08:05 AM EDT 05/23/2013
Good Deeds
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Dick Hoyt, 72, And Son Rick, 51, Complete 1,000 Races for Charity
Originally posted 05/02/2013 05:45PM
The Boston Marathon started off like any other for Dick Hoyt, who pushes his son, Rick, in his wheelchair when they compete.
"We took a bus filled with runners from our team from the hotel to the start line," says Dick, 72, who has completed more than 1,000 races (many of them marathons) with his son. "We put together Rick's running chair, put him in it and off we went. It was a great day."
They were making good time, an hour ahead of last year, when Dick noticed an unusual number of police officers around mile 23. "I stopped and asked one of them, 'Is everything OK?' " says Dick, of Holland, Mass.
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2-Year-Old Girl Gets Windpipe Made from Stem Cells
Originally posted 04/30/2013 02:10PM
A 2-year-old girl born without a windpipe now has a new one grown from her own stem cells, the youngest patient in the world to benefit from the experimental treatment.
Hannah Warren has been unable to breathe, eat, drink or swallow on her own since she was born in South Korea in 2010. Until the operation at a central Illinois hospital, she had spent her entire life in a hospital in Seoul. Doctors there told her parents there was no hope and they expected her to die.
The stem cells came from Hannah's bone marrow, extracted with a special needle inserted into her hip bone. They were seeded in a lab onto a plastic scaffold, where it took less than a week for them to multiply and create a new windpipe.
About the size of a 3-inch tube of penne pasta, it was implanted April 9 in a nine-hour procedure.
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Don Hanlon Takes Needy Families Shopping with His Own Money
Originally posted 04/25/2013 12:50PM
Retiree Don Hanlon is showing his community – and the rest of the world – how well he can shop, and how many hungry people he can help doing it.
In 2001, Hanlon, a retired warehouse worker living off his social security and savings, walked into the office of Family Tree, a Denver, Colo., nonprofit that helps the homeless, and made a stunning offer: He wanted to take a struggling family grocery shopping – and pay the bill.
"It was so unusual," says Rita Caldwell, a Family Tree coordinator. "Other donors just want to write a check, but Don wanted to get personally involved."
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Ben Affleck to Live in Extreme Poverty – on $1.50 a Day
Originally posted 04/24/2013 09:05AM
Ben Affleck plans to live on $1.50 a day – and he wants you to join him.
While the Oscar winner could certainly afford much more, Affleck is joining other celebrities to shine a light on poverty through the Global Poverty Project's Live Below the Line campaign. That figure represents the extreme poverty line in the U.S. as estimated by the World Bank.
Affleck Tweeted of his efforts: "1.4 billion people live on less the $1.50/day. I'm joining Live #BelowTheLine on behalf of @easterncongo. Will you?" He plans to feed himself on $1.50 for one day, following in the footsteps of other celebrities who have joined the cause to raise awareness of issues of inequality and poverty around the world.
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Earth Day 2013: Meet Three Kid Crusaders
Originally posted 04/22/2013 10:30AM
From an early age, they've been working to save the planet. Erek Hansen was 8 when he began recycling old, ripped jeans. Cassandra Lin was in the fifth grade when she started collecting cooking oil that could be converted into fuel so her neighbors could have heat. And Gabrielle Posard was only 12 when she came up with a plan to convince grocery stores to donate food rather than dump it.
Each of these environmental kid crusaders has been hailed for making a difference. As we celebrate Earth Day 2013, check out their stories to see simple ways you, too, can make a difference.
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Boston Marathon Heroes Seek Little Boy They Saved
Originally posted 04/19/2013 03:30PM
When blasts rocked the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, many bystanders selflessly ran toward danger in an effort to save the injured.
Now, many of those same heroes are trying to reunite with those they helped to see if they're okay.
Matt Patterson, 30, an off-duty firefighter from Lynn, Mass., north of Boston, is among those looking to reconnect after helping to save a little boy who lost a leg in the bombings.
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Prince Harry to Conquer Antarctica with Walking With The Wounded
Originally posted 04/19/2013 11:30AM
Prince Harry announced Friday his intention to follow in the footsteps of British hero Captain Scott and conquer Antarctica.
The world's favorite friendly royal will join three teams of wounded veterans as they race to the South Pole with the aid of the Walking With The Wounded charity, of which Harry is patron.
"The aim remains the same," Harry, 28, told reporters at the launch of the South Pole Allied Challenge in London. "To enable our wounded servicemen and women to do what they do better than anyone else I know. To meet a challenge head on and inspire others to do the same."
The event will start in December and see veterans from the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia ski across 208 miles of the coldest, most inhospitable terrain on the planet for up to 20 hours a day.
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Police Officer's Act of Kindness Makes Little Girl's Day
Originally posted 04/19/2013 08:00AM
The world can always use more heroes. And in Oxnard, Calif., no one deserves that title this week quite like Officer Michael Kohr.
Responding to a report of child's stolen bike on Monday, Officer Kohr went above and beyond the call of duty – not just by lending a hand but by fixing the problem then and there for Nina Sanchez and her daughter Bella.
"On my way to take my daughter Bella on a bike ride, to our dismay we realized her cherished Minnie Mouse bike that Santa brought her had been stolen, along with our jogging stroller. To say we were heartbroken is an understatement," Sanchez wrote in a Facebook post that has gone viral.
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Kate Chooses Three New Charity Missions
Originally posted 04/18/2013 07:00PM
As if her plate wasn't already full, the Duchess of Cambridge is about to add even more.
Kate, 31, is adopting three new causes, and that will mean more public outings for the pregnant princess in the coming months as we count down to her baby's highly-anticipated July arrival.
The new charities are in addition to the five she picked last year and reflect her "personal interests in supporting children and young people to build their skills, confidence and aspirations," her office says in a statement.
The new patronages are Place2Be, SportsAid and The Natural History Museum. More about them:
City Sings Heartfelt Rendition of National Anthem at Boston Bruins Game
Originally posted 04/18/2013 03:35PM
The city of Boston is getting back on its feet.
Just two days after the devastating bombings at the Boston Marathon that left three dead and more than 170 wounded, residents gathered at Wednesday's Boston Bruins NHL game and showed their support for their town.
The solemn-looking crowd, holding up signs that said "Boston strong," chanted along to "The Star-Spangled Banner" as Rene Rancourt sang it.
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