a snack is simply a matter of getting up off the couch to prepare it. But some people - a lot of people - aren't as lucky.
When Courtney Solstad and her husband told their three daughters they were going out on a date to do some shopping, the girls likely weren't thinking that they'd receive any of their Christmas gifts early.
And they most certainly did not expect to find an adorable sleeping baby under the tree when their parents arrived home. But that's exactly what happened, and the three little girls couldn't be happier.
Last March, Brice Royer needed help. Battling both stomach cancer and depression, the Vancouver resident was told by his doctor that feeling loved and cared for was the world's best medicine. So he headed to Craiglist and posted an ad offering his unconditional love for free. In Canada's most expensive city where nothing is free, the ad went viral, putting a smile on over a million people's faces.
Toy drives are commonplace during the holidays, with those small gifts being extra meaningful for children who often go without during the rest of the rest. In New York City, philanthropist and former tech business owner Carol Suchman has always been a generous donor. Usually giving hundreds of toys to give as birthday gifts to foster kids in Brooklyn, Shuman says children have always been her focus.
But this year Suchman did something so heartwarming spectacular that even a city official says he's never seen anything like it.
November is Adoption Awareness month, which means for the last few weeks, heartwarming stories of children being reunited with their birth parents have flooded the Internet. One story that caught our attention is part of a holiday marketing campaign by U.S. department store retailer, Kohl’s.
In Kohl’s #AllTogetherNow video, we meet Raymond, a 19 year-old college student who has lived with his adoptive family since he was two years old.
Graduating high school is something most of us take for granted. But when 97 year-old Margaret Thome Bekema needed to leave her education behind almost 80 years ago to care for her dying mother and younger siblings, Bekema regretting having to give up her education.
Earlier this week Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took to Instagram to share a sweet moment between himself and longtime girlfriend Lauren Hashian. Confirming rumours that he and Hashian were expecting, Johnson also let his 32 million Instagram followers that their baby is a girl and thanked his fans for their support.
When Megan Shufflebarger took her soon to be three-year-old daughter Kinley on a little shopping trip to pick out her birthday present, the inevitable happened: Kinley picked the last doll of its kind as what she wanted. The doll had blonde hair, just like the adorable toddler.
Also strolling the toy aisle at the same time was a young man, who struck up a conversation with Kinley, asking her which doll she liked the most.
“I really lub dis one,” said Kinley, pointing to her favourite.
Heather and Matt Koehler were married on a sunny September day in small town Michigan. Surrounded by family and friends, Heather walked down the aisle to Ellie Goulding’s "How Long Will I Love You” and exchanged vows with her husband (who was sweet on her in high school). The day was picture-perfect….except for the picture part.
Halloween with babies and toddlers can be difficult to navigate. They're too small for independent trick or treating, but the constant doorbell ringing and strangers at the door can be upsetting at bedtime. And then there's the fact that babies are just plain super cute dressed like fall vegetables and miniature superheroes and it's a damn shame not to share that fun with the world.
But one Dad made the best - the absolute best - of the situation and constructed what is likely the most creative baby or toddler Halloween costume seen to date.
We all like to think we're good people; that we're someone who gives to others when called upon, quick to say "yes" when favours are asked, expecting nothing in return. But I'll say it: I'm 42 years-old and in that time I've said "no" to more grade three school field trips than I can count, and I admit to hiding when people come knocking on the door for bottle drives.
DeAngelo Williams is a NFL star running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who, at first glance would seem to have it all. But Williams lost his beloved mother last year to breast cancer at only 53 years-old. The age of 53 is too young for anyone to go, but the number is significant for more than just being the age at which Sandra Hill died. The number is also important for 53 other women who would have otherwise gone without getting their breast cancer screening through mammograms.
What's more important than your health? Precious little, really, because if you don't have it, nothing else can be enjoyed fully. Sometimes we're lucky and we get through each year with maybe nothing more than bumps or bruises or perhaps some stitches in an emergency. But what about those who suffer chronic and ongoing health issues and can't afford healthcare for themselves? Add to that the harsh conditions of being homeless, and "health care" can quickly slide off the priority list completely.
