2006 November | Good News Blog

Thursday, Nov. 30, 2006

His sister in danger, 4-year-old plays hero

The robber was holding a gun to 5-year-old Mary Long’s head when a 3-foot-tall Mighty Morphin Power Ranger leapt into the room. »

Bus passenger’s praise for ‘mystery hero’

A WOMAN who was saved from an aggressive drunk by a mystery bus passenger has contacted the Gazette to thank him. »

Lone hero pulls five girls from sea

‘I prayed that God would give me supernatural strength’ »

Praise for hero husband

Joy Hong believes her husband saved her life when he stepped between her and a gunman and took a bullet in the chest during an armed robbery. [My Hero: Extraordinary People on the Heroes Who Inspire Them] »

9-year-old is honored as a hero

s his mother drove along U.S. 67 toward Cleburne this month, Jimmy Stevens, 9, noticed that she was swerving. »

Stolen Nativity Returned To Owners

There’s a happy ending to a story about a stolen nativity in Greenfield. »

Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2006

Elves busy making Christmas special for 1,000 families

A group of four nonprofit organizations, along with Havertys Fine Furniture, have bonded together to make sure families and children in the area have reason to celebrate during the holidays. »

Area man meets girl he helped save

Greg Lyons waited nine years for the opportunity to donate bone marrow. »

Cured by eggheads

CHILDREN’S food allergies could be cured using a surprising new approach — eating the very foods that cause the allergic reaction. »

Girl Scouts buy Christmas gifts for the needy

Nineteen young girls went on a search-and-buy mission yesterday inside Boscov’s at the Nanuet Mall. »

Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2006

Appleton teen honored for her courage in fighting disease

Fifteen-year-old Becca Davis is a Comeback Kid, and proud of it. [Easy for You to Say: Q and As For Teens Living With Chronic Illness or Disabilities] »

Singing can cure speech disorders

A new research has revealed that people who have trouble with words and language are better off lilting, for singing in a group seems to help people with aphasia to speak again. [Childhood Speech, Language & Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know] »

Herbal drugs for cancer cure being developed

A SENIOR professor at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil Dr Maria L V Oliva, who is working on herbal medicines to cure cancer, said soon such medicines would be available for human use. [The Herbal Medicine Maker's Handbook: A Home Manual] »

Monday, Nov. 27, 2006

Crash survivors ‘had guardian angel’

A POLICE officer who raced to the site of a plane crash on Rottnest Island has told of finding two of the six passengers trapped face down in five inches of water. »

Record carrier called ‘guardian angel’ by injured woman

In the early morning hours of Sept. 30, Cohoes resident Jeanne Freeman awoke with a start in her Park Avenue home to find the television blaring.
She had apparently fallen asleep watching the late news.
Freeman, a senior citizen, was groggy when she climbed out of bed to turn off the set and lost her footing as she reached for the dresser where the TV rested. Both the television and dresser toppled down on top of her, causing her to fall over backwards. She hit her head on the floor.
Most of what followed is unclear, but Freeman believes she fell multiple times but lost consciousness only once. By the time anyone found her, it was at least three hours later.
Her guardian angel appeared around 6 a.m. in the form of 27-year-old Lisa Rysedorph, a Record newspaper carrier, she said.
“I lay on the floor – I don’t know for how long. I managed to crawl over the dresser drawer and TV to my front door and then into the hall. I must have fallen again. By the time I got to the end of the hall I was on my back,” Freeman said.
She had no way of knowing how much time elapsed as she struggled on all fours but did know that her only hope of making contact with the outside world hinged upon getting to the door at the end of the hall.
When she finally got there, all she could clearly see from her vantage point on the floor was the mail slot and a broom.
Despite the pain and her inability to get up, Freeman summoned the strength to get hold of the broom and push it against the mail slot. She next worked the end into the narrow passageway and wiggled it back and forth, hoping to flag down a passerby.
“I thought I heard something and the next thing I saw was a pair of eyes looking through the mail slot,” she said.
Rysedorph, an automotive services student at Hudson Valley Community College, delivered Freeman’s paper around 6:15 a.m. She saw something poking out of the mail slot and took a closer look. That’s when she heard Freeman’s frail calls for help.
“I’m here! I’m here!” yelled Rysedorph until Freeman replied.
Rysedorph ran next door to the home of Vincent DeChiaro to call an ambulance. She rushed back to Freeman’s house and tried to make her way inside, but reaching the elderly woman’s side proved more difficult than she first thought.
“I had to unravel the rope around her picket fence and hop over the deck because it was padlocked. I shimmied through the back porch window and screen and jumped in feet first,” Rysedorph said.
After kicking in the back door she had no idea how to get to Freeman because she’d never before been inside the house.
When she did find her, Freeman was framed in a halo of blood and covered with dark bruises.
She was rushed to the Samaritan Hospital emergency room and she remained hospitalized for three days.
All of her tests came back negative with the exception of some blockage found in the carotid artery that had nothing to do with her fall. Her doctors told her she was fortunate to have sustained only minimal injuries.
“They wanted to run more tests, but I signed myself out after three days. I figured it was best to get out of there as fast as possible,” she said.
The ordeal has left her counting her blessings.
“People will think this sounds strange, but I want to talk about it anyway. When I came to after the dresser fell on top of me, the first thing I saw was a small statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary right next to my head,” she said.
The illuminated figure fell off the dresser and landed upright next to Freeman. She was amazed it hadn’t been broken by the fall and even more intrigued that it continued to glow brightly.
“I can’t tell you how much the sight of that statue comforted me when I saw it,” Freeman said.
Rysedorph’s appearance several hours later was almost as miraculous, she said.
“She was my little guardian angel. I really believe that she saved my life,” Freeman said.
The pair shared a tearful but happy reunion after Freeman got out of the hospital.
“I’ll never forget something that Lisa said to me,” she said.
Rysedorph told Freeman that she believed she had never done anything truly worthwhile until that day.

Rescued dog survives, returns home

Brutus is back home and his owners couldn’t be more elated or more thankful. »

Man lucky with wife’s birthday

A man in Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province recently won 6.38 million yuan (US$786,683) on the lottery using the numbers from his wife’s date of birth. »

Girl donates Bibles for charity

A young girl’s dream to spread the joy and hope she believes can be found in the word of God had turned into a reality. »

Friday, Nov. 24, 2006

Miracle in Disguise: Driver Plunges into Lake

Forty-six-year-old Janet Clark was diagnosed with meningitis which is what caused the disorientation she experienced that day. And with the help of her husband, Tim, she’s slowly getting back on her feet. [Up and Running : The Inspiring True Story of a Boy's Struggle to Survive and Triumph] »

Lottery winnings bankroll dream for aspiring doctor

Douglas Fader has heard the stories about winners of big lottery jackpots who squandered their winnings. His former co-worker Sara M. Richmond, he says, isn’t one of them. »

‘Miracle’ rescue spares man’s life

A few weeks ago, Earl “Jim” McRoberts was in Falcon, Colo., visiting his daughter. One morning, he decided to drive to a store to buy a case of hot tamales — a trip that turned into an ordeal that almost cost the 71-year-old Deerfield Township resident his life. [The Falling Season: Inside the Life and Death Drama of Aspen's Mountain Rescue Team] »

A Special Style Of Hair Care

Hairstylist Lisa Dlugos has walked miles in the shoes of women suffering from cancer. »

The spirit of giving; Rescue Mission gives back to the community

More than fifty volunteers gave away about 350 to 400 Thanksgiving food boxes at the Oroville Rescue Mission, Monday. »

Thursday, Nov. 23, 2006

Local heart patient: “They said I’m a miracle”

Randall Shovan is convinced he wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for the resources and superior cardiac care he received at LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport. »

Woman is rescued in cliff drama

EMERGENCY services joined forces on Monday to rescue a woman who had plunged from 120ft-high cliffs at a Dorset beauty spot. »

50 unsung New York heroes

Back to the community »

Girl gets dolled up for charity

Strutting down the runway for the first time was a bit unnerving for Chloe Damon, but with her first fashion show behind her, she can’t wait until the next one. »

Good News Blog

November, 2006