The Weekly Roundup - Week 47
Published: November 27, 2005
Pressed for time? Missed some of the great news or want to relive it again? These are some of the week’s top stories as selected by the editor.
Sunday
• In at most a year his 5 year old son would die. Not that the hole in his heart was such a scientific problem — but Mohamed happened to be born in Iraq. Medical treatment would have to come from abroad. And that costs a lot of money. Over 50 thousand US dollars; much, much more than his family could ever hope to pay.
May this year his father came to England for a course paid for by the Ministry of Electricity, his employer. He spoke about his son’s plight with Charlotte Courquin who he stayed with during his visit.
Of course Charlotte was moved. Who wouldn’t be? She contacted Chain of Hope, a childrens charity which carries out free vital heart surgery on children from poor countries.
This weekend the boy is recovering from the operation which should ensure he has the chance to lead a long and healthy life.
• The almost miraculous cancer-vaccine Gardasil is now being tested on Scottish teenagers. So far the vaccine is 100% effective in preventing cervical cancer.
Monday
• Sometimes a cure comes from an unexpected place. This week we learned that Viagra can cure a serious lung disease. The story received overwhelming interest both out of curiosity as well as from patients. In order to deal with the interest Good News Blog several times bought additional bandwidth from its host.
• Police and firefighters say that if 38 yo Leon Kaipo had not dragged a woman and her dog from a burning car she would have become engulfed in flames and die. “Thirty seconds later and she would have been dead.”
• By monitoring data from 500 pet hospitals in 44 states, the USA has set up an effective early warning system for disease outbreak and bioterrorism. “We don’t know where the next disease is coming from, but it’s likely to start in animals.” The network’s database has already been tapped by the Department of Homeland Security. Last month, Glickman got a call from government officials asking about any unusual sicknesses in dogs and cats in the Washington, D.C., area. The officials had detected a bacterium in the air that causes tularemia, a highly infectious disease that triggers severe respiratory illnesses and can be fatal.
Tuesday
• Two 19 yo teenagers stunned police. The driver swerved to avoid an oncoming car. The car then got hit by an articulated lorry, got stuck under its wheels and was dragged nearly 200 yards. “Expecting the worst, officers found two young women with nothing worse than whiplash injuries and bruises.”
• Selected to dive with dolphins, teacher Kimberly Pratt remained without oxygen for minutes. A CT scan at the hospital showed that her brain wasnt damaged by the loss of oxygen. Hospital staff considers her very lucky.
Wednesday
• The day before Thanksgiving (USA) brought a special Thanksgiving story. Mark Cospy used his just bought 20 pound frozen turkey to smash the windows of a burning car and help rescue its inhabitants. The good Samaritans and the officers involved in this rescue will receive awards and be recognized at an upcoming city council meeting in Northlake.
• The touching story of a Holocaust survivor reunited with rescuers’ family. “The world is so beautiful, and I’d so much like to live,” Gruener remembers blurting out upon seeing her father, and the outdoors, for the first time after she went into hiding with the Szczygiels for eight months. To that her father replied: “You will, kitten, you will.”
Thursday
• Plenty to be thankful for when your daughter is abducted but returned unharmed through a chance encounter. A broken taillight on the abductor’s car didn’t tempt Officer Thompson who was about to go off duty. Too much paperwork. But the way the car veered when he passed it got his attention. Using the broken taillight as an excuse he pulled the car over. Inside, he found an unkempt young man and a hysterical little girl screaming that the driver had ‘taken her from her mommy and daddy.’
• A family can take a photo together even though dad is posted in Iraq as the family is reunited through the magic of online video conferencing.
• A 9 yo girl uses her birthday money to buy gifts for the Angel Tree charity.
Friday
: Christina Root went to a house to answer a call for cleaning services. Once inside the man tried to trap her, yelling “I’m going to kill you!”. She started to pray out loud and to repeat Bible verses she remembered about God’s protection. “I don’t know how much time passed, but after a while, he finally let go of me,” Christina said, fighting back tears. “He laid the knife down and told me, ‘I can’t do this. I can’t hurt you.’”
• A Collie survives a 50 mile ride clinging to the front of a car.
• The tricycle stolen from an autistic 9 yo boy is returned.
• And again continued promising news from the cancer science front as deguelin, found in plants, is shown to possibly help prevent lung cancer caused by cigarette smoking.
Saturday
• Two child genius stories today as an 18 yo math and science teacher goes to medical school next year while a 9 yo girl wins a Supreme Gold Award from the Pentel International Children’s Art Exhibition.
• A man sees his long lost friend on a TV program about the homeless. The day later the friends are reunited.
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