Are you tired of the negative, scary and downright depressing news?
Welcome to Weekly Uplifting Stories! Every week, we collect positive, inspiring news from around the world to help motivate, not terrify you.
This week, we have a man who saves stray animals and calls himself Black Noah, a young cancer-survivor who gives back by donating the hair she's grown since her remission, and a senior volunteer who often naps with the cats he's just groomed at a local cat sanctuary.
We also found an inspirational teen inventor with her sights set on helping developing countries have better access to life-saving medical sutures and a female killer whale who was spotted showing an unusual level of empathy for another species.
I hope this gives you a happy start to your week!
In Bessemer, Alabama, one man has taken it upon himself to save as many animals as he possibly can. Better known as, "Black Noah," Calvin Tucker dedicates his life to feeding, helping, saving, fostering and adopting out hundreds of dogs, cats and even the occasional possum.
A former self-described 'troublemaker,' Calvin changed his life after deciding to not surround himself with the wrong crowd any longer. Then, in 2015, he met King Henry, a stray cat who he fed for 45 days before taking him home to live with him. He didn't even like cats!
“Basically I’m just out here every day, just trying to help stray animals.” - Calvin Tucker, Black Noah, from the AL.com article
Since then, he founded SOCAT (Saving One Creature at a Time) in 2016, and thanks to his massive following on his Instagram account (He calls his followers Team Black Noah), in 2020, he was able to quit his second job and turn his full attention and time to helping more animals. He has TNRed (Trap, Neuter, Return) more than 800 cats, and found homes for 154 cats and 64 dogs.
You can follow Calvin on his Instagram page, where he also accepts donations to save more animals.
Killer whales are not known to be the most affectionate when it comes to other species' offspring, but that's exactly what a whale-watching boat spotted during an excursion near Iceland.
A female Orca whale was spotted with a baby whale calf, but it was not another killer whale. It appeared that this fearsome hunter was taking care of a baby long-finned pilot whale.
Located near Snæfellsnes on Iceland's west coast, this amazing event happened over 20 minutes, to the delight and awe of watchers on the boat, scientists and researchers.
"Killer whales have never been seen caring for the offspring of another species, so this in itself is extremely interesting," says Elizabeth Zwamborn, a PhD candidate (From OnlyGoodNewsDaily), who co-authored a new research paper in the Canadian Journal of Zoology after the 20 minute sighting.
While no one seems sure just how this baby ended up under the watchful eye of the female Orca, they are sure that she was showing protective behavior towards it - something that has not previously been observed in killer whales.
Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, is a cage-free sanctuary that saves disabled cats at risk of being euthanized, has been charmed by a senior volunteer, who brushes and naps with the kitties.
Terry Lauerman, 75 goes in daily to brush and groom the cats. He just sometimes also falls asleep in between sessions.
“[He sleeps for] about an hour, then he’ll wake up and switch cats,” - Elizabeth Feldhausen, the founder of Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary
Turns out Terry didn't start out as a volunteer, he just showed up one day with a cat brush and a desire to groom cats. Eventually, the staff told him he was a volunteer, and made him fill out some paperwork to make it official.
You can see pictures of Terry with the cats here.
Nine-year-old Rose Evensen just donated a whole heap of her own hair to a non-profit, Wigs For Kids, that provides wigs to kids in need. Rose should know how it feels to be without.
She was diagnosed with Stage Four kidney and lung cancer at three, and after her remission, she decided not to cut her hair as it started growing back, so she could give back to other kids.
Rose has been cancer free for five years, and now she's looking at giving back to survivors and other people who need hair. She even wrote a letter to go with her donation, which will hopefully give an extra boost of hope to someone else dealing with cancer.
"Hi my name is Rose and I had cancer when I was 3. I didn't have hair then either. Now my hair is very long and I want to cut it and share it with you," she writes.
When 17-year-old Dasia Taylor discovered the world of state-wide science fairs, she began her project - using beets to create suture thread that changes color, from bright red to dark purple, when a surgical wound has become infected.
While developing her idea, Dasia collected multiple awards from various science fairs, and was selected as a finalist on the national stage for the Regeneron Science Talent Search.
After learning about 'smart sutures' that can track infection and relay information via smartphones and computers, Dasia set her sights on helping those who don't have such easy access to technology as we do. In developing countries, the rate of surgical wounds becoming infected is often as high as five times the rate in the US.
In some African nations, up to 20 percent of women who give birth by C-section then develop surgical site infections.
“The end goal is to get these sutures to people who need them in developing countries, and that’s what I’m working on every day,” says Taylor.
Dasia has since been busy founding her own medical device company, Variegate Health, and is a student at the University of Iowa. She has also been nominated by USA Today as Woman of the Year from Iowa.
With talent, innovation and a global lens such as Dasia's, it looks like a bright future ahead of us!
Do you have a story you are burning to share? Did someone go out of their way to help someone else? Is there an amazing person in your life who deserves a shout out? Or did you observe someone performing an act of kindness you want to shout about?
Let us know in the comments below, or on our Instagram page! We will share your story in a future article.
Have a great week everyone!
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