The inspirational Father-Daughter team | Anglia. Nigel Holland and his ten year old daughter Ellie from Wellingborough are very close. Both are adventurous, love the outdoors and cooking. Both also have Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease - or CMT - a degenerative muscle-wasting condition, which starts by attacking the hands and feet. The progression of Nigel's CMT means he now uses a wheelchair. Nigel has always wanted Ellie to know she can still lead a full life despite her CMT. In the spirit of things, Nigel even embraced Ellie's suggestion of dying his hair pink. To Nigel's delight, Ellie has come up with an 11 list to complete by her Birthday in July.
So far she has decorated her own plate, grown strawberries in the garden, and raised £700 for a CMT charity. Nigel has now written 'The 50 List' a book about his and Ellie's life, which made it into The Sunday Times best seller list when it was published this February. "Grab every opportunity, because we only get one chance. . – Nigel Holland. Strangers Help Disabled Fan, Patrick Connelly, See Blake Shelton Concert. A Blake Shelton concert became the site for an extraordinary random act of kindness on July 2.
Patrick Connelly, who suffers from several disabilities and is wheelchair-bound, was distraught when he realized that he wouldn't be able to see Shelton's performance. “Patrick started crying because he couldn’t see Blake Shelton, he couldn’t see anything but the legs of the people in front of him,” Cheryl Connelly, his mother, told Fox 4 Kansas City. Connelly and her daughter tried to raise Patrick up, but the women quickly became tired in the Kansas heat. All of a sudden, two men appeared and lifted Patrick off the ground. Despite 100-degree temperatures, the strangers held him up for almost half an hour, according to KMBC 9. “It shows you that they cared,” a grateful Connelly told the news channel. Later, Patrick was able to go backstage and meet Shelton. The story then went somewhat viral and was picked up by social news site Reddit.
H/T: Reddit. Texas A&M Students Form Human Wall To Block Westboro Baptist Church Protestors From Soldier Roy Tisdale's Funeral (PHOTOS) Hundreds of Texas A&M students gathered this week to form a human wall around the funeral service of a soldier to protect his family from Westboro Baptist Church protesters, KBTX.com reports. Texas A&M alum Lt. Col. Roy Tisdale died on June 28 during a safety briefing at Fort Bragg, N.C. Tisdale was killed by another soldier who then fatally shot himself. Tisdale had served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In the days after the soldier's death, word spread that Westboro Baptist Church members were planning to protest Tisdale's funeral.
Described as a "homophobic and anti-Semitic hate group" by the Anti-Defamation League, Westboro Baptist Church regularly stages protests around the country. According to KBTX.com, the group, which is based in Kansas, frequently targets military funerals because of "a belief that God punishes soldiers because of America's tolerance of gays. " When Ryan Slezia, a former Texas A&M student, heard of the group's plans, he hatched a plot to foil their efforts. Meghan Vogel, Ohio Track Star, Carries Runner Across Finish Line At State Competition. Meghan Vogel might have won the state title for the 1600 meter race, but the track star is probably receiving more attention for her extraordinary act of kindness toward another competitor.
After winning her event on Saturday, the Ohio teen was participating in the 3200 meter race when competitor Arden McMath fell just meters from the finish line, the Springfield News-Sun reports. Vogel soon came to her aid, carrying the fallen runner to the end of the track, where she guided her across the finish line -- ahead of herself. The teens finished in 14th and 15th place, but the crowd -- touched by the scene -- gave the pair a standing ovation. As the story continues to spread, Vogel has received an increasing amount of national media attention for an act she said was a natural reaction to the circumstances.
"If you work to get to the state meet, you deserve to finish no matter who you are. “I just couldn’t believe she’d done that for me," McMath told the paper. Reddit Users Send Scott Widak, Terminally Ill Man With Down Syndrome, Hundreds Of Letters Of Support (PHOTOS, VIDEO) Though loving family members constantly support his dying uncle, Sean O’Connor turned to complete strangers to help lift his relative’s spirits. "Hey Reddit - my 47 year old uncle, Scott Widak, has down syndrome and is terminally ill with liver disease," Sean O'Connor wrote on the social news website. "He is currently bedridden and living out his last days at home with my 85 year old grandmother.
One of his favorite things to do is open mail…anyone feel like sending him a letter or card? " Within hours, the post garnered more than 1,300 comments, and just days later, "Redditors" sent over hundreds of letters and some meaningful gifts, Mashable reports. “The mail that’s arrived has all been extremely positive and thoughtful,” O’Connor told Mashable. Some supporters sent over artwork and art supplies, so that Widak can partake in one of his favorite pastimes. "It's amazing what he's doing," Petite Konstantin, executive director nonprofit L.A. Loading Slideshow.