Faith in Humanity

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7-Year-Old Cancer Patient -- Duet With Favorite Singer Rachel Platten (VIDEO)
7-Year-Old Cancer Patient
Duet With Favorite Singer
Rachel Platten
9/1/2015 2:40 PM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

7-year-old Jeremiah Succar is a huge fan of Rachel Platten ... and especially her hit song -- "Fight Song," which has become a driving force for him in the hospital.

His father explained, "he used to sing it when he got a lot of headaches, but now he sings it in the morning, before bed and during shots he has to get.”

Jeremiah has stage-four atypical rhabdoid teratoid -- a fast growing brain and spinal cord tumor.

Platten went to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to surprise Jeremiah after finding out he was a fan on social media ... but he was the one that surprised her when he sang the song along with her.

Fight on Jeremiah ... fight on.

[kelroy55]

For the past year and a half, Jake Reissig has had the same daily routine.

Every morning, the 86-year-old goes to mass. After church, he meets one of his 9 children for coffee. Then he goes back home, walks to his rose garden and clips off a single rose.

He brings the rose to a cemetery to visit the plot of his wife of 65 years, Elizabeth.

"Liz," as he calls her, was always "dressed to the tee," his son, Roger, told CBS News. "She was beautiful to him."

That's why the widower, who needed a place to go talk to her, brings a rose to his wife every day -- the same as he did each day he was married to her.

This summer, with Texas facing a severe drought, the Conroe resident was worried the grass around her plot would dry up. When the grass started to turn crispy and brown, he took a hose and watered the lawn around her stone twice a day.

Suddenly, that became a new part of his routine.

One day, as he was watering the grass, he noticed a young woman kneeling down and crying. He walked over to comfort her and discovered that her brother had been an staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force; she lost him in 2010.

As the woman walked away, Reissig added another task to his daily to-do list: water the gravesite of the fallen soldier, Joseph Villasenor.

"He's just a giving person," said Roger, who occasionally goes with his dad to water the lawn. "When I saw it -- I just couldn't believe it."

The next time Villasenor's family members visited his grave they couldn't believe their eyes.

"They thought it was a miracle," Roger said.

When Villasenor's parents visited his grave and spotted Reissig standing there, they immediately hugged him.

Reissig turned to the soldier's mother and asked, "Do you want to water it?"

With tears in her eyes, she took the hose.

"They couldn't believe a stranger would do that for him," Roger said.

But Reissig says he's not a stranger. He talks to "Joe" every day while he waters the grass.

"The way dad treated mom and all of us -- it's not a surprise," Roger said.

Roger posted his dad's story on Facebook. Thousands of people shared it and hundreds commented.

"What a beautiful tribute," one user said.

"Your mom and dad's romance is not over," another commented.

They're right, Roger said, "It was storybook."

[kelroy55]

OK this is about dogs so it's faith in caninemanity....

A desperate plea for help, two lost dogs and one happy ending.

That sums up the story of canine friends, Tillie and Phoebe, perfectly.

The two dogs ran away from their Washington state home last week without a trace.

Five days after their disappearance, the Vashon Island Pet Protectors (VIPP) -- a non-profit organization that runs a lost and found operation to reunite lost animals with their guardians -- stepped in to help their distraught owner.

Amy Carey, a VIPP volunteer whose the first to respond to a lost dog call, made it her mission to find the canines. She was hoping someone, somewhere would see them.

Little did she know, Tillie would lead the way.

"We received a call from a community member reporting that for the past few days a 'reddish' dog had been coming up to them when they were out on their property and then promptly heading back into a ravine," Carey reported on Facebook Monday.

So, with "a needle in the haystack hope," Carey and her rescue crew made their way into the ravine. When Tillie's name was called, the group could hear a faint one-woof response.

After following the sound of her barks, Carey spotted Tillie laying beside an old cistern with poor Phoebe stuck inside.

"Every breath was held and every doggie prayer offered that the peek over the rim would somehow find her safe," Carey recalled in a Facebook post.

Luckily, she was -- and the two dogs slowly made their way back home, safe and sound.

"This is an amazing story about Tillie being a true friend and heroine," Carey told CBS News. "But it's also about the importance of not giving up."

Carey is using the dog's powerful story to give owners of lost pets a reminder: When trying to find a missing dog, us two leggers need to pay attention to even the smallest clues.

"If you have a lost pet and are not getting regular sighting reports, there is a high chance that they are stuck somewhere be it over a slope, in a building or in this case -- in a cistern," Carey warned.

Thousands of people shared the story of Phoebe and Tillie.

"True loyalty," one Facebook user commented.

"Such an amazing story. Love the happy ending," another replied.

It truly is a story that shows "a true friend and a humbling example of the power of love," Carey said.



Dog stands watch over trapped canine buddy for 7 days - CBS News

[kelroy55]

ZURICH — The number scrawled across the wall in a Libyan detention center connects to a cellphone more than 1,000 miles away in Europe — with a Catholic priest at the end of the line.

Father Abba Mussie Zerai answers that number at all hours, acting as an emergency hotline for refugees pleading for help from the world's deadliest migrant route. After fielding the distress calls — often screaming and crying — from stricken boats in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Zerai uses his contacts at the Italian coast guard to push for a rescue.

"It's very urgent, it's a big responsibility," said 40-year-old Zerai, an Eritrean priest now living in Switzerland. "I try to find solutions to help these people."

Zerai's followers say he's helped rescue thousands of migrants since first making contact with a group of refugees held in a Libyan detention center in 2003 through a journalist. Hearing their stories — "what kind of violation, what kind of abuse, torture" — made him want to act, Zerai said.

Father Abba Mussie Zerai: Why Refugees in Distress Call This Priest - NBC News

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PICKERINGTON, Ohio --- An Ohio church congregation ordered a pizza from Domino's during a service, then tipped the driver more than $1,000 that had been collected for the offering.

The driver, who introduced herself as Natasha, brought the $5.99 pizza to Sycamore Creek Church in Pickerington in suburban Columbus on Oct. 4. The Rev. Steve Markle brought her onstage and asked her the biggest tip she'd ever received. She said about $10.

That's when Markle told her the teaching at the church had been about generosity so the congregation had taken up an offering for the driver. Natasha broke into tears.

"It can help a lot," Natasha said, crying. "Thank you so much."

The Columbus Dispatch reports that the congregation was wrapping up a sermon series on "I was Broke. Now I'm Not." The church draws about 500 to 600 people each week.

Ohio church gives pizza driver $1,000 tip from collection plate - CBS News

[kelroy55]

'If you're Muslim, we can't be friends': Woman embraces protester outside mosque

The beautiful moment a Muslim woman embraced an anti-Islam protester outside a US mosque has been captured on camera.

Video and photos of the heartwarming gesture show Cynthia DeBoutinkhar hugging the protester outside the Noor Islamic Cultural Centre in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday.

The lone protester, identified only as Annie, had signed up for the Global Rally for Humanity, a social media campaign that reportedly organised protests at dozens of mosques and Islamic centres across the US and the world.

However her one-person protest quickly turned into a multi-way dialogue with counter protesters outside the mosque.

"If you're Muslim, we can't be friends," she told Micah David Naziri, who was captured on video approaching the woman to start a conversation. "My Bible says that."

However Annie was welcomed by Mr Naziri and other counter-protesters, who spoke with her for over 40 minutes about her fears and concerns regarding the religion.

It was then that Ms DeBoutinkhar approached Annie with open arms and asked if she could give her a hug.

"Something came over me and I went up to her and asked if I could give her a hug. I wouldn't let go of the hug,” Ms DeBoutinkhar later wrote on her Facebook page.

“I felt her body go from tense to soft and I asked her to please come inside with me. She was actually AFRAID! I asked if I look scary to her. She said I didn't. I promised her I'd stay right by her side the whole time."

"When we walked in, me carrying one of her two signs, everyone was waiting for her in the lobby. We all began applauding. I stayed by her side as I promised."

Annie was then given a tour and spoke with mosque leaders for nearly two hours before leaving with a copy of the Quran.

“Will Annie ever become Muslim? ” Ms DeBoutinkhar questioned on Facebook.

“Who knows. That's in God's hands. But her parting words for me were this: ‘You were all really nice. I don't approve of the violence or killings (neither do we), but I'll read this book. I had no idea Muslims could be nice to me, even after I stood out there with those signs. Sorry."

She noted that Annie left the mosque without her signs.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/29...otester-a-hug/

[kelroy55]

[Mel]

Canceled wedding becomes banquet for homeless

[kelroy55]

A group of high school students are volunteering to serve as pallbearers for fallen military members who otherwise would have been buried alone.

"This was an opportunity to give something to somebody who finished their life on the fringe of society," said Tom Lennon, 17, a senior at the University of Detroit Jesuit School. "These veterans were men I have never met, but they helped make the country I live in safer and stronger. No matter who they were or what they did on earth, every person deserves a proper burial."

The funerals earlier this month were the first in a new initiative of the school's student service team, led by faculty member Todd Wilson. Wilson said more than 50 students participated in the first training, and additional students have signed up for the next training in November.

"The students' service is so important because they realize how they can give back to the people of our community who have given so much to us," Wilson said. "They believe that, through being a pallbearer at the funerals of veterans, the homeless, the socially poor and others, they are ... offering a final tribute to a person's life journey."

John Desmond, funeral director at A.J. Desmond & Sons Funeral Home in Troy, Michigan, said his funeral home has partnered with another funeral home in the area and the county medical examiner's office to ensure that all abandoned veterans receive a proper burial at nearby Great Lakes National Cemetery.

The Dignity Memorial Network's Homeless Veterans Program provides caskets for these veterans — but without family present at the burial, there are no pallbearers to carry them.

"The students' service is quite simply valuable to our firm because that is what we do — we serve our community by caring for and honoring the dead, regardless of financial circumstances," said Desmond, adding that the veterans they provide internment for are turned over to their care after the county has attempted, unsuccessfully, to locate relatives to claim the bodies for 90 days.

Wilson said he is proud of the students who have stepped up to pay their respects to these unidentified veterans.

"To watch them develop this program and to give so generously of their time and talent is impressive," said Wilson. "I have seen our students reach out of themselves and truly give selflessly to others. The students have come to understand that it is not our place to judge someone and their circumstances in life, but rather to celebrate and respect the dignity of that person's life."

As the students prepare to serve as pallbearers at funerals in the coming weeks, Nick Benedetto, 17, a senior at the school, said he's done a great deal of reflection on his experience as a pallbearer.

"I know that these people had loved ones and, whether or not these loved ones could be there to say goodbye, it does not change the fact that everyone deserves a proper burial," Benedetto said. "During the funerals, while listening to the eulogies, I heard a particular statement that I feel was very important. 'While you didn't know him by name or sight, we are all here today to recognize his service to our country.'

"I realized that none of us present knew anything about the deceased. However, we were all there to pay them respect for serving our country. After that, I felt a sense of peace and was thankful that I was able to be a part of the services."

[kelroy55]

This Dad Creates Awesome Halloween Costumes for Kids in Wheelchairs - NBC News



A nonprofit is turning wheelchairs into chariots of dreams and allowing kids with muscle atrophy and other disabilities to join in the Halloween fun.

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A mother of three, Megan Shufflebarger isn't new to the "oohing" and "ahhing" heard by her children as they walk down a toy aisle.

When her youngest daughter Kinley scanned the Target shelves ahead of her birthday, she listened to her stocked birthday list -- and apparently, she wasn't the only one.

The 2-year-old stood in front of a row of dolls, she stopped and stared at the last blonde one on the shelf. Before the question "can I?" could leave her mouth, a young man walked over and knelt down next to her.

He asked which one was her favorite. She pointed, "I really lub dis one." The teen chuckled and walked off with the doll.

Disappointed that her doll of choice was now out of sight, she turned to ask her mom where the "dolly" was. Her mother assured her there would be more.

A few minutes later, the young stranger returned to the aisle with the doll.
He took it out of a bag, handed Kinley's mom a receipt and told the little girl to "have a very happy birthday."

"I was speechless," Shufflebarger told CBS News.

She thanked him for his kindness. He nodded, smiled and walked off.

Shufflebarger repeated the story for her hundreds of friends on Facebook, sharing a photo of the young man posing with Kinley, who had a "sweet little shocked smile" on her face.

She hoped someone in the Lafayette, Indiana-area would recognize him so she could give him a proper "thank you."

After more than 55,000 shares, someone tagged the little girl's hero in the post: Tario Fuller II, a freshman football player for Purdue University.

"We couldn't be more proud of the type of young men and women in our athletics department," Purdue Athletics shared the post on its Facebook page.

The mom told Fuller she was grateful to him for showing her -- and the world -- that "hope is in fact not lost in society as a whole."

"This one act of kindness has likely generated thousands of smiles, softened many hearts and inspired others," she said. "That in and of itself makes my heart full and happy."

Kinley's happy, too.

The soon-to-be 3-year-old, who is never seen without a doll in her arms, may even replace her recent favorite, an Ikea doll named "baby boy," with Fuller's gift.

"Maybe this will inspire and humble others to pay it forward more often," Shufflebarger hopes.

[kelroy55]

BOSSIER CITY, La. -- Security officers patrolling high school football games have seen it all.

But one sheriff working a night game last week said he's never seen something quite like this.

A group of seven World War II veterans -- six men from the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and one female veteran who served in the Women in the Air Force -- were seated on the sideline as Parkway High School Varsity football team's honored guests.

They smiled as they watched players 80 years their junior run back to the field at the end of halftime.

The players were heading for a team huddle when #83 broke from the group and made a beeline for the vets.

Chase Hill, a junior at the Louisiana high school, stopped to greet the group.

"He just left the formation and came up to vets and shook every one of their hands," Lt. Bill Davis of Bossier Sheriff's Office said. "This isn't something we see every day."

When Davis saw the one football player jump out of the crowd he knew he had to capture the moment on camera.

"Law enforcement officers deal with teens who do stupid stuff every day," Davis said. "And for this kid to do what he did, which to me was really just a class act -- a badge of honor if you will, that's what you want to see."

Afterward, Davis decided to share a photo of the heartwarming moment on the police department's Facebook page, which garnered nearly 8,000 likes and 2,300 shares.

"When they make good choices, we can say: 'Hey look at this one, folks,'" he said.

Hill thanked the department for sharing the moment and Davis for his service.

"I didn't do that for attention," he commented on the Facebook post. "I did it for my heroes. My soldiers."
The veterans are members of the Northwest Louisiana War Veterans Home and were welcomed by the Parkway High School AFJROTC instructor Dave Hadden, cadets and students.

"They were pretty excited the whole night," Davis said, explaining that cheerleaders, students and fans also met with the veterans.

But Hill was certainly the "class act" of the night.

Davis said he can't speak on behalf of the teen, but he did agree with the hundreds of people who commented on the photo: His "parents certainly raised this boy right!"

[kelroy55]

For kids with special needs riding a bike isn't always an option, but one man has found a way in his spare time to help them enjoy this rite of passage, too.


Baton Rouge Man Makes Awesome Bikes For Special Needs Kids - NBC News

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AUSTIN, Texas -- When a local mosque in Pflugerville, Texas, was vandalized with feces over the weekend, community members of all faiths and backgrounds stopped by the center to donate money for the cleanup and lay flowers at the doorstep.

But one donation stood out among the rest. It came from 7-year-old Jack.

Laura Swanson brought her son Jack to the Islamic Center to teach him a lesson about kindness and acceptance, reports CBS affiliate KEYE.

"What happened in Paris is not what is happening in Pflugerville," Swanson told KEYE. "We should all be here supporting each other."

Swanson and her son gathered what money they had, $20, to donate to the Islamic Center in hopes to help cleanup what vandals left behind. But if you ask Board Member at the Islamic Center in Pflugerville, Faisal Naeem, it means so much more than that.

"It's $20 bucks but coming from Jack, collecting his pennies, it's worth 20 million bucks to me and to our community," he said.

The Pflugerville Police Department is searching for the vandal or vandals responsible for vandalism at the Islamic Center of Pflugerville on Windermere Drive. Investigators say a member of the center arrived just before 6 a.m. Monday to find a torn apart Quran with a large amount of feces on it at the front entrance of the mosque.


The last time anyone was at the Islamic Center was on Sunday night around 10:00 p.m.

There was no physical damage to the facility, and the clean up costs were estimated to be approximately $150.

"They are brothers and sisters in humanity and that is first and foremost," said one Christian woman who brought flowers and signs in support of the center.

Several Muslims from different Mosques around Austin also showed up Monday night.

"We wanted to express our support and say we are hear for you as your Muslim brothers and sisters," said a Muslim woman.

Naeem tells KEYE that misconceptions about Muslims and Islam may be the root of the vandalism.

"This is very unexpected and quite honestly, shocking," said Naeem.

With vandalism also comes fear, Naeem explained.

"Can something like Wisconsin, the Sikh temple thing, happen here? If you would have asked me this question yesterday I would have said, no, this is Austin," said Naeem. "But, that is no longer true."

Naeem said the fear extends to his children -- born and raised in the United States -- who will struggle to understand the hatred they may face.

"What do I tell them? That they are Americans, but not quite?" Naeem said.

[kelroy55]

CINCINNATI -- An unsuspecting family got quite the surprise right in time for the holidays -- and they have an NFL player to thank.

Wallace Gilberry of the Cincinnati Bengals bought a young family presents at a Target, according to Instagram user mackiodaddy, who took a photo of the player and family and posted it to the social networking site.

FOX19 of Ohio spoke with the family from northern Kentucky. Angelica Yeager and her husband were walking the store aisles when they encountered Gilberry. They had their five children with them.

According to their interview with the station, Gilberry stopped Yeager's husband. He said that he wanted to bless them.

The player then proceeded to buy the family a Playstation 4 and games. The encounter left the family in tears.

"We're definitely ordering his jersey now. He's got life-long fans," Yeager told the station.

Cincinnati.com reports the Target was located in Newport, Ohio.

On Tuesday, Gilberry posted a photo to his Twitter page at a food-bank. He tweeted the photo alongside a quote, "To whom much is given, much is expected."

[kelroy55]

Many times TV stars are spoiled rich people so it's nice to see some do good.

Like the late Daniel Fleetwood who had the opportunity to see the new "Star Wars" early, a young, hospitalized fan of "Doctor Who" just wanted to attend a convention for the show.

When the "Doctor Who" community on social media heard about 14-year-old Daniel -- who suffers from two conditions: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and Postural tachycardia syndrome -- they swung into action with the hashtag #drwhodaniel, to get the word out to the people with the sci-fi series about the situation.

The hope was that perhaps Daniel might even get to meet the Doctor.

Last Tuesday, that's exactly what happened: Peter Capaldi, the current star of "Doctor Who" showed up in Daniel's hospital room in character as the Doctor.

If that wasn't enough, Steven Moffat, the show's executive producer sent a special message to Daniel, revealing that previous "Doctor Who" star Matt Smith had been to visit him.

On Monday, Christopher Eccleston, who portrayed the Doctor in 2005 joined in. This was especially unusual as Eccleston has not returned to the role or been involved with the show since departing it.

This is just the latest example of TV and film heroes visiting sick children. Earlier this year, Chris Evans and Chris Pratt visited children's hospitals in costume as Captain America and "Guardians of the Galaxy's" Star-Lord.



'Doctor Who' stars surprise young ill fan - CNN.com

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Mom buys coffee for women behind her in line despite insulting comments about her looks | KFOR.com