Everyone has those days; days where you wake up on the wrong side of the bed and just struggle entirely to get going. Your coffee tastes burnt, your milk’s gone bad, the kids aren’t ready, and you still have to get to work.

Terry was one heck of a hard working single mom. She was having one of those mornings, but her troubles didn’t start until she’d gotten all three of her kids into the car. The ride that followed was one previously innocuous trip to work that would change everything…

Dropping them Off

Terry was on her way to work at the local supermarket with all three of her kids, five-year-old Misty, four-year-old Mark, and three-year-old Steven in tow. She was planning to drop them off at the babysitter before she began her 6 am shift, when someone passed her car on the interstate and rolled down their window.

Pull Over

The man was driving alongside Terry, indicating that there was something wrong with her tire and motioning to her that she ought to pull over. With a carful of kids, she couldn’t be too careful. As she inspected the tires, the helpful stranger told her he’d check under the hood. What she didn’t know, was that the man wasn’t helping her at all, but luring her into a trap…

Offering a Ride

Unbeknownst to Terry and her kids, the man had removed the coil wire from inside the hood of the car. She tried to start it back up, but the engine wouldn’t turn over. The stranger then offered to give all of them a ride so that they could get help somewhere. They would not find any help that day.

Naked Body

The next day, the naked body of twenty-three-year-old mother of three, Terry Chasteen was found on the side of State Road 67 in Morgan County Indiana. Her hands and feet had been bound by her torn clothing, her slacks covered her head, and a scarf was wrapped around her throat. She had been strangled to death. As for her kids…

What’s Worse…

Sadly, investigators located the bodies of the three children not far from their mother. They had been drowned. The death of this divorced, hard working single-mother and her three-children was shocking, sobering news to the normally quiet Midwestern town. Everyone wanted to catch the culprit who had done such a heinous thing.

Witness to a Killing

Remarkably, it was barely a day after the bodies were discovered when a number of local witnesses came forward with information about the man who they believed to be Terry’s killer. They all reported seeing a red and gray truck decked out for construction work, near the area where the bodies were found. They even knew what the driver looked like…

Leading Suspect

The witnesses reported seeing a younger, blonde-haired man driving the truck. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to lead them to a young, blonde Indianapolis man with a rather startling record. Steven Judy vehemently denied murdering the Chasteens, but it was pretty clear from the onset that something was wrong with the 22-year-old.

Quite a Record

They would soon discover just how right their instincts had been. Steven Judy had a disturbing past that led all the way back to his days as a thirteen-year-old Boy Scout. Young Steven forced his way into the home of an Indianapolis woman, knife in hand, and proceeded to release some of the budding murderous energies bubbling within him…

Defending Herself

At only thirteen, Steven Judy proceeded to rape the woman and then attempted to kill her with his trusty pocket knife. Unfortunately for him, the blade broke and he couldn’t finish. He ran and found a hatchet to finish the job but only managed to fracture her skull and cut off one of her fingers as she tried to defend herself.

Sent Away

She survived and Judy was caught sometime later. He was sent to a juvenile detention center but spent only six months there before being sent to a mental health hospital. He was confined in that place for a further three years and during his treatment was officially diagnosed as a sexual psychopath. Of course, he was still only sixteen, so what was the state to do?

Kept a Secret

Well, instead of sending Steven home to live with his birth parents, he was placed in the foster care system. He was sent to live with Robert Carr and his wife Mary, along with their own children. None of them were told about his past, his crimes, or the many years he spent in a mental hospital. No one knew what the boy was truly capable of.

Crime is the Life

In no time at all, Judy resorted to his criminal activities. He began to live a life of crime and violence and over the next five years, spent time in jails and prisons. To ask him, he’d tell you that he had been involved in over 200 burglaries, between 20 and 50 robberies, 24 car thefts, and upwards of 16 rapes. That doesn’t even include the murders of Terry and her children…

Exaggeration

Many of these alleged crimes are indeed confirmed, but as Judy was a narcissistic, violent, sexual psychopath, it is possible that he exaggerated his record in order to seem more formidable. He had always been an easy liar and padding his criminal escapades only increased his status. Of course, murdering the Chasteens would do that all on its own.

Toward the Creek

It was during interrogation that police learned what actually happened to Terry Chasteen and her children on that fateful morning. No sooner had they gotten into his truck and on the road, than Judy pulled the truck off-road and demanded they all get out. After that, he directed the family on foot towards the creek. He sent the children down the path, ahead of he and Terry…

Death to All

Terry Chasteen screamed and when the kids ran back to see what had happened, they found their near-naked mother bound hand and foot beneath the man who had just “rescued” them. They stood around him and yelled for him to stop, but instead, Steven Judy proceeded to strangle Terry to death in front of them. The children stood little chance after that.

Out for Blood

Judy’s arrest triggered a media circus. The public outcry against his deplorable actions had thrown people, especially fellow Hoosiers into a fury. People wanted justice for the Chasteens and though the trial would stretch on for a further two years, justice would indeed be done in the end. First though, there was the matter of determining if the formerly incarcerated killer was even competent…

Sane and Guilty

The jury determined that he was perfectly sane when he committed the murders. His actions preceding them made that very clear. He was found guilty and the trial was soon moved to the punishment phase. Oddly enough, despite the fact that the state wasn’t exactly certain about bringing forth the death penalty, Judy decided that he wanted it. He soon initiated a self-led, course towards his own own swift execution.

Asking for It

Not only did he tell his attorneys to ignore any evidence of mitigating factors after the fact, he threatened the judge and jury openly in court. He promised that if they didn’t sentence him to death he would most assuredly kill again. “I honestly want you to give me the death penalty because one day I may get out,” he told the court. And that wasn’t all he said…

Threats

Judy added that, “If you don’t want another death hanging over your head, I think that’s the only thing you can do.” When he wasn’t sure that worked, he proceeded to threaten each member of the jury, one after another. He then spoke to the foreman specifically saying, “I know where you live and I know you have a daughter.” That was enough to do it.

Hating Him

The jury obliged him and sentenced him to death for the murder of the Chasteen family. It wasn’t hard, all of Indiana hated him. Indeed if any murderer ever deserved to be put to death, it was Steven Judy. In the end though, he got what he wanted. His monkeyshines in court got him even more notoriety and when he was finally put to death, it was with a smile on his face.

Single Mother Of Three Has Car Trouble On Her Way To Work, But Not The Kind Of Trouble She Expected is an article from: LifeDaily

For most people, eating a bag potato chips comes as second nature, especially when you need something convenient and quick to eat. Most products these days are clearly marked if they contain things like nuts, but that’s not always the case.

Ashley always took extra special precautions to make sure she never consumed anything that was peanut based. Her rare auto-immune disease meant that she couldn’t eat a bunch of her favorite foods; but that was a small price to pay considering the bigger picture…

Cleveland Bound

Ashley didn’t have long to plan for her trip to a special hospital in Cleveland for treatment. She booked her flight with American Airlines, from Philadelphia to Cleveland, and prepared herself mentally for the journey. Ashley had been having a hard time recently, and she wasn’t relishing the idea of flying across the country, even if her mom was in tow; but it had to be done.

All Packed

With the flights booked, Ashley was far more excited about returning home than she was about going to Cleveland. She felt lucky to have an appointment with a top specialist in the hospital there, and had been seeking some kind of solution to her rare condition that had eluded her so far…

Hugs and Kisses

Ashley knew she would only be away for a few days but she was anxious. She was flying with her mom but wasn’t the biggest fan of air travel in the first place. She hugged her dad tighter than usual when she said goodbye at the airport, as he wished her a successful trip, assuring her that everything would work out fine.

Feeling Uneasy

She didn’t know why, call it a sixth sense or female intuition, but Ashley just didn’t feel right. There she was at the Philadelphia International Airport, hopefully en-route to some medical relief but she just wasn’t enjoying herself. She milled around the shops at the airport, bored and distracted; but then she started to feel a little peckish…

Just a Snack

Ashley barely ate these days. Her condition meant that she wasn’t able to eat certain food items as she would have an allergic reaction if she did. Ashley barely had an appetite, but she had to eat in order to keep as strong as possible. A salad, some fresh salmon or seafood; all would have been a wholesome option for her, but she wasn’t in the mood.

Delicious Chips

Ashley did have one weakness though and that was for potato chips. She particularly liked the Kettle Chip variety of potato chips and just couldn’t resist when she passed by a kiosk in the airport which was selling them. Having studiously read the ingredients as she always did, confirming there were no nuts involved with the potato chips, Ashely felt a little better as she started munching. “They were delicious,” Ashley said later…

Feeling Fine

For the next hour or so Ashley’s mood picked up as she filled her tummy with a variety of Kettle-stlye Chips and drank some cold mineral water. She had to stay hydrated at all times due to her condition, and was drinking extra fluids ahead of her flight to make sure she didn’t dehydrate while flying.

Normal Flight

The flight was routine and fairly uneventful. Ashley settled into her seat as the plane took off, feeling a little light headed, she just assumed it was from the speed of the plane taking off. People around her were eating and watching movies and everything seemed ok. Then, Ashley took a turn for the worse…

Feeling Sick

Ashely knew something just wasn’t quite right. She had become more accustomed to the signals her body gave her as a result of her illness and decided it was time to visit the bathroom. Her head was spinning as she trundled down the aisle, holding on to the tops of seats for dear life. Finally she made it to the bathroom.

Allergic Reaction

Ashley felt confused all of a sudden. She was sure there was no nuts in her potato chips, but she also knew that she was in the midst of a serious allergic reaction and was all but going into anaphylactic shock right there and then. Having thrown up in the toilet, Ashely noticed hives appearing on her skin and she was finding it hard to breathe…

Where’s Mom?

Ashely needed the Epi-pen from her purse urgently, but her purse was up in first class with her mom who had no idea what was going on with her daughter. She tried to make her way to first class but she was so disoriented that even thinking straight was becoming a challenge by this point.

Stopped Breathing

Things then went from bad to worse somewhere over the skies of Philadelphia. “I took about five steps and face-planted in the aisle,” Ashely recalled. “I had a pulse, but I stopped breathing for about 45 seconds.” She said. Thankfully, a flight attendant noticed what was going on with Ashley and immediately went to find out if there was a doctor on board…

Amazing Coincidence

Fortunately for Ashley there wasn’t just one but two doctors on the flight. Both men rushed down the aisle at lightening speed when they heard that a passenger on the plane wasn’t breathing properly. The amazing coincidence was that one of the doctors was from the very Cleveland Clinic that Ashely was headed to, while the other one was a nephrologist from the Duke University School of Medicine; both highly qualified men.

Airborne Clinic

It wasn’t long before Dr. Erich Kiehl and Dr. Blake Cameron had turned the cabin into a makeshift clinic; an airborne one at that. They immediately got to work on Ashely, as one doctor stuck the Epi-pen into her a total of four times, while the other doctor monitored her vital signs. The men worked like a team, and that was the lucky part for poor Ashley…

Those Potato Chips

It turned out that the potato chips were actually cooked in peanut oil and that’s what gave Ashley the violent reaction she had on the flight. The fact that it didn’t say that those specific chips were cooked in peanut oil is an issue that Ashely will deal with later. For now, she’s just happy to be alive, and that’s down to the doctors on the plane.

Rare Condition

Ashley Spencer, 24, has something called Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis; also known as EGPA. It causes inflammation of small and medium-sized blood vessels in people with a history of airway allergic hypersensitivity. It means that Ashley’s life is a challenge daily, and not one that anyone would want to have to face…

Owe Them Life

Luckily for Ashley, Dr Kiehl is a cardiologist, and that fact could well be what saved her life aboard that flight. “It’s beyond scary,” Ashley said. “I owe him my life. The doctors did a phenomenal job.” After they had stabilised Ashley, the plane made an emergency landing in Pittsburgh, where paramedics were waiting for Ashley on the tarmac.

Life and Death

Ashley hasn’t forgotten about those potato chips which almost took her life on the flight. She also hasn’t forgotten the brand which failed to inform that they cook their product in peanut oil, and intends to take action. Talking about the mislabeling issue, Ashley said, “We have a problem in Congress and they are not taking this seriously. If it’s going to take somebody to die – whether an adult or child – before they take action, that’s ridiculous. I almost died on that plane.”

Life On Hold

The rare condition that Ashely suffers from has severely affected her life. With round after round of chemotherapy and steroids, Ashley found it impossible to keep her job as a physical therapist at St Mary’s Rehab in Langhorne. “It all got put on hold,” she said.

Amazing Resilience

Having left the hospital after the flight from hell Ashley was in remarkably good spirits. This woman has been through more in a year than most people could handle in their lifetimes, and thanks to the constant support of her loving family, Ashley has remained resilient and even defiant in her fight against her condition. It is hoped by all that Ashley Spencer goes from strength to strength and makes a full recovery.

Woman’s Life Saved On Flight After She Ate ‘Delicious’ Potato Chips is an article from: LifeDaily

The purpose of a government is to organize a group of people, supposedly in a way that’s beneficial to them all. But as just about anyone who pays attention to politics will tell you, it’s rare that a governmental policy will benefit one person without harming another.

But there are some things that governments do that are just downright awful. No one knows that better than one man whose entire life was irreparably changed when he brushed up against an unbelievable government policy…

Hard Times

Saburo was a kid who came into the world at one of the most difficult times and places in human history. Born in Japan in 1943, World War 2 dominated every aspect of his childhood, even though the war came to an end before he could fully grasp what it meant.

Shadow of War

Growing up, the memory of unparalleled destruction and defeat still fresh and present in the national psyche. Surrounded by the ever-present shame and economic difficulty that came with Japan’s occupation and reconstruction, those societal problems had a significant impact on his behavior…

Dark World

The bleak hopelessness that was his constant companion in boyhood focused itself outward as he grew into a teenager and Saburo found himself repeatedly getting into fistfights with other boys at school. His behavior eventually became so bad that at the age of 14, he was taken out of his home and sent to an institution for troubled children.

Doctor’s Visit

A short while after he’d gotten to the institution it Miyagi, northern Japan, he was brought away from the facility to a doctor’s office. Saburo told the people at the institute and the doctor that there was nothing wrong with him but still, he was ordered to strip and lie down on a table. When he did, he was given a local anesthetic…

Surgery

After the anesthesia took effect, the physician took a scalpel and cut into Saburo. When the operation was finished, he was left with a thick, v-shaped scar below his belly button and many questions without an answers.

What Happened?

Saburo wondered what the medical problem was, what the surgeon had done to fix it and, above all, why no one had explained anything to him. He didn’t get any answers from the institute and didn’t find out the truth until he spoke to a friend months later…

What Was Taken

His friend told him something bewildering: Like 2 other kids at the institution, Saburo Kita had been sterilized. “There was no explanation, ever,” Saburo said. “I was left with a body that couldn’t create children.”

Callous Reason

It wasn’t until he was 75 years old that he found out why the doctor had cut into him and taken away his chances of ever biologically fathering a child. His forced sterilization was part of a government program to prevent the birth of “inferior descendants,” a practice commonly known as eugenics…

Ancient Idea

Eugenics is an idea that dates back to at least ancient Greece that says that by controlling who can and can’t procreate, humanity can be “improved,” though the word was only invented in the late 1800s by the Englishman Sir Francis Galton. Despite the horrors Nazi eugenics inflicted on the world in the Holocaust and WW2, the concept apparently hadn’t been fully abandoned.

State Over Individual

Japan in particular didn’t seem to have learned the lesson about eugenics in the aftermath of WW2. “Right after the war, rebuilding the country and its people was paramount, so in the name of building better citizens for the nation, the law came into effect,” said Keiko Toshimitsu, a bioethics researcher. The horrific forced sterilizations were “to build a better Japan.”…

‘Undesirables’

The policy was largely an expression of cultural bias at the time, targeting not only the physically and cognitively disabled whether or not their condition could be inherited, but also people who suffered from leprosy — a curable disease —  and people like Saburo who simply had behavioral problems.

Thousands Impacted

The “Eugenics Protection Law” that made it all possible came into effect in 1948 in the midst of food shortages and worries about overpopulation. Over the next few decades, the Japanese government sterilized an estimated 25,000 people, at least 16,500 of them without consent…

Long Lasting

Shockingly, the last of the sterilizations that took place under the law was in 1993 and the law was only revoked in 1996. And to be clear, this sort of practice wasn’t just isolated to Japan. In fact, the practice of compulsory sterilization began in the United States decades before it came to Japan.

Century of Cruelty

In 1907, the state of Indiana passed the first eugenics-based forced sterilization law in the world. Though there was never a federal law, 32 states would have sterilization laws over the next century, sterilizing at least 60,000 people, most of them poor black, Latino, and Native American people. The last known US sterilizations were 148 women in California in 1910…

Worldwide

There have actually been compulsory sterilization programs implemented by governments on every continent, including countries like Sweden, Peru, and India. While most countries ended the practice decades ago, it is still done in China and Bangladesh even has plans to expand its sterilization program.

No Knowledge Or Consent

And just as with Saburo, many victims of compulsory sterilization aren’t even told what’s being done to them, some of them not finding out until decades later after consulting a doctor when they are having trouble conceiving…

Give Us Justice

For victims of the Japanese law, many of them didn’t know for years that they’d been sterilized and not until 2018 did they find out why. Now armed with that knowledge, a number of the victims are coming forward to demand justice for being denied the right to raise a family.

Can’t Be Made Right

They claim that the government violated their human rights and various lawsuits have been put forward by individuals looking for an apology as well as compensation. But for Saburo, nothing can make up for what had been taken from him…

Regret and Shame

Though he’d been married for decades, he and his late wife were incapable of having the family they wanted. They hid the reason from their families due to shame. When Saburo travels on the Tokyo train, he often finds himself looking at a middle aged person, thinking his children might have been that age. Each time the anger spikes up anew.

Give It Back

“I just can’t stand the way the nation’s handled things. They sterilized me,” Saburo Kita said in an interview, his voice shaking with anger and pain. “An apology is not enough. What I want to say is ‘give me back my life.’”

Elderly Man Seeks Justice After Learning How Government ‘Took His Life Away’ As A Teen is an article from: LifeDaily

If you had to pick a few groups of people our society likes to hold up as heroes, there’s no doubt that veterans and police officers would make it onto the list, for obvious reasons. When someone is both a vet and a cop, there’s really no other way to describe them.

That’s why when tragedy strikes and harm befalls that sort of person, it can throw an entire community into mourning. But as is often the case, there might be more to a person than what appears on the surface. As one community would learn, what lies underneath can be utterly shocking…

Small-Town Hero

To many people living in the village of Fox Lake, Illinois, Lt, Gliniewicz was the picture of an ideal small-town cop. Standing at a fit and trim 5-foot-11, his tattoos and recon haircut hinted at his time in the armed forces before he joined the police force before some of the other officers had been born.

Destined For Service

It all started for him back in high school where he’d spent 2 years at the Marmion Military Academy just outside of Chicago. As soon as he graduated from high school, he went right into the Army where he served for 4 years…

Cop For Life

In those 4 years, Gliniewicz rose to the rank of first sergeant. Immediately after leaving the military, he joined the Fox Lake Police Department in April 1985. That would prove to be the only place he would ever work besides the Army.

Police Explorers

Just one year into being a policeman, Gliniewicz began helping the Fox Lake Police Explorer Post, an organization that encourages and trains young people for a career in law enforcement. By the next year, Gliniewicz was running the program….

American Dream

Things were going well for him at that point in his life. He began dating a woman named Melodie and about 2 years into becoming the chief of the local Explorer program, they got married. He also received international attention for all his hard work with the post. Though it was very early, it seemed as if Officer Joseph Gliniewicz was going to have a very distinguished career.

Distinguished Career

That promise seemed to come true over the next 3 decades as Joe, nicknamed “G. I. Joe” by his colleagues, became Lt. Gliniewicz A significant number of those he’d mentored through the Explorer program had gone on to careers in the military and law enforcement and, one month away from retirement, it seemed as if the Lieutenant’s legacy was secure…

In Pursuit

But on the first of September, 2015, Lt .Gliniewicz radioed in to dispatch just before 8 am to tell them he was in pursuit of 3 suspects near an abandoned cement plant. A short time later, he radioed that the suspects had run toward a swamp and that he needed backup.

Shots Fired

Just as the backup officers arrived, they heard what sounded like a gunshot. The officers quickly moved to try and locate the source of the sound and in the course of their search, they came across Lt. Gliniewicz’s body…

Signs of Struggle

The late Lieutenant had been struck by 2 bullets, one that was stopped by his bulletproof vest and another that had made it through and killed him. Forensic evidence would later show those bullets came from his own service pistol. Some of his gear, like his flashlight and pepper spray were scattered about around 200 feet from his body, all of which seemed to indicate some kind of struggle.

Manhunt

Lt Gliniewicz death sparked a manhunt by local and federal authorities of the surrounding woods and Wetlands outside of Chicago. His funeral would become a state event, attended by the Governor and receiving media coverage nationwide as people decried his death, blaming it on the “war on cops”…

That’s Odd…

But early into the search for his killers, FBI investigators noticed something fishy about Lt. Gliniewicz’s death. His cell phone records showed that he had been at the abandoned cement plant for nearly 30 minutes before he radioed dispatchers or help.

Finding The Truth

As investigators gathered more and more forensic evidence and eliminated one potential suspect after another, a disturbing truth gradually became the only possibility. The three men that Lt. Gliniewicz radioed about never existed and there had been no one else there to pull the trigger…

‘Carefully Staged’

In the words of Lake County Major Crime Task Force Commander George Filenko, Gliniewicz’s death had been a “carefully staged suicide.” The extraordinary claim seemed impossible, even if the evidence pointed toward it. Why would such a respected man kill himself in such a way, just one month short of retirement?

Underbelly

As investigators probed into Gliniewicz’s life for clues about his death, they uncovered a long list of problems in the officer’s career that were completely counter to his all-American image. What’s more, it seemed as if he had been living a double life that was on the cusp of coming crashing down around him…

Bad Behavior

There were allegations that in 2000, he repeatedly pressured a subordinate female officer into performing oral sex on him.There was also a letter sent to the Mayor in 2009 from “Anonymous Members of the Fox Lake Police Department” accusing Lt. Gliniewicz of sexually harassing and threatening a dispatcher, being thrown out of local bars, taking his family on road trips in his squad car, groping women’s breasts at department Christmas parties, and the most bizarre allegation, that he’d gotten a tattoo while on duty.

Unwanted Scrutiny

Beyond that misconduct, things really began to unravel for Gliniewicz in 2014 when a newly hired Village Administrator named Anne Marrin wanted an accounting and inventory of the Explorer post. Gliniewicz’s cell phone records showed text messages about how Marrin’s questions sent him into a panic…

Thief

The reason for that panic is that over at least the last 7 years of his tenure as the head of the Explorer’s Post, Gliniewicz had embezzled “tens of thousands” of dollars, spending it on his mortgage, health clubs, travel, and adult website subscriptions, among other things. His text messages showed that he considered retiring early and even asked a prominent gang member to kill Marrin to avoid being discovered, though the gangster wouldn’t do it.

FML

The day before his death, Gliniewicz sent a text message to the former police chief saying “She has now demanded a complete inventory […] and a financial report….FML” Later that night, he deleted all the text messages from his phone, though they were later recovered by the FBI, in an apparent attempt to prepare for his suicide narrative…

You Think You Know Someone…

When all of this information came out more than 2 months after his death, the news that Lt. Joe Gliniewicz had committed suicide to avoid the consequences of his misdeeds shook Fox Lake to its core. “The person that I thought I knew for 30 years had another side I wasn’t aware of,” said his friend and Fox Lake Mayor Donny Schmidt.

Betrayed Community

“Gliniewicz committed the ultimate betrayal to the citizens he served and the entire law enforcement community,” said Commander Filenko. Around the town, a community which had put up hundreds of signs in support of their fallen “hero” angrily took them down, some of them even being defaced with just one word: “Liar.”

Community In Emotional Turmoil As Investigation Into Death Of ‘Hero Cop’ Uncovers Truth is an article from: LifeDaily

It takes a very special kind of person to keep a big secret. That’s because there’s nothing people love more than to share in the delight of knowing something that no one else knows. That’s why most secrets don’t stay hidden for long.

Benjamin Franklin said “three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.” So it seemed that when one woman’s husband passed on to the next world, his secret went along with him. But there was still someone else who knew…

Unusual Home

Valerie didn’t grow up in a traditional household, though she didn’t know it at the time. When she was just 3 months old, she went to live with her grandparents. But growing up, she was told that her grandparents were her parents.

‘Family Friend’

It’s not that her biological mother was completely out of the picture. Instead, she was a “family friend” who would come visit her daughter Valerie fairly often. So if her mother was around, why all the deception?…

Unfit

Simply put, it was easier that way. Valerie’s biological mother was a teenager and a “night lady,” which meant that she wasn’t ready to raise her and if she’d tried, Valerie would be exposed to all kinds of unsavory things, not to mention a healthy dose of shame.

Different Time

On top of that, Valerie’s biological father was just a child himself. He’d been only 15 years old when he met her mother. This all happened during the ‘50’s as well, a time where such things were considered even more scandalous than they are now…

Learning The Truth

It wasn’t until Valerie was 8 or 9 years old that she learned that the “family friend” who would often visit was indeed her real mother and her parents were her grandparents. It came as quite a shock to the little girl, who had a million questions, most of which her mother and grandparents would answer. But, she said, nobody talked about her father.

Growing Up

Again and again, children demonstrate the ability to take an unusual situation and just put it to the side and move on with their lives and that’s exactly what Valerie did as she grew up in the small midwestern working class town of Doylestown, Ohio. The love of her grandparents and the support of her church community helped her throughout her childhood…

Moving On

As the years went by, the questions she had about her father seemed to fade away in importance as she made her way through life. After she finished school, Valerie got married and had 3 children all the while staying in Ohio. Unfortunately, that first marriage would end in Divorce

Second Marriage

After her divorce, Valerie met a man named Percy in Akron. He was a bit older than she was but was very kind to her and to the children from her previous marriage. As their relationship developed, he also proved to be a good provider and the 2 of them got married and settled down once again in Doylestown. This time, though, there was something special about her husband…

Good Husband

From that day forward, Percy Spruill was a good husband to Valerie. And though they never had kids of their own, Percy was a good stepfather too. “We had a good life,” Valerie said. But because of their age difference — Percy was 15 years older — he died much sooner, when Valerie was just 40.

Bombshell

But after his death, Valerie began to hear some rumors about her late husband that were somehow related to her childhood. None of it seemed to make any sense until 6 years after his death, Valerie’s uncle told her something no one else had: the man that she’d married and her biological father where one and the same…

More Questions

Valerie was in disbelief. How could that be true? If it was true, did Percy knowingly marry his own daughter? She never knew who her biological father was but that didn’t mean he didn’t know who she was.

DNA Test

In order to find out if the craziness were real, she had her DNA tested against his, using some hair from one of Percy’s old brushes she’d kept. When tests confirmed that he was in fact her father, Valerie was crushed. “It is devastating. It can destroy you,” she said. “It almost did.”…

Did He Know?

Still, an important question remained: did Percy know? It would be one cruel coincidence if the two of them had been married without knowing the true nature of their relationship but if it had been a secret he’d kept from her, that would be too much.

Unanswerable

Unfortunately, there was no one left who could answer that question for sure. Valerie’s mother died in 1984 and her grandparents had long since passed as well. Likewise, most of Percy’s close family members had died also…

Anger And Frustration

Valerie was so filled with anger toward her husband-father and herself as well as completely frustrated with the fact that there was nothing she could do to get to the bottom of that final mystery. That anger and frustration very nearly destroyed her.

Health Problems

The emotional distress Valerie was experiencing manifested itself physically as well. In the time since her life was obliterated by the secret, she suffered 2 strokes and was diagnosed with diabetes, all of which, she thought, was due to the stress of her situation….

Therapy

Valerie turned to therapy to try and deal with her hardships. Through that therapy, she learned to let go of the anger she felt toward herself, that it wasn’t her fault, and that she had no way of knowing.

Faith

Still there were times that Valerie believed all of the hardship had become too much to bear and she didn’t have the will to go on. But through it all, she relied on her deep and abiding faith to bring her through. “You have to have faith,” she said. “If God brought me this for, he’s not going to leave me now.”…

Children

The final source of support for Valerie was her 3 children and 8 grandchildren. At first, she struggled with the idea of telling them because, as many people had told her after the news came out, some secrets are better left secret. But her therapist “advised me to tell my kids,” Valerie said.

Grandmother Discovers Twisted Secret Her Husband Kept From Her Years After His Death is an article from: LifeDaily

As we go through life, our focus tends to be on our day-to-day joys and pains. The years tend to blend together and go by in a blur that we only notice when we take the time to sit and reflect on the past. Sometimes, it can strike us pretty heavily at how long it’s been since this or that event.

It can serve as a reminder that life is fleeting and all too often, it can leave us wishing we had a lot more time on this earth than most of us get. But for those few people whose age manages to climb into the triple digits, they often look back on life with unique perspective and insight…

Far Fetched

For most of us, we’d be more than glad to live to be 70 or 80 years old, so long as those final years are spent in good health. The idea of living to be over 90 years old seems like a possibility so remote it’s not even worth thinking about.

Living Well

We all want to stuff as much life into our years as possible before things inevitably come to an end. And some of us get far more opportunity for good times, living to be over a century old. Perhaps even more remarkable, some centenarians remain remarkably healthy and clear headed all the way up to the end…

Centenarian

Tamara was one such fortunate woman. Hailing from Chechnya, she was born in 1909 and died in 2013 at the age of 104. It’s difficult to imagine how different the world seemed to her from when she was a toddler to the day she died. However, there’s one other thing that was even more difficult to imagine.

Older Guest

Even though Tamara had outlived all of her contemporaries, there was still a pretty good turnout at her funeral. Of course nearly everyone there was much younger than she had been, with one surprising exception: Tamara’s mother…

‘Cut Short’

When a parent outlives their children, it’s usually the story of a life cut tragically short. But on the day her 104-year-old daughter was being put to rest, Koku Istambulova was there, standing on her own 2 feet at the ripe old age of 123.

Still Going

5 years later, Koku is still kicking around, fully articulate, able to walk and feed herself about as well as anyone else, although now her eyesight is starting to go. The first thing most folks want to know when they hear of someone so phenomenally long-lived is what their secret is. What kind of life did they lead that let them last so long?

Nothing Special

“I see people [who live long] going in for sports, eating something special, keeping themselves fit, but I have no idea how I lived until now.” She doesn’t do any sort of special exercise and the only things unusual about her diet is she doesn’t care for meat and she loves to drink fermented milk.

47,000 Bad Days

You might be thinking that perhaps the secret to her longevity is some idyllic, peaceful lifestyle full of contentment but the truth is Koku’s life has been quite the opposite. “I have not had a single happy day in my life,” she said…

‘I Am Tired’

“I have always worked hard, digging in the garden,” something Koku continues to do to this day, which she’s not at all happy about. “I am tired,” she said. “Long life is not at all God’s gift for me but a punishment.” Looking back on her history, and the history she’s lived through, you might be able to see why she feels that way.

Early Loss

Koku was born in 1889, back when the Tsars still ruled Russia. When she was younger, she’d lost several children, including a son who died at age 6. Her daughter Tamara who’d died at 104 was the only one of her kids to see adulthood…

Harsh Times

Then there were all the things that happened around her. “I survived the Russian Civil War [after the Bolshevik revolution], the Second World War, the deportation of our nation in 1944 and through two Chechen wars,” she said.

Worse Than WW2

“I remember tanks with Germans passing our house,” she said. “It was scary but I tried not to show this.” But for her, the Germans weren’t as bad as when the Soviet Union deported all Chechens…

Life in Exile

“Life in Kazakhstan was the hardest for us. When in exile – we lived in Siberia too – but in Kazakhstan, we felt how the Kazakhs hated us. Every day I dreamed of going back home,” Koku said. Still, her constant companion of hard work was always there. “Working in my garden helped me to get rid of my sad thoughts but my soul always wanted home.”

‘Lax’ Soviets

Aside from the hardships of war, so many things changed over the course of her life. Growing up in a devout Muslim community, there were very strict rules for her behavior. “I remember my granny beat me and reprimanded me because my neck was visible,” Koku said, adding that when “Soviet times came… women quickly began to wear more open clothes.”…

Living History

Aside from all of the cultural changes Koku lived through so many important historical moments. She was born the same year as Adolf Hitler, was what for most folks would be “middle-aged” at the start of the great depression, and lived through the entire rise and fall of communism.

Witnessing Progress

She also saw massive changes in the way we live thanks to technology. Born just 10 years after the light bulb was invented, Koku was 14 when the Wright brothers made their first powered flight, 24 when the first Model T rolled off an assembly line, 80 when man landed on the moon, and 118 when the first iPhone was released…

13 Hard Decades

But for all her time on earth, Koku still claimed never to have known true happiness. Unlike many old people, she has no words of wisdom or sweet memories to share, just enough hardship for 2 or 3 lifetimes.

Long Slog

“We were either digging the ground, or planting the watermelons,” Koku said. “When I was working, my days were running one by one. And now I am not living, I am just dragging through.”…

Dark Regret

“Looking back at my unhappy life, I wish I had died when I was young,” she said grimly. “I worked all my life. I did not have time for rest or entertainment.” While it’s sad to hear that she spent so many years toiling in misery, there is an important lesson behind her words.

Lesson By Counterexample

Perhaps the lesson to take away from Koku Istambulova’s life is not the secret to longevity but rather the secret to happiness. That is to say, do the opposite of what she’s done. Take time to relax and enjoy yourself because in the end, your life adds up to what you spend your days doing.

World’s Oldest Woman Reflects On Her ‘Punishment From God’ is an article from: LifeDaily

By now, you’ve probably heard the horror stories of passengers experiences on United Airlines flights. Additionally, many TSA employees have failed to follow policies designed to protect nursing moms as they fly with or without their newborns. Stories of embarrassed and harassed mothers have flooded the internet, proving that pumping breastmilk on airplanes is still not understood.

However, despite one mother planning ahead and pumping her breast milk prior to her flight, she still ran into trouble. This United Airlines story, however, is unlike all the others and many are calling it a “Mother’s Day Miracle.”

Family Trip To Disney World

A mother of four took a trip to Disney World with her husband and three of their children. The trip was the week before Mother’s Day, making it extra magical and special. The only thing the family wished they could have done differently was to bring their 4-month-old baby with them.

Little Brent Stayed At Home

The Braverman family left little Brent at home and Rachel Braverman made sure to pump her breast milk a few times a day over the course of the trip. Every morning, she would wake up a little earlier and go to bed a little later so that she could pump about 100 ounces worth of milk to give Brent when she returned home…

Traveling With Young Children Can Be Chaotic

While most parents traveling with young children wish their trips would go seamlessly, this is usually not the reality. Between packing everyone’s belongings and keeping everyone calm and entertained during the flight, things can get pretty chaotic.

Crowded Airport On Mother’s Day

The United Airlines flight back to New Jersey was no different for Rachel and her family as they headed back on Sunday on Mother’s Day. The airport was crowded and Rachel did her best to comfort her three young children so that everyone could have an enjoyable flight. Once she arrived home, Rachel went to her refrigerator…

She Left The Milk On The Plane

She searched frantically for her pumped breast milk to give to her son, when she realized that she left it on the plane under her seat. “I literally started crying,” Rachel said. She had taken such precaution in carefully storing the milk in a container that could maintain the appropriate temperature and she made sure to keep it upright under the seat in front of her.

Helpless At That Point

However, despite her efforts, the milk was gone. There was no way she would ever think she could get that milk back. “There was nothing I could do at that point…My friends were telling me to call United Airlines, and I was like, what are they going to be able to do? It’s long gone.” Assuming the plane was in another part of the country by now, Rachel got her children ready for bed…

Text Message From An Unknown Number

It was five hours after the Braverman family returned home to Northern New Jersey, and Rachel’s husband got a text from a United flight attendant. The message read, “Hi, my name is Jeff, I’m a flight attendant on United and I think I have something that belongs to you, please call or text me.”

A Message They Weren’t Expecting

Rachel’s husband immediately showed her the message, to which she responded, “Oh my god, we must call him.” When Rachel dialed Jeff he answered quickly, saying, “I have your breast milk, don’t worry, I’ve had it on ice all afternoon.” Rachel couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and to be honest, the last thing she had on her mind was whether or not the breast milk was on ice or not. She was too blown away that someone even found it in the first place and that he contacted her, on top of that…

Discovery On United Airlines Flight

Then she learned that Jeff wasn’t even one of the attendants on her flight. He told her that a passenger on the next flight on the plane, going from Newark to Miami, showed him the bag left under the seat. Knowing how precious pumped breastmilk is, Jeff asked the captain to turn back to the gate.

Tracking Down The Bravermans

When that wasn’t possible, Jeff put the bag on ice and then, after landing in Miami, had agents look up the passenger log from the previous flight to try and contact the person in that seat. When they couldn’t reach the Bravermans by phone, Jeff asked for the number so he could call them himself…

From Miami To Newark

He was heading back to Newark anyway that evening, and it was the least he could do on Mother’s Day. The Bravermans were blown away after even receiving the text message from Jeff and that he offered to drop off the breastmilk at their home when his flight returned to Newark.

Happy To Do The Right Thing

Rachel texted him, “As you sure?” and Jeff replied, “It’s Mother’s Day! Don’t even worry about it. I’m just happy to help.” After his flight landed at 11:30 p.m. in Newark, Jeff stopped by the Braverman’s home with a milk delivery for Brent…

Special Hand Delivery

Unfortunately, the Bravermans were sleeping by the time he arrived at the home, but Jeff dropped the milk off on their front porch. When Rachel woke up the next morning, she found the milk safe outside, surrounded by huge bags of ice.

Tracking Down Jeff

“He’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever come across,” she said. That day, she asked for his last name so and United number in order to tell the airline how much she appreciated what he had done. “It was so nice and such kind human behavior,” she said. Rachel was determined to learn more about one of the kindest human beings she’d ever met…  

Family Values

Over text message, Rachel learned that Jeff Nowotny, a flight attendant for 18 years, had brothers and sisters and tons of little nieces and nephews. He told her, “I would like to think someone would do that for my family…I can relate to the hustle and bustle of traveling with children and how challenging it can be.”

Many Thanks Were In Order

He continued informing various news outlets that it meant a lot to him to be able to do something small to help someone. Additionally, Rachel couldn’t get over what Jeff had done and posted a picture of Brent to her Facebook with the caption…

Mother’s Day Miracle

“To Jeffrey Nowotny, the United flight attendant who has yet to meet me, but found my bag full of breast milk on a plane yesterday, kept it on ice all afternoon, tracked me down, and HAND DELIVERED it to my house after midnight last night… you are one of a kind! That is above and beyond customer service, that is just an act of kindness. Thank you for my Mother’s Day miracle. And thank you from this happy milky face!”

Commending Jeff

After Rachel included a tag to Jeff Nowotny’s Facebook, dozens headed over to his page to commend him for his kind gesture. Some people that know him personally wrote comments like, “Way to go Jeff. Not surprised at all.” Others, who were strangers to Jeff wrote…

Kind Words

“As a dedicated United flyer, your caring makes me feel so much better after hearing all the United horror stories that I was going to move to Delta after my annual Economy Plus seat subscription expired…Now I have second thoughts. Hopefully, United management recognizes your over and beyond hard work and rewards you.”

Restoring Faith In United Airlines

Many others said that they would like Oscar Munoz, the CEO of United Airlines to reward Jeff for his dedication to the company and his impeccable customer service. With all the negative publicity surrounding the airline in the past couple of years, Jeff has managed to restore flyers faith in the company.

United Airlines Passenger Says A Flight Attendant’s Extreme Kindness Left Her Stunned is an article from: LifeDaily

When you’re going to have a child, you start to have a million ideas about what their life will be like. The possibilities are endless for what sort of person they’ll be and what paths they’ll travel down on their own journey. Even before they’re born, you come to love them.

That’s why losing an infant is one of the worst things that can happen to a parent, even though they’ve only “known them” for a short time. It’s can be the sort of thing where the pain never fully goes away. But for one mother, the pain would be brought back fresh decades later, along with a slew of other emotions…

Expecting

Back in the ‘70s, Lydia was a 26-year-old Scottish woman with a baby on the way. It was to be her third child so as challenging and unlike anything else in life having a child is, it was nothing new for her. At least it wasn’t until her water broke just 34 weeks into the pregnancy.

Too Soon

“I’d never gone into labor early,” she said. “I was fearful of what would happen to my child.” She was right to be concerned since giving birth 6 weeks early would increase the risk of complications for the baby as well as the mother…

C-Section

Lydia’s doctors thought the best option for mother and child would be if they performed a Caesarean section. The procedure was a success and after Lydia’s child, a boy named Gary, was born, he was immediately taken to a special care unit.

Taken Away

“They did not feel it was wise for me to see him,” Lydia said. “They didn’t let me hold him. That’s the way it was in those days.” The hospital also insisted she remain in bed to recover from the C-section but Lydia was having none of that…

Mother-Son Visits

Repeatedly, Lydia would leave her bed and go into her son’s room, holding Gary’s little hand and speaking to him with the love only a mother can possess. “He actually used to open his eyes and look at me,” she said, his beautiful little eyes just a bit more brown than her own.

Seriously Ill

But all wasn’t well. The hospital was “taking pus off his stomach with a needle day after day,” Lydia said. Six days after his birth, Gary had to be transferred to Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for “surgery on his gut to remove the catheter that a doctor had left in him,” Lydia said.

Going Along

That surgery didn’t go well at all. “They said his heart stopped 3 times on the table. They told me he had traumatic brain damage,” said Lydia. “They said he couldn’t recover.” When they asked Lydia to take him off of life support and she “just went along. We were all very ignorant in those days. I was a young mom.”

Gone

But later, the hospital put Gary back on life support without explanation. Shortly after that, Lydia Reid got a visit from the police in the middle of the night, telling her Gary was dead. When she refused the hospital’s request to perform an autopsy, things started to get strange…

I Want To See Him

Lydia insisted on a private showing at the funeral home, bringing a shawl her mother had crocheted and a rosary for Gary to be buried with. “I went to the undertaker’s and was met with resistance,” she said. “They told me I couldn’t see Gary but I wanted to put my son in his own baby clothes. I insisted.”

Not My Baby

Eventually, they brought out “a huge child with blond hair,” Lydia said. It didn’t look anything like Gary, the small premature baby with dark hair. When she told them it wasn’t her baby, they gaslighted her, saying she was confused by “postnatal depression.” “Everybody told me that,” she said. “I started doubting myself.”…

Haunted

When the day of Gary’s Burial came, Lydia was still unsure if the right baby was in the coffin. Then, when she began to carry the coffin to the grave herself, it was far too light. “I know what it feels like to hold a baby,” she said. But everyone dismissed her concerns and under the pressure, she just went along, but said “It haunted me for years.”

Unbelievable Scandal

Decades later in 1999, a scandal involving hospitals all over Britain was exposed and threw Lydia’s world into chaos. Since at least the ‘50s, hospitals had been secretly removing the organs of deceased patients, usually infants, for medical research, often without the knowledge or permission of the children’s parents or with the misleading pretense of taking a “tissue sample”…

Tip Of The Iceberg

When the scandal first broke, it was announced that nearly 170 babies at Bristol Royal Infirmary had been “buried incomplete.” But as it became apparent that the practice was routine in many British hospitals, those numbers swelled immensely.

Massive Scale

While the total numbers aren’t known, at least 104,000 organs and body parts of young infants and entire bodies of fetuses and stillborn babies were uncovered at 210 sites. When Lydia heard the news, she was in denial. There was no way, in her mind, that Gary could have been one of those children…

I Have To Know

But when she thought back on the weirdness of how the hospital had handled Gary’s death, the strange baby at the funeral home, and coffin that felt too light, she knew she had to find out for sure. For years, she fought for permission to have Gary’s body exhumed to find out the truth. When she finally got it 42 years after her son’s death, Gary’s coffin was empty just as she had suspected.

Justice for Innocents

Lydia requested Gary’s medical records and organized “Justice for Innocents” to get medical records for other parents whose children’s organs were taken.  Many times, the records would come back with critical information redacted. She said hospitals told them the practice was kept secret “for our own good.”…

Not About Money

Outraged, a number of the parents sued. “Most of the parents weren’t in the least bit interested in compensation,” said Margaret Brazier, chairwoman of the Retained Organs Commission that oversaw the return of tissue and organs belonging to the deceased.

It’s Just Wrong

They sued because they wanted their children’s organs back and to get laws in place that would stop this sort of thing from happening again. Eventually, some organs were returned to parents but usually one organ or body part at a time…

Not a Trace

In Lydia’s case, none of Gary’s organs were ever found, despite a government investigation that said they’d been harvested. She didn’t even have a body. “Even if he is lying in a jar in a hospital somewhere I want to know,” she said. “If it is possible to get my son back, I want my son back.”

Emptiness

“The grave is empty, but it’s all I’ve got,” Lydia added. “I’ve got those flowers boxes there for Gary. He’s got to get his flowers. But it’s just a horrible, desolate place now. It just doesn’t feel the same any longer. It just feels awful.”

Mother Fights Government To Learn Truth About Her Son’s Death 40 Years later is an article from: LifeDaily

Finding out your newborn has been switched at birth is usually something we only see in movies or TV shows. A 1999 Lifetime film, “Mistaken Identity” and ABC series, “Switched At Birth,” chronicle similar plots where two babies were mistakenly switched at their hospitals.

In real life, however, reports from parents from both the U.S. and other countries, have revealed nightmarish incidents where a similar situation occurred at hospitals. Certain hospitals have taken drastic measures to prevent such situations like giving the mother and baby matching sensor tags. But a hospital in Russia in the 1970s didn’t have such medical advancements and every parent’s worst nightmare happened…

Republic Of Moldova

Tania grew up in the Republic of Moldova, a small country between Romania and Ukraine. Born on March 27, 1978, into a normal family, Tania’s parents often heard whispers about their daughter in the community.

No Resemblance To Her Own Parents

Strange comments would be uttered in the village insinuating how different Tania looked from her parents and her siblings. They dismissed the gossip about their daughter, thinking it was village chatter and continued on with their lives…

Moving To The U.S.

In 1999, when Tania was 21, she emigrated to the United States with her siblings, Anatoliy and Victoria. There, she found love, got married and started a family of her own. Yet, still, Tania often felt an aching in her heart like something was wrong, although she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

The Chatter Still Plagued The Community

Being completely unaware of the chatter that went on when she was young, Tania receiving a call one day from her mother-in-law. She happened to be from the same community in Moldova as Tania and she said, “Tania, you know what I hear about you…you got switched at birth.” After that phone call, Tania called her father to ask him if he’s ever heard this before…

Facing Reality

After telling his daughter, even though he didn’t want to believe it, Tania’s father finally began searching for the truth. He eventually tracked down the names of another family in Moldova who gave birth to a baby girl on the same day as Tania and at the same hospital.

The Search For The Truth

Then, in August 2017, Tania located a woman on Facebook who fit the profile and also happened to be born on March 27, 1987. Her name was Valentina Suman and Tania messaged her immediately…

Confronting Valentina

When Tania presented Valentina with her hypothesis of what she believed happened to them when they were born, Valentina thought she was being toyed with. She told Tania that it is not true and said, “You’re playing me.”

Demanding They Meet

She demanded that they meet in person to discuss it, but Tania couldn’t afford a flight back to Russia. She was in the midst of rebuilding her home after a tragic house fire and her husband had been out of work for months after receiving emergency heart surgery. But, that’s when Valentina got an idea…

Russian Reality Show

While living in Russia, Valentina was familiar with a popular TV show that focuses on reuniting lost families. The show, called Primoi efir with Andrey Malahov, picked up their case and provided DNA for the women.

DNA Test Results

After conducting the test, the women flew out to Moscow for the results in September 2017. With the test resulting in 99.9999% accuracy, it was confirmed that Tania’s actual parents were Alexandra and George Suman, and conversely, Tania’s parents were Valentina’s actual parents, Nikolay and Vera Lashtur. It was all pretty confusing for the women…

A Lifetime Of Questions

They had grown up with parents that they thought were their own, only to discover nearly 40 years later, that it was all a lie. Rewind back to the girls’ childhood, and one neighbor who was good friends with both families, distinctly remembers the day Tatyanna, now known as Tania, was born.

Issues After Birth

She remembers that both of the girls’ mothers had issues with their babies as they refused to eat and cried a lot. This is not to mention their strikingly different appearances from their own children. Apparently, the search within the small community in Russia had been going on forever, but no one knew where Tania or Valentina were…

Dispelling The Rumors

When Tania was a child, her brother, Anatoliy Lashtur, recalls hearing the rumors in Russia, but once he moved to the United States, the rumors died down. Still, every time he visited Russia since 1999, he would try to search for the truth.

The Age Of Social Media

It wasn’t until Tania, and Anatoliy’s sister, Victoria, located Valentina on Facebook that they learned the rumors were true. Shockingly, Anatoliy was the last to find out about the discovery of Valentina. He shares how he learned the news…

Learning The Truth

“My mom asked me to come over. I knew she hadn’t slept for days…She opened a laptop with two baby photos and pointed at one, asking me to tell her who it was…I told her it was Victoria, my younger sister…It looked just like her,” he said. But, it turns out it was a photo that Valentina had sent of herself when she was a baby.

Finally Learning The Truth

When Anatoliy saw the picture, he knew in his heart it was his sister. That’s when Valentina contacted the Russian TV shows that handles investigations with DNA testing. The entire Lashtur family was flown to Russia to find out the truth…

Unaware Of Being Switched At Birth

Prior to her contact with Tania, Valentina had no idea that she may have been switched at birth. This was despite being told throughout her life that she didn’t share any similarities with her family. But on October 4, 2017, the results were confirmed that the women were switched at birth.

Gaining Additional Family Members

Anatoliy recalls having chills the moment the results were revealed. Still, he reassured Tania that she was his sister and that no DNA test would change that for him. He told Tania, “The only difference is we gain a sister and you gain like three sisters and more brothers. But, elation soon turned to sadness when Tania was set to be reunited with her biological family…

The Suman Family

After DNA confirmed that Alexandra and George Suman were Tania’s actual parents, they all felt an instant connection. But, after learning her biological father was critically ill, Tania was flown to meet him, but he passed away while she was on the plane. She never got to meet her real father and then she learned her mother’s health was also poor.

Alexandra Suman

Her mother, Alexandra, fell ill after being hit by a drunk driver, and had no health care or money to afford the right medicine. It’s hard for Tania to look after her being that she lives in the United States, so she’s been picked up extra jobs in an effort to bring her mother to America so she could care for her. She set up a GoFundMe account to help cover her mother’s medical expenses.

Two Women Switched At Birth Discover Their True Identities Nearly 40 Years Later is an article from: LifeDaily

Racial profiling and bias towards minority groups has plagued the fabric of our nation since its’ formation, but even centuries later, racist sentiment is alive and thriving in every aspect of our lives.

When two young Native American brothers embarked on a seven hour drive to attend a campus tour a at a university they both had their hearts set on, they thought they were one step closer to fulfill their lifelong dream, but one woman’s racist feelings would turn their dream into a living nightmare….

Music Is Their Passion

The two bothers, from the Mohawk Native American tribe, had lived most their lives in upstate New York, but had moved to Santa Cruz, New Mexico a decade earlier. Thomas, 19, a current student at the Norther New Mexico College, and his brother, Lloyd, 17, a senior in high school, had an impeccable bond since childhood. The brothers had always shared a common love for music, and eventually created their own heavy metal band.

Future In Music

The brothers spent most their free time studying contemporary and traditional music. They were both confident that their future careers would center around their love of music. Thomas and Lloyd had dreamt about studying music at Colorado University and were excited about its close proximity to the capital city, Denver, one of the hottest music scenes in the country, attracting music enthusiasts from all over the world.

A Chance To Follow Their Dreams

With Lloyd graduating high school in a few months, they both knew this would be the opportunity to follow their dreams. The brothers found out about a tour of the Colorado University campus, but they knew they would have to get their overprotective mother’s permission first. At first, their mother, Lorraine, insisted she was uncomfortable with the idea of them taking a long journey alone, but she it wouldn’t take long for her to change her mind…

A Journey Into A Sad Reality

When the brothers decided to save up their own money to pay for the trip and had registered in advance, Lorraine knew she could not dismiss their efforts. The brothers were over the moon with their mother’s sudden change of heart, and prepared to embark on a journey they visioned as their life calling. But, what started out as hopefulness would turn into sheer doom…

Not A Good Start

Excited, they got into their minivan, left Santa Cruz and headed straight towards their dream in Fort Collins, Colorado. But the brothers did not receive the warm welcome they were expecting. The brothers’ time in Fort Collins got off to a bad start. They got lost in the new city, eventually arriving 30 minutes late to a scheduled campus tour for prospective students Monday.

Continue The Tour

But, once at the school, an employee told the brothers to join the rest of the group. Since they arrived late, they hadn’t been a part of an initial group introduction. But the older teen still introduced himself and his brother to the guide during a stop in the library. But, someone else in the group would not be so welcoming to the pair….

They Stood Out

When a parent of a student noticed the brothers abruptly join the tour, she had become suspicious. Right away, the woman judged the boys’ appearances, disgusted by their shaggy hair and the way they were dressed. These boys looked different. They did not look like the rest of the potential students in the tour, who were majority white. These boys looked like they were up to no good. Did they do anything wrong? Did they pose a threat? No, they were simply not the cookie cutter image she had been used to…

Phone Call To Police

The woman became increasingly nervous from their presence. She stepped away from the rest of the group, and decided to call the police. They did nothing out of the ordinary nor did they pose a threat to anyone in the group. They are simply quiet and listening to the guide talk about the school of their dreams. Her suspicions were only aroused by their quiet demeanor and peculiar looks. Nothing else. According to the recording, the woman told a dispatcher that the teens arrived late in the tour and wouldn’t respond to questions about their names or what they wanted to study at the school….

They Are Strangers Brewing Up An Attack

“They are not, definitely not, a part of the tour,” said the woman, identified in a police report as a 45-year-old white woman from Colorado. “And their behavior is just really odd. And I’ve never called, ever, about anybody. But they joined our tour. They won’t give their names. And when I ask them what they were wanting to study, like everything they were saying, they were lying the whole time.” But, the boys insisted they were simply trying to listen and make up for lost time….

Weird Clothing

The woman also repeatedly told the dispatcher that her concern could be “completely paranoid” and apologized “if it’s nothing.” Other than saying the teens were wearing all black clothing with “dark stuff on it,” the caller did not physically describe them until questioned by the dispatcher. She said they were not white and looked Mexican. She also described their clothing as having a “weird symbolism or wording on it.”

Far From The Truth

But, the symbols would be far from anything violent or threatening. One of the brothers was wearing a T-shirt for a death metal band called Cattle Decapitation, a group that is staunchly against animal cruelty, a common Native American belief of Lloyds’. And when the boys seemed reluctant to be so forthcoming with the random woman in their group, they insist it is only because they are both extremely shy. But, when did it become a crime to be shy?

A Shocking Turn Of Events

Shortly after the phone call, in the midst of the tour, the boys were approach by campus police. Confused and utterly humiliated, the boys had no clue why they were told to leave the tour for questioning. Body camera footage from the incident shows an officer talking with the brothers by a stairwell in the school, asking questions about their visit..

The Arrival Of Police

The campus officers who arrived patted the brothers down. They immediately checked their pockets and explained that someone on the tour had called after the pair arrived late and did not respond to questions. Bewildered at the shocking turn of events, the brothers obliged, but they realized at that moment, they had become victims of racial bias…

They Still Wanted To Finish Tour

Police asked to see their IDs. Only one of the teens had his handy, and he showed it to an officer. The pair offered to show a confirmation email from CSU, and police waited while one of the teens’ produced the email. At this point, the tour had continued on without them, they wanted it all to be over with, and even with the woman’s accusations causing embarrassment, they were still looking forward to joining them again…

Blamed For The Incident

After using the CSU email to prove they were registered to be a part of the tour, the students were then blamed for the incident. The police officer told them that their “shy” personalities had aroused suspicion and insisted they should have been more forthcoming. “Sorry to take you away from the group,” one officer said. “Have a good rest of your day.” But, the rest of their day would turn out to be worse…

Nothing Could Be Done

The interaction lasted less than five minutes. The teens were not cited for any type of violation or detained further. When the brothers attempted to rejoin the tour, by then their guide, apparently unaware that the police had been summoned, had moved on. The teenagers returned to the admissions office and were told that nothing could be done to complete their tour. Frustrated and humiliated, they embarked on the long trip home to Santa Cruz.

Something Had Gone Wrong

When the boys returned home, their mother Lorraine, was perplexed at why they had come back much sooner than expected. As a mother, she knew something had gone wrong, really wrong. She could see in her sons’ face the utter disappointment and sadness. When Lorraine pressed them for answers, the details of the incident would break her heart. She realized that her boys had just become victims of racial profiling. She immediately contacted CSU, but the irreparable damage had already been done….

An Apology

The school quickly apologized to the Gray family and issued a letter to the student body. The president, Dr. Frank said the school was trying to reach the brothers to reimburse them and offer to bring them back as V.I.P. guests. He also suggested that the school also needed to undertake broader changes aimed at inclusivity. This had not been the only incident…

Racism Thrives

This year, Colorado State University has reported finding multiple examples of racist graffiti and signs or fliers linked to extremist hate groups around campus. Last summer, a paper noose was found hanging in a residence hall. What the brothers experienced is not uncommon for many minorities, who report finding their very presence in some situations wrongly interpreted as a threat.

Will The Brothers Still Attend CSU?

The family has not decided whether to take the university up on its offer of a return trip and the brothers still have not decided whether to apply to Colorado State. “My main choice was Denver because of the music culture there,” Thomas said, adding that he hopes to get a doctorate in music to start his own school and become a music therapist. Lloyd, he said, plans to be a visual arts major. “I don’t want to let one person’s selfish or jerky ways get in my way for what I want to do with my life,” Lloyd said.

Police Called On Native American Brothers Pulled During Campus Tour is an article from: LifeDaily

When pilots go to work each day, they hold the lives of hundreds of people in their hands, which is why they have to undergo intense training to be prepared for any situation.

In May 2018, a Chinese pilot was flying a plane full of people on a route he had flown over a 100 times before. This time, however, something he never expected happened while they were over 30,000 feet in the air. Thanks to his training, he managed to stay calm and now the entire country is hailing him a hero…

A Commercial Pilot

On Monday, May 15, 2018, Liu Chuanjian showed up to work at the Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport in Chongqing, a city in southwestern China, like he did every other day since he became a commercial pilot for Sichuan Airlines in 2006.

Years Of Experience

Before becoming a captain for Sichuan Airlines, 46-year-old Liu had been a pilot and a trainer in the Air Force for The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (CPLA). He had spent decades flying planes and had been trained to handle any situation…

His Regular Route

Not only did Liu have 20 years 0f experience in the cockpit of an airplane, but he had flown the intended route more than a 100 times. So when he showed up for work on the morning of the 15th to fly an Airbus A-319 carrying 119 passengers, he was sure it was just going to be a straightforward day of work.

The Flight Schedule

After the crew loaded all 119 passengers in the plane and prepared for the trip, Liu and his co-pilot, Xu Ruicheng, took off on Sichuan Airlines Flight 3U8633 at 6:26 a.m. like it was scheduled to. By 9:05 that Monday morning, the plane was due to land in Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region…

Following Protocol

A few minutes after takeoff, Liu had successfully gotten the plane to a cruising altitude of about 32,800 feet in the air and had the plane traveling at about 500-560 miles per hour. Everything seemed perfectly normal until about a half an hour into the trip.

30 Minutes Later

At around 7 a.m., the plane was only about 60 miles into the trip when suddenly Liu and his co-pilot heard a loud band in the cockpit. “There are cracks in the windshield,” they both yelled out. The 46-year-old immediately got on the radio to contact traffic control…

No Warning

“There was no warning sign. Suddenly, the windshield just cracked and made a loud bang,” said Liu, who asked for permission to turn back and land the plane immediately because of the windshield. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time for that.

The Shattered Windshield

Seconds later, the windshield completely shattered. “The next thing I know, my co-pilot had been sucked halfway out of the window,” Liu said about the terrifying moment. “I was afraid and tried in vain to pull him inside because he was far from me…”

No Protection From The Elements

When the windshield was blown off, the plane was traveling over 500 miles per hour and was more than 30,000 feet in the air, which resulted in a shortage of oxygen, low cabin pressure, powerful winds, extreme sun exposure, and -40-degree temperatures.

Widespread Malfunctions

“Every object inside the cockpit flew up, and many devices malfunctioned. It was so noisy I couldn’t hear the radio. The plane was shaking so hard that I couldn’t read the panels. It was very difficult to operate,” Liu said. “The sudden loss in pressure and the low temperature were making me very uncomfortable…

Pure Panic

“Every body movement was difficult. All I was thinking about was to safely operate the aircraft and couldn’t think about my own physical condition,” Liu added. Meanwhile, the passengers had no idea what was going on but were convinced they were about to die.

The Terrified Passengers

“The crew were serving us breakfast when the aircraft began to shake. We didn’t know what was going on and we panicked,” a passenger said. “Then the oxygen masks dropped… we experienced a few seconds of free fall before it stabilized again…”

The Free Fall

“There was a thundering sound from the head of the plane,” another passenger said. “The cabin immediately turned dark and the oxygen mask was dropped in front of me. The plane started to descend rapidly — it all happened in a split second.”

Preparing For The Worst

“I could see clearly the glaciers less than one kilometer below us. I could see the despair in the eyes of fellow passengers. They might, too, have seen my despair,” the passenger said. While the plane and crew were panicking, Liu, thankfully, kept his composure…

Trained For Emergencies

Once Liu’s co-pilot, who was only still alive because he had been wearing his seatbelt, was pulled back into the plane, Liu focused all his energy on making an emergency landing. “We’re trained for emergency situations like this all the time, and I’ve been a pilot for over twenty years,” Liu said.

Preparing For Landing

“When it happened all I was thinking about was just handling the flight landing well to guarantee the safety of all passengers and cabin crew,” said Liu. “It was like when you’re driving at 50 kilometers an hour, and suddenly the car is going 100 kilometers an hour, and your hands are out of the window…”

A Manual Landing

Since all of the equipment used to land wasn’t working, Liu had to land the massive aircraft manually. “It was completely done manually, and I judged with my naked eyesight… I’ve flown this route 100 times, so I am quite familiar with all aspects of it. There was no cloud this morning. I had excellent visibility. Had there been a rainstorm or some other bad weather, the consequences would have been different,” he said.

A Miracle Landing

About 20 minutes after the accident, Liu managed to land the plane in Chengdu, a southwestern city about 170 miles from where the doomed flight had taken off. According to Liu, the hardest part was trying to figure out how fast the descent needed to be…

The Careful Descent

“There was inadequate air and it was very cold at a high altitude. But if I lowered the aircraft too quickly, the impact force would endanger the crew. As a result, I had taken a medium speed,” Liu explained. After landing, his co-pilot was taken to the hospital where doctors determined he miraculously walked away with a sprained wrist and a few scratches to his face.

The Chinese Captain Sully

Miraculously, all 119 passengers and the 9 crew members walked away completely unharmed. Now, Liu is being called ‘the Chinese Captain Sully’ after American captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, who made an emergency landing on the Hudson River. Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is investigating what caused the accident. “The windshield has not recorded any failures, nor did it require any maintenance and replacement work,” said Tang Weibin, CAAC safety director.

Hero Pilot Averts Disaster After Catastrophic Accident 32,800 Feet In The Air is an article from: LifeDaily

As a writer, I tell a lot of stories on Lifedaily. Stories of discovery and injustice, of miracles, and murders. Needless to say, it takes a lot to shock me. But every so often, a story comes along that shakes even this desensitized writer to his core. This is one of those stories.

This story is about a 14-year-old girl named Leigh. She was a typical teenager on the eve of a great party. She was sweet, outgoing, and excited, and she was ready to have the time of her life at that High School party. Unfortunately, it was not to be…

Last Sighting

It was 10:50 at night when Leigh’s stepfather came to pick her up after her school friend’s sixteenth birthday party. She didn’t show. He and his wife wouldn’t find out until the next day, but the last time that anyone had even seen their daughter, she was bloodied, beaten and walking towards the beach.

Typical Teen

Leigh was much like many other Australian teens. She and her cousin Tracey, best friends from the start, loved skating, going to the movies, and just hanging out. Whenever they were off from school, she’d spend time at her grandmother’s house in Kilaben Bay. When Leigh grew up, she wanted to be a veterinarian. She would never get the opportunity…

Found Her…

Leigh’s mom and stepdad went out searching for her. They asked everyone at the party, but no one appeared to have seen her leave. Finally, after a few hours, they returned home. They assumed she’d gone to stay at a friend’s house for the night and had just forgotten to call. The next morning, beachgoers near Stockton Beach found Leigh…

Brutal Treatment

14-year-old Leigh’s nude body was found on Stockton Beach, not far from a row of beachside homes. Whatever had happened the night before, it was clear that she had been sexually assaulted, strangled, and bludgeoned across the head. They knew this, because the bloody rock was still nearby…

Leigh’s Life

Leigh’s life up until that fateful night hadn’t been tumultuous. True, her parents had divorced when she was about seven years old, but she and her mother found a new place to live and eventually, she even had a baby sister named Jessie. Her stepfather came soon after and the new family began their new life.

Suspicion

Right away, rumors of what had happened to the poor teen began to spin about. The most popular among them was that she had been murdered by a sexually abusive stepfather with whom she had been having a sexual relationship for months. Unfounded though they were, police did consider him a suspect…for a time. Then the truth of that night began to emerge…

Sweet Sixteen

Jason Robertston was turning sixteen and his parents had agreed that he could have a party. It wasn’t a small get together either. He was going to be having a birthday bash at the North Stockton Surf Club in New South Wales, Australia, and between 60 and 100 people were going to be in attendance: most of them his fellow teens.

Invitation

One of those young people in attendance was none other than 14-year-old Leigh Leigh, one of Jason’s fellow students at Newcastle High School. Leigh had been positively giddy to have received an invitation: it was the first time she’d ever been invited to another teenager’s party. As far as she was concerned, it was going to be a night to remember…

Bouncers

Like any mother, Leigh’s mom had her concerns about this type of party. The birthday boy was a few years older than her daughter and so were many of the other boys. Still, she had been assured that responsible adults would be present at the party. Matthew Webster and Guy Wilson were both over 18 and they would be acting as bouncers at the party.

Misbehaving

Most of the attendees were, like Jason Robertson, 15 and 16-year-olds. Though there were two 10-year-olds seen wandering around at some point. Luckily, the kids didn’t stay long, because bouncers notwithstanding, many of the partygoers began to get into some rowdy activities: drinking alcohol, smoking pot, and some were even engaged in dubious sexual activities…

“Boys Will Be Boys”

Leigh’s presumption that this was going to be nothing more than an innocent party amongst friends turned out to be nothing of the sort. Indeed, many of the young men in attendance had rather sinister motives for going, and for inviting young, naive girls like Leigh Leah. Their plan was to get those girls drunk enough to “convince” them to have sex with them.

Drunk and Pliable

The moment Leigh walked through the door, she was handed a cup of Coke and Jim Beam whiskey. The cups kept coming, and in no time at all, the fourteen-year-old innocent was drunk as she’d ever been in her life. As she slurred and stumbled, one 15-year-old boy came over to her and shouted to the crowd, “I’m going to go and fuck Leigh” before carrying her off to the beach outside…

She Looks a Mess

When Leigh made it back to the party, she was a mess. She was crying and bleeding between her legs. She tried to tell anyone who would listen what had happened, that the teen had raped her on the beach. Some people tried to console her, but many of them were drunk and with 100 some-odd people around, it was going to be hard to pinpoint her assailant.

A Secure Proposition

She went to the security guards, Wilson and Webster. Yet, rather than offer her assistance or even a caring word, 19-year-old Guy Wilson asked her, rather unabashedly, if she wanted to have sex with him next. Webster meanwhile, who had witnessed the exchange, leaned over to a group of boys saying, “she’s a bit of a slut and why don’t all of us have a go…”

Pushed Down

Leigh refused, but it was too late. Wilson pushed her to the ground while ten other teenagers surrounded her and yelled abuse. They kicked her, spat on her, and beat her down. Worse than that, numerous people saw the attack taking place and not one of them though to intervene in any way. No one offered to call the police or their parents.

Finding Help

If any of the dozens of witnesses had decided to do anything to help her or find help, Leigh Leah may have survived the night. But not one of them did, they just let it happen. Miraculously, the grievously wounded teen got to her feet and dragged herself back inside for help. Even there, in the crowded surf club, she was ignored…

Cause of Death

When they found her the next day, the autopsy report showed extensive damage. The real cause of death was one final strike to her already fractured skull. In addition to the broken brain and skull, Leigh had asphyxial hemorrhages, and multiple injuries to the jaw, ribs, liver and right kidney and there was evidence she had been choked before she died.

True Suspects

Afterwards, a team of 10 police officers were sent out to discover what happened. They interviewed around 40 teenagers and had expected to interview 20 more before the key suspects were brought to their attention: Matthew Webster, Guy Wilson and an unnamed teenage assailant, the initial rapist.

Pleading Out

Eventually, Matthew Webster pleaded guilty to Leigh’s murder. His confession didn’t match up to forensic evidence however, so there was some controversy about the police just looking for an easy suspect. Eventually, Wilson pleaded guilty to assault and the unnamed teenager pleaded guilty to sex with a minor. Webster was sentenced to 20 years but was paroled in 2004 after serving 14.

Evaded Justice

The story of a young girl asking for help and receiving only abuse and callous indifference captivated Australia and the world as a whole. Eventually they even made a play and a movie inspired by the story called Blackrock. It is believed that the true murderer, the one who ended Leigh’s life on that beach has never been brought to justice.

Sweet Sixteenth Birthday Turns Sour For One Australian Teen And Her Community is an article from: LifeDaily

Meeting your partner’s family is a big step in a relationship since it means introducing the most important people in your life to one another.

In 2012, 2 British men decided to take the next step in their relationship by meeting each other’s parents. During the first meeting, however, 1 man’s mother noticed something familiar about her son’s boyfriend. When she did a little investigating, however, she realized something sickening about who her son had been dating…

When 2 British men met on a dating website about a decade ago, they didn’t expect anything to come from the chance online encounter. However, when they got to talking, they both were amazed at how easy the conversation flowed and how much they had in common.

Talking To A Stranger

Over the following months, Paul and Lee slowly got to know each other better. Soon enough, they both started developing feelings for each other, but both were conscious of the fact that they were still talking to a complete stranger on a computer…

Fears Of Being ‘Catfished’

Both had heard horror stories about people being ‘catfished’ by strangers online and were wary to jump into anything too soon. As time passed, however, both Paul and Lee started connecting on a deeper level and started developing feelings for each other.

A Powerful Connection

Lee and Paul felt like they had known each other for years and had a connection that was stronger than they shared with any other past partner. However, they had never even met in real life and were nervous that finally meeting would ruin everything…

2.5 Years Later

Lee and Paul maintained their online relationship and spoke nearly every single day. But after 2 and a half years, they decided it was finally time to meet in real life to see if they could possibly share a future together in real life like they often spoke about.

The Risk Pays Off

Paul and Lee hoped their online relationship and connection would translate into a real-life relationship and when they first met, they weren’t disappointed. “We met in November of last year. It was emotional because we’d been talking for so long,” Paul said about their first meeting in 2011…

Things Get Serious

After that first meeting, the relationship quickly progressed and Paul and Lee introduced each other to their friends. The couple spoke about getting married and building a life together, but before they could do that there was 1 more thing they needed to do to make sure they were right together.

Meeting The Parents

Paul and Lee were sure they had finally found their soulmate, but agreed that they still needed to meet each other’s families to make sure they approved of their relationship so they could move forward together as a couple…

A Huge Relief

Soon after Lee told his family that he wanted to introduce him to his new boyfriend and told them how serious he was about Paul. Lee brought Paul over to meet everyone and was thrilled to see how well everyone liked Paul and got along with him.

A Familiar Face

Not only did it confirm his feelings for Paul, but Lee was relieved to see his family approved since he cared about what his family thought. However, during that first meeting with the family, Lee’s mother, Ena, couldn’t help but notice something strangely familiar about her son’s new partner…

An Uncanny Resemblance

“When I saw Paul for the first time I instantly thought he looked like my ex-husband Ron,” said Ena, who wasn’t the only person to see the resemblance between Paul and Ena’s former husband. The rest of Lee’s family couldn’t help but comment on how familiar Paul looked.

Just A Coincidence

At first, Paul and Lee thought it was just a funny coincidence. But when Lee’s family started asking Paul some questions about his family and his past, they both started to get the sickening feeling that maybe it wasn’t just a random coincidence…

Paul’s Biological Family

Not only did Paul look like Ena’s ex-husband, Ron, but Paul and Ron shared the same last name. Paul explained that he had never known his biological family and had no memory of them since he had been adopted when he was just 3 years old.

A Vivid Memory

At that point, Paul and Lee just hoped it was all a strange happenstance. However, they really started to panic when Lee’s mom, who had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, revealed a part of her past that she could still remember vividly…

The Secret Son

According to Ena, she had a secret son that Lee never knew about. While still married to Ron, Ena explained that she gave birth to a baby boy. At the time, she and Ron were struggling to support themselves since they already had 3 other children together.

An Impossible Decision

As heartbreaking as it was, Ron and Ena decided to give their baby boy up for adoption when he was just 18 months old so that he could have a chance at a better life with parents that could give him things they couldn’t. It also would ensure that their other 3 children wouldn’t get taken away from them…

The Jeremy Kyle Show

While they hoped it was all just a coincidence, Lee and Paul couldn’t ignore the fact that they may be half-brothers so they reached out to “The Jeremy Kyle Show”, which is a British tabloid talk show, to get help figuring out if the lovers were really related.

A Disturbing Possibility

“You are having a physical sexual relationship with a man that you love and want to marry and at some point somebody might tell you that he could be your half-brother – what does that do to you?” Jeremy Kyle asks the couple during the episode. “It makes me sick. It makes me basically horrible. I can’t describe it,” Lee replied. “I’m hoping that it’s not true because I love you so much it’s unreal,” Paul added. “I’m the same. It’s hard to describe how much I love you,” Lee agreed…

The Moment Of Truth

During the show, Kyle received the results of a DNA test and finally broke the news to Lee and Paul. “The test results show that you two … you’re half brothers,” Kyle said. The 2 men were visibly horrified by what they just learned. Not only did it mean that they had been in an incestuous relationship, but it also meant that they could no longer be together. While the news was devastating for them, Ron and Ena were excited that they were reunited with their secret son.

3 Years Later…

“It’s going to take time to process that and you’ll need to do it at your own speed,” said the show’s psychotherapist, who offered to counsel them. In an update 3 years later, both Lee and Paul confirmed that they had both moved on with their lives and now have a close relationship as brothers.

Mom Notices Something Strangely Familiar About Son’s Partner Leading To Sickening Discovery is an article from: LifeDaily

When a mother carries a baby inside her for 9 months, the last thing she ever expects is to have her connection to that child questioned later in life. After all, every woman knows who she gave birth to.

When questions were raised about Lydia’s connection to her own children after a DNA test, she had to pull out all the stops to prove she was their real mother. She knew the truth in her heart of hearts but how was she going to prove that to everyone else?

New Love

When Lydia and Jamie first met, there was an immediate click as well as some undeniably strong chemistry between the two. They had a lot in common and even though they were both still young, they had similar goals in life. It was no surprise to anyone when the two got together, and family and friends alike were happy for them.

Family Oriented

Both Lydia and Jamie were family oriented people having both come from quite large and warm family backgrounds. Despite enjoying the benefits of single life in their early twenties, this young couple in love knew that they wanted to start having children and build a family from the get go. It was just a matter of a short time before they started trying to get pregnant…

Good Years

For the first few years after Lydia and Jamie got married life was good, even if it was short-lived. While they got along well as a couple they couldn’t wait to get pregnant together and start a family. They knew the implications but were already ready to give up on life without kids. But how would that really affect their marriage?

Young Mom

By the time Lydia was just 23 she already had given birth to two children and was pregnant with her third. All the diapers and sleepless nights took their toll on the couple, as they struggled to keep the spark of love between them alive, as well as struggling financially. This led to arguments between them, and life started to go downhill. the arguments got worse and the screaming started…

On and Off

The arguments only increased and grew more vicious as Lydia entered her third trimester with her third baby. For his part, Jamie was working hard to bring home as much money as he could, but supporting three and soon to be four people now, Jamie was feeling the pressure and moved out of the house on a few occasions when the arguing got too much.

It’s Over

Soon after Lydia gave birth for the third time the pressure of family life grew too much. She and Jamie tried to be as amicable as possible but they both knew it was over and that they would never work together well as a couple. They felt bad for the kids but they were still young and resilient, and they knew they would be able to overcome this challenge. Besides, Lydia and the kids would be better off financially after Lydia applied to the local authority for benefits as a single mother…

Simple Tests

In order to qualify for government assistance, as Lydia Fairchild was unable to support her children by herself, she was asked to fill out some long questionnaires as well as take a simple DNA test to prove she was the mother of her children. Lydia thought the latter part sounded a bit over the top and out of the ordinary, but she didn’t think much of it at the time.

Come For a Chat

Soon after her DNA was taken, the Washington state prosecutor’s office called Lydia and asked her to go to their offices for a chat. Lydia was happy when she received the call as she figured it meant that she would soon begin to receive the badly needed government aid that she was, by this stage, desperate for. However, the chat she was expecting didn’t happen; instead something unexpected happened instead…

Total Shock

It’s understandable that Lydia went into shock soon after she entered that meeting room for that “chat.” Amazingly, but to her horror, Lydia was told that she was being investigated for fraud as her DNA results did not match that of her children. But how was that even possible?

Strange Allegations

The authorities also questioned Jamie and accused him of fathering the children with another women. Both Jamie and Lydia knew that wasn’t true and assumed there must have been some mix up with the DNA results. “I knew that I carried them, and I knew that I delivered them. There was no doubt in my mind,” said Lydia. Meanwhile, her obstetrician, Dr Leonard Dreisbach, was also shocked at the strange allegations, “I’ve been doing this long enough to recognize when someone is giving birth right in front of you.” he said…

Numerous Tests

Even the authorities themselves were shocked about the results so they ordered more tests. But when additional tests came back showing the kids did not belong to Lydia, it had heartbreaking implications; Either the children were somehow switched at birth, or Lydia had snatched them from another mother. Both highly unlikely scenarios.

Serious Charges

Not only did that mean that Lydia wasn’t going to get a cent from the government, she was now accused of fraud and suspected of potential kidnapping. If that wasn’t bad enough, she was accused of potentially being a surrogate mother and was threatened with having her children taken away forever…

No Question

For everybody involved there was no real question that Lydia wasn’t the kids’ mother. After all, people had seen her give birth, and there cannot be better proof than that. Lydia’s mother Carol said, “I thought she was joking but then she started crying on the phone. I said ‘Oh, it’s got to be a mistake. I was there when the kids were born. I saw them come out. I held them in my arms, you know.'”

Doctor’s Support

Dr. Dreisbach was totally taken aback by this case, noting that it was the first he had ever encountered. He promised at the time to support Lydia and any way he could and to vouch for her in court if it got there, “I would have told them that she certainly had these three kids, and that they were hers, and that I don’t know what’s wrong with the DNA testing, but I know that she had the kids,” he said.

Even More Tests

No one could believe their eyes, so the authorities ordered more DNA tests, this time from different labs. While the wait for the results was an agonizing one, the tests all came back the same: The children did not share Lydia’s DNA and therefore could not belong to her.

Not Willing To Fight

Lydia and her family contacted a bunch of attorneys, all of which refused to represent her as they were not willing to stand up in court to refute DNA evidence. Finally, one man, Attorney Alan Tindell agreed to take the case. He also questioned his new client extensively during their first consult, “These aren’t your sister’s children? These aren’t your brother’s children? You didn’t abduct these children from anyone?” he asked, believing the mother-of-three immediately.

Living In Fear

Lydia was scared, and with good reason. Like any mother, the last thing she wanted was for her kids to be taken away from her and put into care. “Getting that summons in the mail to go to court, that they were trying to take my kids from me, my stomach just went into a big old knot. I just started crying, and I called my family, and I held my kids and was scared,” Lydia said.

Random Tears

This whole absurd situation was getting the better of Lydia, “I’d sit and have dinner with my kids and just break out crying. They would just look at me like, ‘What’s wrong, Mom.’ They’d come get me a hug, and I couldn’t explain it to them, because I didn’t understand,” she explained. But what was the explanation for all this? There had to be one…

Her Own Twin

It turns out that Lydia has a rare condition called chimerism, which has only ever affected 30 people globally in recorded history. A chimera is an organism with at two genetically distinct types of cells. While in a mother’s womb, two fertilized eggs fuse and become one fetus carrying two different genetic codes and two separate strands of DNA. The second twin is invisible, living microscopically inside the body, but as DNA.

Good Results

After all of the trauma that Lydia went through, she eventually resolved the situation. Finally blood tests proved that Lydia Fairchild was also her own twin, sort of, and that explained the anomaly with the previous DNA results. Finally, the judge believed that the kids belonged to Lydia and the case was closed. Finally, Lydia and her children could live their lives in peace and quiet.

Mother With Rare Condition Fights To Prove Her Children’s DNA Match is an article from: LifeDaily

Not only is actor Leonardo DiCaprio collecting Oscars, but now he’s collecting islands. In the past few years, Leonardo DiCaprio has become an environmental activist, speaking out on climate change in a National Geographic documentary, “Before the Flood.”

In 2000, he even chaired the national Earth Day Celebration and has since been an advocate on global warming. His newest project, however, is building a luxury resort in Belize, which is set to open in late 2018. Here’s all you need to know about the restorative, eco-friendly resort…

Environmental Activist

In his newest endeavor, DiCaprio has helped design a new resort called Blackadore Caye, A Restorative Island. Scheduled to open in late 2018, Blackadore Caye is located on a small island off the coast of Belize.

Discovering The Island

Being an avid scuba diver, DiCaprio first visited Belize in 2005 to swim and as soon as he got there, he fell in love. DiCaprio said, “Belize is truly unique. It has the second largest coral reef system in the world, and it has some of the most biodiverse marine life, like the manatee population and almost every species of fish you can imagine. Then, there are the Mayan temples and the culture.” Many wondered how much DiCaprio purchased the island for…

The Price

DiCaprio purchased the island more than 12 years ago for $1.75 million with Jeff Gram, the owner of Cayo Espanto Island Resort, a luxury vacation spot on another private island in Belize. Gram has brought his experience in owning and operating island resorts to the venture and he believes this private island “will set the mark for all future island developments.”

The Best Of The Best

It took DiCaprio nearly 10 years to find the right development partner, who agreed with his vision of creating not just something environmental, but also restorative. DiCaprio appointed New York City-based developer, Paul Scialla, to build the resort at Blackadore Caye, with Restorative Hospitality, a division of Delos, to be its operator. Scialla founded his company, Delos, which he calls “the pioneer of Wellness Real Estate.” He plans to implement that same concept into Blackadore Caye…

Coming To Fruition

The idea of Blackadore Caye, he says, “Is to push the envelope for what sustainability means, moving the idea beyond environmental awareness into restoration.” “We don’t want to just do less harm or even have zero impact, but to actually help heal the island, to make it better than before,” Scialla says.

The Mission Of Blackadore

Alongside DiCaprio, their mission has been to create an eco-conscious resort, powered by 100% renewable energy harvested from solar panels. This will be done by collecting rainwater and filtering it on-site by combining it with solar-powered desalinization devices. It’s a revolutionary process…

The Restorative Process

Previously, Blackadore Caye was a popular spot for fisherman, who stopped there on their way to markets in Mexico. Since fishermen cut down the coastal mangroves over the years, more seawater has washed away nutrient-rich soil on the island. Without its storm protective barrier, saltwater has penetrated the island causing extreme weather, killing some plant species.

Restoring An Island

To reverse the damage that has already been done, the development team has assembled a group of scientists to monitor the living organisms on the island. Their plans include to plant around 20,000 new red mangrove trees around the island’s perimeter and also to add rocks and sand. Native species will also be reintroduced to the island…

Approximately 45% Of The Island Will Be Designated As A Conversation Area

DiCaprio has set aside half of the land to be a wildlife preserve, equipped with a research station to host scientists conducting ecological studies. Guests on the island will even be allowed to work on restoration products if that’s something they’re interested in.

How Many People Can Stay On The Island?

There will be over 40 guest villas on a mile of secluded beach, jungle, and grassland. Additionally, travelers who prefer their own houses will get to choose from over 35 homes, which will be available for purchase, ranging in price from $5 to $15 million. Some of the properties will have a breathtaking view of the beach, offering prime views of sunsets and sunrises every day. Besides the cost of the property, homeowners will have to pay a monthly fee for housekeeping, meals and other services…

The Resort Will Generate New Jobs

For the guests who stay there, highly personalized service is guaranteed as the operational resort will hire 400 permanent staff members, from hotel staff to workers on the organic farms. One thing is for certain, that Blackadore Caye basically guarantees exclusivity.

The Design

Many health and wellness amenities and technologies will be built into the architecture. This includes a state-of-the-art LED circadian lighting and controls that help support optimal sleep at night and alertness throughout the day. Additionally, advanced air and water purification systems will be built in to ensure the highest quality air and water. Healthy, non-toxic materials will be used throughout the resort.

Health And Wellness

Wellness programming will be part of the stay at Blackadore Caye and guests can expect to be trained by the best, including Mr. Chopra, founder of the Chopra Foundation for health and wellbeing. He will conduct a program focused mainly on health and anti-aging. Additionally, DiCaprio has spared no expense in making the resort suitably stylish.

Top-Notch Designers

Hotel interior designer Jean-Michel Gathy and Malaysia-based hotel and resort specialists Denniston has been enlisted to create the Blackadore Caye aesthetic. The company has already designed some of the world’s most luxurious resorts, including Cheval Blanc Randheli in the Maldives, The Chedi Andermatt and Aman Canal Grande in Venice. The resort has already achieved accolades from the Living Building Challenge…

Adhering To Living Building Challenge Standards

The Living Building Challenge is known as the world’s most rigorous performance standard for buildings. The description on their website reads: “People from around the world use our regenerative design framework to create spaces that, like a flower, give more than they could take.” Blackadore Caye is the first luxury resort to adhere to these standards and among the world’s first most eco-friendly resorts.

How Do You Get There?

It’s a 45-minute boat ride from Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport in Belize City. It’s also a 15-minute boat ride from San Pedro, which is the largest big town nearby. The island itself has been used for hundreds of years, but now there will be restrictions on what guests can bring with them there…

Restrictions

Since the hotel is eco-friendly, guests will be restricted as to what they can take with them to the resort. Plastic water bottles, for example, will not be allowed and once there, guests will be required to go through an ecology orientation program. Those who do not care about the environment or wouldn’t appreciate a resort such as this should probably rethink their trip.

The Goal Of Blackadore Caye

Their goal was to create a place that would pay homage to Mayan culture, while also providing modern amenities. “We want to change the outlook of people who visit, on both the environment writ large and also their personal well-being,” McLennan said. But the project isn’t without its concerns…

The Concerns For Blackadore Caye

Many have voiced concerns about the project’s plans and conservationists believe the development is too big for such an environmentally fragile zone. However, among the most enraged, are the locals who formed a Facebook group called “Defend Blackadore Caye,” where over 1,400 followers are in opposition to the project.

First Of Its Kind

Despite all the opposition and negative feedback, the project is considered to be the first of its kind in Belize as it signals an entirely new paradigm in sustainable development. The project has the blessing of Area Representative and Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Honourable Manuel Heredia Jr. as he says, “I definitely believe that the Blackadore Caye Project is something not only good for San Pedro but for the entire country of Belize…Having looked at the project, I believe that it will be example for our neighbors and the rest of the world.”

Here’s All You Need To Know About Leonardo DiCaprio’s Eco-Friendly Island Off The Coast Of Belize is an article from: LifeDaily

No matter which country or continent, mothers across the world want nothing more than the best for their sons, and will usually do whatever it takes to make sure their loved ones have everything they need in life.

When Gemma checked her son’s cell phone, she was left stunned by the “crude and disgusting” messages she read. The boy was only 15, and very innocent, or so his mom assumed. When she confronted her son about the messages, things went from bad to worse…

Normal Day

Gemma was having a normal kind of Tuesday. Her son, who cannot be named for legal reasons as he is a minor, was a good boy on the whole, if not a little boisterous at times, but which 15-year-old boy isn’t? He was into computer games, watching action movies, and was of course, almost always glued to his smartphone.

In Trouble

That evening however, Gemma’s son was playing up and she had to do something to punish him. She knew how reliant he was on his phone and knew that he would learn his lesson if she confiscated it and grounded him for the night. The young lad was in a spot of trouble, but that was nothing compared to what was about to come…

Text Messages

Like most boys his age, the boy mainly communicated with his friends and even relatives by text message. It probably wasn’t the right thing to do to read his texts and invade his privacy, but Gemma was certainly pleased that she did, even if she was left speechless and in shock after she read the contents.

Showing Dad

Let alone the fact that the text messages she read were lewd to say the least, she didn’t even understand some of the sexual terminology there. Before she checked the internet, Gemma showed the text messages to her husband, the boy’s father, who was equally stunned by the messages he read. He had never heard of some of the things mentioned and they both grew concerned…

Who’s She?

There was nothing funny about it, these text messages on the boy’s phone made it seem like he was communicating with a prostitute who was offering him her services, unaware of his real age. Had the woman have known that the boy was only 15, things may have been different, but he lied and told her he was 24.

Casual Surfing

This story highlights the challenges parents face while trying to protect their children from the darker side of the internet. The boy and his friend found the prostitute with the greatest of ease, on a site called backpage.com which also operates in Australia. It took the boys just a few minutes to get the phone number of the working girl, and to begin corresponding with her…

Very Embarrassed

For obvious reasons, neither the boy nor his buddy wanted anyone to know what they had been looking at on the internet during math class. “He was grounded and so we took his phone off him,” Gemma said. “A reply came through and we were naturally concerned, so we got his password, opened his phone and that’s when we discovered all these messages from so-called escorts from backpage.” The boy pleaded with his mother not to take the matter further, but to no avail.

Mother Concerned

Gemma almost felt like she had let her son down even though she hadn’t done anything wrong. All she did was allow her boy to surf the web freely and then this happened. She said she just couldn’t get over how casual the interaction was, and how easy it would have been for a 15-year-old boy to meet a prostitute for sex…

Physical Safety

Gemma spoke about how shocked she was for her son’s sexual and physical safety, “Language in the texts advertised unprotected sex, no questions asked. They said ‘yes’, gave a price and an address. Imagine if my son had’ve met up with these escorts. What could’ve happened? What could’ve been waiting for him? It’s not just a massive concern about sexual safety — it’s physical safety.” she said.

No Crimes Committed

While Gemma is now calling on lawmakers and police to monitor the sex industry more closely, in this particular case no laws have actually been broken and no crimes have been committed. For that matter, the police have already informed Gemma and her husband that they cannot take the matter further as it was all on text messages…

Steamy Conversation

It wasn’t as if there was any build up at all, and certainly nothing that could be considered foreplay. After seeing the advert online, Gemma’s son fired off a text message, “Hey, how are you? Just wondering if you’re still offering [special] service[s]? I’m clean, 24 and I’m (sic) good shape.” the response he received was even more surprising.

Making Plans

Almost immediately, the boy received a response to his inquiry, “Hi, yes I am still offering [special] service[s], I’m just not available tonight for incalls as my hotel options are closed for checking in,” adding, “I am free every day and night thought (sic).” But the woman had no idea that she was sexting with a minor as he had lied and said he was older…

Drugs Too

As if the serious sexual innuendo, if you can even call it that, wasn’t bad enough for Gemma, she was even more horrified when she read a text message from her son to the girl which read, “Can I come there? Prob start first sesh for 2 hours and see if we hit it off. I’ll bring some party so we can chill a little too.” Some “party” in this case is a reference to cannabis, which the boy already admitted to smoking when he confirmed in a text that he was “420 friendly.”

Serious Cash

As Gemma’s son soon found out, these ‘special services’ don’t come cheap. His eyes almost popped out of his head when he received the following text message from his potential date, “Okay sweet well can we lock in a particular night? Like could you make it down here tomorrow night and I’ll grab a nice apartment near the bay? Just FYI 2 hours is $900 full (natural) service.” Nevertheless, the $900 price tag didn’t seem to bother the teen at all and he carried on trying to make plans…

Nobody Policing

Gemma was simply outraged by how easy it was for her son to potentially engage in sex in sexual acts with a prostitute, “nobody is policing” online classifieds Gemma said, adding, “We can’t understand why nobody is doing anything about it. Nobody really cares. I don’t think anyone will care until it happens to their own child,” she told reporters.

Not Attacking Workers

Gemma and her husband made it clear that they have no beef with working girls at all, but rather the fact that their 15-year-old son almost became a customer, “We don’t have an issue with legal prostitution, we understand it’s a job for some people. It’s just so wrong that this is so accessible,” she said.

Police Speak

While law enforcement are concerned about these types of things, they told Gemma that there wasn’t much they could do as she failed to report the matter to them immediately. A spokesman for the Victoria Police told reporters, “If the 15-year-old has simply contacted a person to see what services were on offer, there’s no way that the person receiving the message would know the age of the sender. Therefore no offence would have been committed in regards to the boy being a minor.”

Backpage Charged

The FBI take selling sex online very seriously and even have a dedicated unit which deals specifically with such cases. Just recently, backpage.com was shut down by the feds, while its co-founder, Michael Lacey was charged with helping mastermind a scheme to use a website to sell sex. Lacey pleaded not guilty but was ordered to wear and electronic tracking device and to report to a magistrate regularly…

Huge Business

When the truth came out about backpage.com, even the federal agents working the case were shocked. After the website’s chief executive Carl Ferrer was arrested, it came to light that the company had been laundering money as well as selling sex. The website reportedly generated more than $500 million since 2004 and much of that money was purposely left without a paper trail.

Hard Lessons

While this story highlights some of the perils of the internet for minors, parents need to understand that smartphones are very much a part of teenagers’ lives and aren’t going away any time soon. It may be a hard lesson but sometimes tough love is necessary, especially if a parent is able to guide and direct their children to surf the right things online. As the old adage goes, “all’s well that ends well,” and thankfully that was very much the case here.

Note: Gemma was a name made up to protect the identity of the people featured in this story.

Mother Who Found “Crude” Text Messages On Teen Son’s Phone Goes All The Way is an article from: LifeDaily

Dementia is a terrible disease which can affect anyone at any time, and especially vulnerable are the elderly. When the bouts of memory loss strike, the result is usually devastating for everyone involved.

When Donald and Margaret tied the knot all those years ago, it had been the most special day in both their lives. When, years later, Donald forgot it even happened, he decided to do something drastic about it. What he did, touched the hearts of tens of thousands of people across the world; but there was one special woman…

Youngish Love

Neither Margaret nor Donald were young when they met, both having been married previously. However, for both of them, the second time round was far more special, and the couple were clearly very much in love. There was no denying the click between them and they had so much in common. Hobbies, interests, even music; This was a couple made in heaven.

26 Happy Years

They may have only been officially married for nine years, but this couple were together before that for a happy 17 years, making 26 years in total. They went through many trials and tribulations together, some good, some bad, but despite his health issues, Donald never ever forgot his love for his wife, even if he couldn’t remember the actual wedding day due to the dementia…

What Wedding?

Sadly, Donald aged 86, suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease, also known as dementia. While he keeps himself in good spirits for the most part, the illness has taken a toll on him, his wife, and their family and friends, some of whom Donald fails to remember. When the dementia got so bad that Donald forgot his wedding day, Margaret was crushed, but not as crushed as her poor husband.

Auspicious Career

Donald was the man back in his younger days, when he was at the prime of his life. Donald was a relatively famous local journalist and avid TV producer. He worked for both Radio Merseyside and Granada Studios during his auspicious career and was even a household name locally in Liverpool at one time…

Other Issues

Perhaps due to Donald’s age, or the fact he burned the candle at both ends when he was younger, or both, he now suffers from a number of medical issues and not least dementia. Donald is also in a wheelchair most of the time as he is disabled also has an eye condition called glaucoma which has left him partially sighted.

Easter Sunday

Easter was always a holiday that Donald and Margaret loved and took seriously. They were always sure to buy each other traditional Easter eggs in their favorite flavor when Easter came around, sharing the chocolate love with their children and grandchildren always. It was also Easter Sunday all those years ago when Donald proposed to his then-girlfriend. How tragic that he forgot all about it…

Deteriorating Health

Sadly, Donald’s health of late has gone from bad to worse, as his loving wife laments about how she has all but lost hope for the future for Donald and her. Due to his age Donald is also hard of hearing and has other issues associated with old age. With his health deteriorating, Margaret herself felt the weight of the situation soon enough, and found herself in a depression.

Deep Depression

Not wanting to be mean but the fact was that Donald was a handful for Margaret as he would have been for anyone tasked to care for him. Sure, he was always jovial and in good spirits, but his medical needs werenumerous, and that affected his wife. For her part, Margaret said, “I had been in a deep depression for a year and there just didn’t seem to be anything to look forward to.”

Daily Life

Despite the substantial and deep love that Margaret had for Donald daily life was a struggle as she tried to deal with her depression and anxiety issues. In her own words, “I was here (at the nursing home), every day, for five hours and I’d go back to this little retirement flat on my own and I thought, is this how it’s going to be?. And suddenly, things changed.”

True Love

No matter what medical issues Donald was dealing with, he always remained a romantic at heart. He bought flowers for his wife whenever he could and tried in his limited way to assist her around the house as best he could in his condition. Donald hated the fact he was a burden to his loving wife and decided he was going to do something drastic to show her just how much he still loved her…

Mutual Feelings

Margaret always tried to remain sympathetic to her husband, even during difficult times. The hardest issue for her being that Donald would forget things, important things, and that hurt Margaret deeply. As she felt torn between wanting to run and remaining by Donald’s side, she prayed that he would show her something that could give her some hope. She loved him as much as Donald loved her.

Nursing Home

Margaret would spend at least five hours a day at the Brookfield Nursing Home in West Kirby where Donald had been for a few months. She hated the fact that her husband was there and she hated going there, but she had no choice. However, Donald’s timing was perfect, just as Margaret was losing all hope…

Second Proposal

It wasn’t his fault at all. Donald had simply lost track of how long he and Margaret had been married and missed their anniversary, which he never did. When his wife reminded him that day that they had been together for 26 years, Donald popped the question again, albeit not down on one knee this time round…

Round of Applause

Donald asked his wife to marry him, again, loudly enough that he attracted a round of applause from the other people in the common area of the nursing home on that day. Margaret hadn’t been so happy in years, as she recalled, “Donald asked me to marry him when I reminded him that we’d been together for 26 years and he said “will you marry me” and I, of course, said yes.”

Renewal Ceremony

The already married couple arranged for a renewal of vows ceremony to take place on May 4th. They chose that date as it was meaningful to them, but also as it was in the springtime and they hoped for good weather on their “big day.” Surrounded by about 50 family and friends, along with Donald’s carers, a beautiful ceremony took place which touched the hearts of everyone present.

Just So Happy

According to many accounts, Margaret seemed even happier at her second wedding than she did at her first. “It was just the happiest day. I can’t remember being so happy for a long time.” She said, adding, I walked in and Father Peter [the vicar who officiated at the ceremony] was there. I felt like a young bride.”…

Out of Depression

It may sound remarkable but such is the power of love, it seems. Margaret’s depression instantly became a thing of the past as she embraced her renewed vows with Donald. “We were supported by everyone here [at the nursing home]. I came out of this depression, and especially after Donald asked me to marry him again.” She said.

New Lease Of Life

Margaret said she feels very lucky to have Donald in her life, despite their difficult situation. He timed it just right when it came to his wife being at an all time low as she hit rock bottom. And who knows, perhaps Donald sensed something during his daily visits with his wife. But what he gave to Margaret really was a new lease of life as her depression faded into a distant memory…

Hearts Touched

The big day version 2.0 was special, not just for the married couple renewing their vows, but also for the guest who attended the event. David, one of Donald’s carers who shared in the celebrations said, “Everyone at Brookfield loved taking part in their special day. The music and prayerful atmosphere helped jog memories for so many of our residents, their families and the friends of Donald and Margaret.”

Never Again!

It’s also amazing that Donald clearly hasn’t lost his sense of humor despite his ailments and age. While Margaret was brimming with joy after the second wedding ceremony, saying, “It’s been wonderful and we’re going to keep good things happening now,” Donald had other things on his mind, and took the chance for a quip. When asked how he actually felt about renewing his vows with Margaret, Donald said, “Never again, we’ve done that!”

Husband With Dementia Couldn’t Remember His Wedding So He Proposed Again is an article from: LifeDaily

No matter what your perspective on society, it’s impossible to deny that the last few years have been strange, to say the least. There are powerful trends occurring that affect just about every aspect of our lives, many of them not for the better.

Perhaps one of the most tragic has been the rise in frequency of mass shootings, school shootings in particular. They’ve gone from something that happens once every few years, to months, to just weeks…

All Too Common

Because the shootings happen so often, we have naturally become somewhat desensitized to the violence. Each occasion simply becomes a town, a number of people killed, and maybe the shooter’s name in our minds. Then, the usual cycle of fruitless debate begins again before our collective attention moves on to the next thing.

Real Lives

But it’s important to remember that each of those “numbers” was a real person, needlessly cut down. They had a life, a family, hopes, fears, and everything else that makes someone human. One such person was Cynthia Tisdale…

Family Love

Cynthia was a woman coming up to her 64th birthday. She and her husband had been married for close to 50 years and had raised 3 beautiful children together. Those children, who are now adults had kids of their own, a total of 11 between them and to her, those children and grandchildren were the most important things in the world. Her niece Leia said that she’d “never met a woman who loved her family so much.”

Another Love

Aside from her family, Cynthia’s other major love in life was teaching. Despite her age, she still worked as a full time substitute teacher at Santa Fe High School. “She worked at the school not out of necessity but for the love of teaching and helping others,” her son Recie said…

Living To Help

“To know my mom was to know a person who lived to help those in need,” he added. “We all loved our mother very much.” Reice was a League City police detective and his daughter, Cynthia’s granddaughter actually attended the high school where she worked and the 2 would often meet up in the mornings, though she was running late on the morning of May 18th.

School Shooter

That was the morning that 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis came to the Santa Fe High School with a shotgun and a .38 revolver and went on a shooting spree in the school’s art complex where Cynthia Tisdale was subbing that day…

Spree

Moving from classroom to classroom, Pagourtzis fired on students and teachers, seemingly at random. He was confronted by at least one of the school’s armed security officers who took a bullet in the upper arm as he tried to stop the teenage gunman. As police mobilized a response to the scene, her son Recie was notified by a friend and coworker about the shooting.

Can’t Reach Mom

It was roughly a half-hour from the time the first shot was fired until Pagourtzis was apprehended by police after being pinned down in a gunfight, with Recie arriving shortly after. “Once the scene was somewhat secure I was contacted by my father who could not reach my mom,” the detective said…

Hard Change

“I knew that 2 female teachers had been killed along with several students. Not long thereafter I determined that one of the teachers was probably my mother,” he said. “It was very hard to go from assisting others to being horribly affected by this tragic event.”

Other Victims

Cynthia had indeed been killed, as had one other teacher and 8 students. Thirteen other people were also injured in the attack. As mentioned above, each of those people is so much more than a simple statistic…

They’re People

While there isn’t enough space in this story to do each of the victims justice, the names of those killed are Sabika Sheik, Ann Perkins, Angelique Ramirez, Shana Fisher, Kim Vaughn, Chris Stone, Christian Garcia, Jared Conard Black, and Kyle McLeod.

Senseless Death

“There are no words to explain how saddened my entire family is for all those involved,” Reice said. While any senseless death is a tragedy, Cynthia’s death was perhaps more tragic than most because of what she left behind…

Her Husband

In addition to being survived by her children and grandchildren, Cynthia was survived by her husband William who, just a couple of years ago had been diagnosed with a chronic lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Terminal Disease

For people with that lung condition, the life expectancy is usually less than 5 years. In December, William had been hit with a double whammy, saying he only had 12-18 months to live, while at the same time telling him he’d been denied the lung transplant he needed to survive…

Last Chance

His last chance was an expensive lung stem cell treatment. In order to pay for it, the Tisdale’s put up a GoFundMe page about a month before the shooting. In a letter his son posted to the GoFundMe, William wrote “With the procedure I have a chance for more time with your momma (my wife of 47 years), my children, and my wonderful grandchildren who I so much want to see grow up as much as possible.”

I Pray This Will Work

“There are times breathing is almost impossible and to feel like I’m choking is very scary and a feeling I do longly pray to not keep feeling,” he added. “I pray this will work even just a slight bit [it] would be so much worth it for me. I love you. Dad.”…

Intersection of Tragedy

Like a tragic Venn diagram, the two distinctly American problems of school shootings and excellent healthcare out of reach due to cost had both struck this one family. Perhaps the silver lining of Cynthia’s death is that it brought attention to the GoFundMe for William’s procedure, which went from raising little money to raising well over the necessary amount in just a couple of days.

Bittersweet Consolation

It was bittersweet consolation at best that the death of the mother helped save the father. But perhaps no one would have been happier that some good could come out of her pointless death than Cynthia herself. “Words don’t explain her lust for life and the joy she got from helping people,” said Eric Sanders, the fiance of Cynthia’s niece.

Double Love

On the morning of the attack, Cynthia was thinking about others just as she had for every other day. She had to get to the school early but had left a note 2 hours before the shooting that said “Had to go meet teacher. I love you. Hope you feel better today. Love Mom. Left you breakfast.” In her typical style, she’d doubled up on love.

Memento

The Tilsdales have since framed the note as a final memento and Cynthia’s brother-in-law John made a Facebook post about it saying “We never know when our death will come. Cynthia had planned on retiring one day and being a full-time grandmother. It will never happen.”

Substitute Teacher’s Sacrifice Leads To Bittersweet Recovery For Loving Husband is an article from: LifeDaily

Over the course of 9 months expecting parents dream of all the milestones, from their first word to their wedding day, that they’ll get to witness over the years.

However, when one new mom found out that her baby had been born with a rare condition, all the dreams and hopes she had for her baby girl completely vanished and she felt she had no choice but to give her away. Thankfully, a family came along that showed her that she could still have a full life. Years later, she finally got to repay their kindness…

9 Months Of Waiting

After waiting for 9 long months to meet their baby girl, a young couple couldn’t wait until the day they went to the hospital to give birth so they could finally hold their little girl in their hands, bring her home, and start their life together as a family.

A Rare Diagnosis

However, when doctors first laid eyes on the newborn baby girl, they could tell something wasn’t normal. The baby had an extremely low birth weight, and according to the doctors, it was because the newborn had been born with a rare form of dwarfism…

Primordial Dwarfism

The doctors had to break the news to the new mom that her baby girl had been born with primordial dwarfism, of which there are only about 100 recorded cases in the world. People born with the condition grow much slower than others and have a life expectancy of about 30 years.

A Blindsided Mother

When the doctors told the new mother that her baby had primordial dwarfism and explained the variety of health complications she would face throughout her life as she got older, her mother was understandably blindsided and devastated about the news…

Shattered Dreams

For the past 9 months, the couple had been envisioning the life their little girl would have and all the milestones they would get to experience as they raised her and in a matter of minutes, all of those dreams and hopes were ripped away from them.

A Drastic Decision

The new mom couldn’t cope with what the doctors were telling her. She never planned on having a child with special needs and wasn’t prepared to do what her daughter needed, so she decided to give her baby up for adoption that very same day…

Unwanted Baby

Normally, families looking to adopt jump at the chance to bring a newborn baby home. However, none of the prospective families were willing to take a child with such challenging needs. As the months passed by, it seemed no one would ever give the baby a home.

Love At First Sight

Eventually, a couple from Minnesota was told about the baby and went to see her. The minute Jackie and Larry Kritzeck laid eyes on the tiny little girl, they fell in love with her and knew they had to bring her home and make her part of their family along with their 3 kids…

Making It Official

After signing the adoption papers, which made the adoption official, Jackie and Larry named the baby girl Hannah and brought her home with them for the first time. Even though they had raised 3 older children, they had never raised a child with special needs so it took some time to adjust.

Apparent Differences

In the beginning, Hannah looked like a typical baby, but as she got older, it became more obvious that she was different since she grew so much slower than other children. Despite the differences, the couple was determined to do whatever it took to give Hannah a good life…

A Normal Childhood

For the first few years of Hannah’s life, Jackie and Larry showered her with love and support and when she was old enough, they decided to send her to the same school that their other children attended to give her as much of a normal childhood as possible.

A Little Independance

The couple even made changes around their house so that Hannah could become more independent. “They lowered all the light switches and put stools in the bathroom and kitchen because I can’t reach the counter and sinks,” Hannah explained…

A Target For Bullies

Yet Hannah wasn’t a ‘normal’ child and the other children could tell. Because of her size, she was constantly stared at by other students and classmates and became an easy target for the bullies at her school who would tease her about her condition.

Cruel Kids

Even as Hannah got older and went to high school, bullies still taunted her every single day and called her a 5-year-old. 1 day, Hannah’s classmate even told her that nobody would ever date her because she was a dwarf. Thankfully, Hannah’s siblings were always there to defend her…

Her Support System

Not only did Hannah’s adopted parents love and protect her, but her adopted siblings, Mark, Matt, and Kelly, did the same. Throughout their childhood, they all made a point of standing up against Hannah’s bullies for her whenever they could.

Overcoming The Obstacles

“Growing up I always knew I was different from my brothers, Mark and Matt, and my sister, Kelly, who were average height… My mom and dad still made sure I had a normal childhood though,” Hannah said about her family, who taught her not to let her size stop her from living her life…

Tough As Nails

Because of her family’s support, Hannah didn’t let the bullies ruin her life. It also made her strong enough to overcome all the complex health issues she experienced as she grew up, including spinal surgery to implant titanium rods to correct her scoliosis, getting dental implants because her natural teeth are extremely small, and getting routine MRI scans to monitor for developing aneurysms.

Determined To Help

Hannah’s family had been by her side no matter what challenges she faced, so when doctors discovered that Jackie had polycystic kidney disease, which can lead to kidney failure, Hannah refused to sit by and watch the woman who had saved her life lose her own. Doctors explained Jackie would need a kidney transplant to survive, and Hannah immediately got tested to see if she was a match without telling anyone…

A Perfect Match

The results came back and Hannah was a perfect match. Doctors tried to talk her out of giving up a kidney for her mother since her own condition put her at risk of several dangerous complications. But Hannah was determined to save her mother and underwent the lifesaving transplant procedure. As a result, Hannah now has to take medication and get check-ups each week.

Living Life To The Full

“My advice to anyone living with the condition would be to never give up on your dream, and keep trying,” said Hannah, who is determined to live her life to the fullest and never let her condition stop her from doing something since she might not live past 30 years old. “Looking to the future, I’d like to get married and have my own family,” the hopeful young woman added.

39-Inch Girl Makes Big Sacrifice For Woman Who Saved Her When No One Else Would is an article from: LifeDaily

Everyone is always waiting for that one phone call that can change their life or for Publisher’s Clearinghouse to show up at your door with a giant check. Most of us never get these significant events: but Gayle did.

This is a story about a woman whose already tumultuous, but otherwise happy life turned completely upside down with one Facebook message…

Facebook Request

Gayle was teaching at Sierra Nevada College in 2010, going through the motions when she logged onto Facebook and noticed that she had a new message. It was an unnerving message from someone that she thought for sure she’d heard the last of. He was asking the same question he’d asked six years before.

Personal Call

Gayle had first became aware of this person six years prior. It had been, as it always is in when these remarkable situations arise, a normal, boring day. Her phone rang and on the other end of it was a man who identified himself as a private detective. She wondered why a private eye would be trying to contact her…

Possible Theories

She began to think about what this PI wanted. Perhaps her mother had hired them to help locate the fortune that she still believed Gayle’s father was hiding from them. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t done it before, several times over the years in fact: to no avail. Still, none of those various detectives had reached out to Gayle before.

Her What Now?

She asked the man what he wanted, to which he replied with no shred of sarcasm, “Your son is looking for you…The son you gave away in 1985.” The investigator’s words shook her to her core. She thought back to the year it happened. She thought about how young she was and what might have been going on at the time…

Teenage Years

Gayle thought back to 1985. She was seventeen at the time and still a virgin. She would be a virgin until the next year and neither her first time, nor any of the subsequent times after that would result in any sort of pregnancy: not for a while anyway. So what was this private investigator talking about?

Nervous Consideration

Gayle was disoriented. She had always been so sure of herself of her decisions and indeed of reality itself. Yet now, she felt like her whole past was now in question. Had she forgotten and repressed an entire pregnancy? Had no one else remembered it? Her mother was delusional and she had always been concerned that she might in some way inherit that malady…

I’m Sorry…

No, she was certain that she would have remembered something like giving up an unwanted teenage pregnancy. Gayle told the detective that he must be mistaken. He must be looking for another Gayle Brandeis. The investigator thanked her for her time and hung up. It wasn’t until the Facebook message appeared in 2010 that she even thought about it again.

Another Request

The Facebook message brought back all the uncertainty of that 2004 call. This time, it was the young man himself, the abandoned boy from 1985 that had messaged her directly. He was asking her if she, Gayle Brandeis was his biological mother. She was completely taken aback and didn’t know what to say. When she didn’t reply, he messaged her again…

Tough Time

The man asked Gayle if she had given birth on a certain day in 1985. She hadn’t given birth to anyone in 1985. She had given birth to her youngest child three months prior though, and the strange, unsettling message was not doing any favors to her during her recovery. Not only that, but she was also reeling from her mother’s psychotic break and subsequent suicide a week after the birth.

Be Well

Despite her misgivings about responding to him. She wrote back that she hadn’t given birth in 85’ and that she wished him luck in his search for his Gayle Brandeis. The man apologized, said “Be Well” and signed off. She needed those words of comfort in her time of mourning. But the man’s search was far from over…

Grim Reflections

Though they had been infrequent and spaced over years, the calls and messages seemed to haunt Gayle more than she thought they would. They caused her to think of the loss of her own mother and how it must have felt for this young man to be so desperate to find his own past. She felt true empathy for him.

Are You My Mother?

Then, in 2016, he reached out again. The words, “Are you my Mother?” shone bright on her computer screen. He had reached out again, not to bother her, but because despite his best efforts, he’d had no luck finding the woman who gave birth to him. His message was heartfelt and he seemed to believe that Gayle was purposefully not acknowledging him as her son…

Expecting

What’s more, the man, whom she had begun referring to as her “Shadow Son” was going to become a father himself soon. If Gayle was his mother, she was soon to be a grandmother and he wanted her to know that. She wanted to offer to be a mother figure for him, but the man only wanted answers. He wanted truth.

Medical Info

The young man added that there were other reasons he needed to know the truth. He was dealing with, struggling with some health concerns and he needed to know if she was really his mother so he could ask her personal, medical information. This was the third time he’d reached out, and it was making Gayle more and more uncomfortable each time…

Anything to Help

She wanted to be firm but polite. Once again, she told him that she wasn’t the woman he was looking for. She was not his biological mother. This time though, instead of just saying goodbye, she told him that if he needed, she would be willing to help him find his real mother: if only to find him some sort of closure.

A Serious Discussion

Gayle talked with her husband about the situation. He too felt empathy for this young man’s plight and wanted to help. They decided that they would work together to help Shadow Son track down his biological mother. It was a strange feeling to finally be of help to him after all those years, but it felt right…

The Search Continues

It had been 14 years since the private investigator first called her and in all that time Gayle had never considered this as an option. She and her husband soon went into full detective mode. It became a challenge, but one that brought them closer and brought Gayle closer to the young man. Remarkably, after months of searching, they found her.

Sad News

There was just one problem; the shadow son’s mother had passed away a couple years prior. Now it was a matter of explaining to this poor, desperate soul that he’d never get the cathartic reunion he’d hoped for. If Gayle and her husband had been heartbroken about the situation before, this would take it to a new level…

Breaking the News

Swallowing her worry, Gayle shared the information with her shadow son. Surprisingly, the news didn’t break him as completely as she believed it would. Instead, the two of them began to talk and open up to one another. Complete strangers though they were, their shared fate had seen them become fast friends.

Filling the Void

They spoke on the phone soon after that and even exchanged “I Love You’s.” It became a mutually beneficial relationship. In Gayle, the shadow son had found a mother figure and through their efforts they even found his biological sister. And it all happened because Gayle had decided to pick up that phone for that private eye.

Woman Receives Unnerving Facebook Message And Forms Unbreakable Bond With The Sender is an article from: LifeDaily