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Swimming Pool Mishap Turns Man Into Musical Prodigy Overnight

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Derek Amato Story

When we go through something traumatic, our memory of the incident can be a little blurry. In fact, afterward, we may have little to no recollection of what happened. This is especially true if an incident was so bad that you suffered from a concussion.

This was the case for the man in the following story who felt disillusioned as he recovered from a traumatizing head injury. However, in the weeks that followed, he discovered something remarkable about himself, that could only be explained by a select few people in the world. He had unlocked an entirely new side of himself…

Featured photo credit: www.lifecoachcode.com

Pool Party

Derek Amato Story
  Smile TV Group / YouTube

On October 27, 2006, Derek was at a pool party and he stood at the shallow edge of the swimming pool and called for his buddy in the jacuzzi to toss him the football. He then launched himself through the air, head first, with his head slamming into the pool’s concrete floor.

Suffering A Concussion

Derek Amato Story
  Smile TV Group / YouTube

The force was so powerful that it felt like an explosion and Derek was quickly pushed to the surface. He clapped his hands to his head as he was convinced that the water streaming down his cheeks was blood gushing from his ears. At the edge of the pool, Derek collapsed into the arms of his friends…

An Altered State

Derek Amato Story
  Smile TV Group / YouTube

At the time, the 39-year-old sales trainer was visiting his hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, from Colorado, where he currently lived. As his two high school friends, Bill Peterson and Rick Sturm drove Derek to his mother’s home, not too far away, he drifted in and out of consciousness.

Derek Was Talking Nonsense

Derek Amato Story
  Smile TV Group / YouTube

To his friends, Derek wasn’t making any sense. He insisted he was a professional baseball player who was late for spring training in Phoenix. When he finally got to his mother’s house, she rushed him to the emergency room where doctors diagnosed him with a severe concussion…

His New Reality

Derek Amato Story
  www.acceleratedhealthcentre.com

They sent him home with strict instructions that he needed to be woken every few hours and he was told it’d be weeks before the full impact of his head trauma became apparent. His injuries turned out to be 35% hearing loss in one ear, headaches, and memory loss.

Late Night At Sturm’s House

Derek Amato Story
  Smile TV Group / YouTube

But the dramatic change happened just four days after the accident when Derek woke from sleep and headed over to his friend Sturm’s house. The friends stayed up in Sturm’s makeshift music studio and Derek spotted an electric keyboard. Without hesitating, he got up from his chair and sat down in front of it…

He Couldn’t Help Himself

Derek Amato Story
  luckystixproductions / YouTube

Derek had never played the piano before because he simply had no desire to. But, his fingers somehow found the keys, landing on the high notes, then finding his way back to the low ones. His fingers seemed to drift throughout the keyboard effortlessly. When Derek finally looked up at his friend, Sturm was in tears.

Side Effect Of Head Trauma?

Derek Amato Story
  Shutterstock

Was this a hidden talent? Sturm wondered. Derek went on to play at the keyboard for the next six hours, leaving Sturm’s house early the next morning, feeling alive. He went straight to his computer and googled to see if this was an effect of the aftermath of head trauma…

Eye-opening

Derek Amato Story
  www.popsci.com

He typed in words like “gifted” along with “head trauma” and the results left him speechless. He began reading about other people like Orlando Serrell and Alonzo Clemens. Serrell was hit in the head with a baseball at 10 and afterward discovered he could remember the weather for each day after his accident.

Other Acquired Savants

Derek Amato Story
  www.inspirationmatters.org

Clemens suffered brain damage after a head injury at 2 and afterward learned he could create detailed sculptures of animals in just minutes. Finally, Derek found the name Darold Treffert, an expert on savant syndrome, a condition in which individuals who are mentally impaired demonstrate remarkable new skills. He reached out to him…

Derek’s Diagnosis

Derek Amato Story
  www.agnesian.com

Derek sent Treffert an email and he responded. Treffert, who is now retired from the University Wisconsin School of Medicine, diagnosed Derek with “acquired savant syndrome.” There are around 30 known cases of the syndrome, where ordinary people who suffered brain trauma suddenly developed remarkable new abilities.

Another Acquired Savants

Derek Amato Story
  jason-padgett.pixels.com

Things like mathematical mastery, photographic memory, and artistic brilliance, to name a few, can be associated with this condition. Another acquired savant is a high-school dropout who was brutally beaten by muggers, only to discover that he’s the only person in the world to be able to draw complex geometric patterns called fractals. He also says he believes he discovered a mistake in pi…

Acquired Savant Syndrome

Derek Amato Story
  www.rd.com

Unfortunately, the neurological causes of acquired savant syndrome are poorly understood. But work has even begun to design experiments that investigate an intriguing possibility, that the genius lies in all of us, and it sometimes takes a traumatic incident for it to be unleashed.

Understanding Savant Syndrome

Derek Amato Story
  campaign.ucsf.edu

Bruce Miller, director of the UCSF Memory and Aging Center in San Francisco, says that savant skills emerge because the area is ravaged by disease. Those areas of the brain associated with logic, comprehension, and verbal communication have actually been inhibiting artistic abilities all along, he said. Miller continues…

An Unlocked Brain

Derek Amato Story
  www.ucsf.edu

“The skills don’t emerge as a result of newly acquired brain power, they emerge, because for the first time, the areas of the right brain associated with creativity can operate unchecked.” So, it’s like the new skills have been there all along, only laying dormant and hoping for the day it can be unleashed.

Do We All Have Latent Abilities?

Derek Amato Story
  www.npr.org

This is revolutionary because it proves that we all have latent abilities. Other neurologists have also found cases where brain damage has led to positive changes, whether it’s enhancing memory or even restoring eyesight. This science does not suggest that you should purposely cause yourself a head injury in order to unlock some dormant skill. But in Derek’s case, in the weeks following his accident, his mind was racing…

Strong Desire To Play The Piano

Derek Amato Story
  Smile TV Group / YouTube

His fingers wanted so badly to move and he found himself waking up from naps with his fingers creating beats against his legs. To fulfill this powerful desire, he bought a keyboard, as, without one, he felt overstimulated.

Exploring His Talent

Derek Amato Story
  Smile TV Group / YouTube

Derek began to lock himself in the house for days at a time and just play the piano, exploring and trying to understand his new talent. But the aftermath of Derek’s accident didn’t result in just good symptoms, he also experienced bad ones…

Bad Headaches

Derek Amato Story
  www.express.co.uk

He would soon see black and white squares in his vision like a filter had taken over his eyes and wouldn’t stop moving. He also suffered pretty severe headaches and anxiety. The first bad headache happened three weeks after his accident and before long, Derek was having as many as five a day.

What’s Next?

Derek Amato Story
  www.tumblr.com

One day he even collapsed in his brother’s bathroom, and on another, he nearly passed out while at Wal-Mart. Derek struggled with feeling like he’d been given a gift that was both a blessing and a curse. But he says that since the accident, his whole life has changed. Derek has been featured in newspapers and television shows around the world, and he was one of eight savants featured on a Discovery Channel special called “Ingenious Minds.” One thing is for certain, Derek Amato is not going to stop playing the piano anytime soon.

Swimming Pool Mishap Turns Man Into Musical Prodigy Overnight is an article from: LifeDaily


Singing School Girl Disappears On Her Way Home From School, Town Points Finger At Fellow Teen

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Muriel Drinkwater Story

There was once a time when a kid could walk home from school without fear of being bothered by anyone besides their own schoolyard bullies. Kids could play outdoors from dawn until dusk in their own neighborhoods, safe beneath the watchful eyes of friends, family, and neighbors.

Yet, even these golden times had their odd incident. This is the story of a happy 12-year-old Welsh girl who loved to sing and the tragedy that stole her from the world…

Youngest Sister

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  www.swordandscale.com

Muriel (center) was only 12 years old. She lived in Penllergaer, Swansea, Wales, with her family and her three older sisters. Yet though she was the youngest of the four, she was by no means the baby. If anything, her status as the “baby” of the family only made her more determined to be even braver than her siblings.

 

Little Singer

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  Wikipedia

Muriel attended school at the local grammar school during the week and always went to Sunday school as well. When she wasn’t in school, she served as a member of the Nightingale Patrol of the Girl Guides. This, plus the fact that Muriel had a habit of singing everywhere she went, would eventually earn her the nickname “little nightingale…”

The Walk Home

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

It was a cool June evening when Muriel caught the school bus back home. Her family’s house wasn’t far from the stop, only a small walk through Penllergaer Forest. It was a meandering walk and one that the 12-year-old had done many times before that day. It was a walk she wasn’t afraid of.

Seeing a Friend

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

Then again, there was very little that Muriel was afraid of. As she walked through the forest, she ran into 13-year-old Hubert Hoyles, a local boy who lived nearby and had just purchased some eggs from her parent’s farm. The two passed each other on the road and said hello. That would be last time anyone saw Muriel alive…

No Sign of Her

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  www.lifedeathprizes.com

When Muriel didn’t arrive home, her mother went out to search the small village for any sign of her. She searched high and low to no avail. She was exhausted and defeated by the time she called the police. That night, a search party was assembled and dispatched to the surrounding area to find the missing preteen.

 

Searching in the Storm

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  Sanath Kumar J H / YouTube

The search was stymied before it even began. A rainstorm blew into the village and the desperate searchers were buffeted by stinging rain. Still, the torrential rain didn’t stop them. In the dark of the night their voices rang out through the woods, but Muriel Drinkwater wasn’t there to hear them…

Saw Something

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

The next day, at around 10:35 am, police constable David Lloyd George spotted something hiding around the forest floor. He walked over and picked up the sodden blue school coat and red gloves. These belonged to the missing 12-year-old, there was no doubt in his mind. Any misgivings he had evaporated immediately with what he found next…

Muriel Lost

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

Not far from the coat and gloves were the remains of Muriel Drinkwater. She was on her back and her arms were out at odd angles. Her skin was ghostly white. Most unnerving of all were her eyes, locked open into an endless stare. Muriel was dead, murdered and left to rot in the forest near her home. She was only a few weeks shy of her 13th birthday…

A Brutal End

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  www.leakecountyms.org

An initial coroner’s report revealed that in addition to being beaten and sexually assaulted, the killer had delivered two killing shots to the head when he was done with her. Muriel’s murder was the talk of the small Welsh town, it also wasn’t the first such murder at the time. It seemed that someone had been committing heinous crimes like that all over the area.

 

Bringing them In

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  www.flickriver.com

Detectives from Scotland Yard were dispatched to Swansea to assist in the investigation. Muriel’s was among a rash of slayings of women at the time and they needed to get to the bottom of it. The investigators began by visiting every house within 150 square miles and over the course of the investigation, interviewed more than 20,000 men…

Many Mourned

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  www.thetruecrimefiles.com

In the meantime, Muriel was given a proper burial. More than 3,000 mourners showed up to attend her funeral less than a month later. She was buried at St David’s Church in Penllergaer and mourned by the town and her family. Of course, there were some among the town who thought they knew whodunit…

Suspected Persons

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  www.flickriver.com

Eventually, after weeks of uncertainty, the investigation began to bear fruit. They now had a description of who they believed was behind the killings. The man was described as being approximately 30 years old, with “thick fluffy hair. The witnesses also said that he was wearing brown corduroy trousers and a light brown sports jacket before the attack…

First “Suspect”

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  www.fijisun.com.fj

Even though he wasn’t an “official” suspect, 13-year-old Hubert Hoyles had long been suspected by some locals as the murderer. After all, he was the last person that had seen the girl alive. There was no proof of course, but that hardly matters in these situations. Even after the police ruled him out, everyone believed it was him.

 

Weapon at the Scene

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  www.thetruecrimefiles.com

Detectives at the scene had also recovered the murder weapon, which was identified as a US Army Colt .45 pistol. Despite the customized and checkered butt of the gun, the killer has decided to drop it at the scene. As this was in the age before DNA testing, finding the owner would be hard…

Find the Owner

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

In order to try and track down the unique pistol’s owner, the police began showing a photograph of the gun, projected on the screen in local cinemas to see if anyone came forward. They then did this nationwide, hoping that somehow this appeal would spark someone’s memory. It was a bold move to be sure.

Army Weapon

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  filmnoir2019 / YouTube

Their efforts to inform the public worked and it was eventually discovered that the pistol had been manufactured in the Springfield Armory in 1942. After that, it was shipped to the US, where it became one of millions of weapons in circulation at the time. This didn’t do much to come up with a culprit…

Decades of Silence

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  case-file.wikia.com

The case went cold, but it was kept sealed away and open for the next few decades. Muriel and her family tried to move on, but the uncertainty was hard to bear. In 2003 though, detectives re-opened the case. They had an idea that they might be able to use modern DNA technology to find DNA evidence on the gun.

 

Lost For Decades

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  www.evidencebasedforensics.com

Unfortunately, the murder happened in the late 1940s and the detectives at the time had been unaware that they might adulterate the DNA evidence by manhandling the gun. Too many had handled it over the years. They looked for the girl’s clothes as well, but discovered that this evidence had gone missing since 1949…

Ruled Out

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  www.pixabay.com

Things changed five years later when in 2008, forensic scientists were able to retrieve a DNA profile from a semen stain found on Muriel’s coat, one of the few remaining relics of the sealed case. Unfortunately, no match was found in the DNA database. That did, however, rule out Hubert Hoyles, who had been living under a cloud of suspicion since her death and was now vindicated.

Theories of the Unsolved

Muriel Drinkwater Story
  Wikipedia

Despite many attempts to locate the killer, the case of who murdered Muriel Drinkwater still remains unsolved to this day. Many believe that it was her death which put an end to the rash of killings at the time, that the killer himself had gone too far and drawn too much attention and simply retired. Or was Hubert Hoyles somehow responsible? We may never know.

Singing School Girl Disappears On Her Way Home From School, Town Points Finger At Fellow Teen is an article from: LifeDaily

Pillar Of Community Leaves Final Gift After Lifetime Of Giving To Her Community

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Genevieve Via Cava Story

As we get older, it becomes more and more difficult to remember all of the different people we encounter when we’re young. Even though someone may seem like an important part of your life when you’re a kid, you sometimes find yourself struggling to remember their name as the years go by.

But then there are the people that you’ll never forget for the rest of your life. More often than not, some of the most memorable people from your childhood will be the teachers that left their mark on you. After one woman became that impactful teacher to so many, she wanted to leave them with one final gift…

Celebrity Status

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  Wikipedia

In the town of Dumont, New Jersey, Mrs. Via Cava was something of a minor celebrity. It’s not hard to figure out why, once you consider that she’d been taught in the Dumont school district for 45 years.

Reputation

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  www.northjersey.com

Since the day she started in 1945, Mrs. Via Cava developed quite the reputation. Despite having a somewhat no-nonsense attitude, she was known for being kind and generous, regularly going above and beyond what she had to do to make sure that her students were getting the best education they could…

Everyone’s Favorite

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  newyork.cbslocal.com

“She had a very good sense of humor,” said a friend of hers, James Kennedy. “She made kids feel relaxed and was a very approachable as a person.” Her generosity and goodwill for her students were still there long after they’d left her classroom.

Kids And Adults

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  PIX11 News / YouTube

Because she’d been teaching — both regular and special ed — from 1945 to 1990, plenty of her students had grown to adulthood while she was still in the classroom, educating generation after generation of kids. There were plenty of times over the years where she would help former students, who were now adults, find jobs in the area using her many connections…

An Institution

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  www.dumontnj.org

Because she’d taught for such a long period of time, she had many of her connections simply because if you’d lived in Dumont your whole life, chances are either you or your kids ended up in her classroom at some point. And Mrs. Via Cava had a memory like the proverbial elephant.

Never Forget

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

“She had an uncanny memory when it came to her students and could remember things that happened a long time ago,” said James Kennedy, one of her former students who went on to become a principal in Dumont. But her many friends and acquaintances weren’t just former students…

Gregarious

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  www.people.com

A big chunk of Mrs. Via Cava’s friends and connections came from her willingness to strike up a conversation with anyone, coupled with her great sense of humor. If you happened to run into her one day in town, you might just make a friend for life. But even if you did, it wouldn’t be the closest of friends.

Small Inner Circle

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  www.northjersey.com

“She didn’t have too many people,” said Richard Jablonski, a friend of hers for over 35 years. “She was a rough-exterior type of a person. But she could light up a room. She had a killer smile.” Mrs. Via Cava never had any children and after her husband died in 1998, her students were her everything. So as she was coming to the end of her life, it wasn’t clear who she was going to leave things to…

Big Gift

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  www.dumontnj.org

Around 2008, Mrs. Via Cava was in her mid-80s and was getting her last will and testament in order. She was speaking with the Dumont School District Superintendent Emanuele Triggiano when she told him that, as part of her will, she would be giving the school district a million dollars.

You Can’t Be Serious

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  www.russellmoore.com

“I thought it was a joke,” Triggiano said. After all, he was a school superintendent. He knew what kind of money teacher’s made and it certainly wasn’t enough to make them millionaires. Then, when Mrs. Genevieve Via Cava passed away in 2011, he was amazed to find out that she’d been 100% serious…

That’s A Lot

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  www.abc7ny.com

But when the check arrived, the laughter turned to amazement. “I was not shocked she would donate something, I was shocked by the number. She was a teacher here, very unassuming, very modest,” Triggiano said. “That’s a large sum of money for anyone.”

How?

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  www.greatbigstuff.com

The people of the Dumont school system were at a complete loss to understand how the beloved retired teacher had managed to amass such a considerable fortune. But when it came down to it, there was no magic trick to how Mrs. Via Cava had amassed such a huge sum of money…

Pinching Pennies

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  www.unfinishedman.com

Mrs. Via Cava had simply spent her life being as frugal as possible. She wore the same few outfits for decades, ate out rarely, and stopped going on vacation after her husband died. When she started losing her hearing later in life, she even refused to get hearing aids.

Saving For A Reason

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  newyork.cbslocal.com

Her friend Richard had a simple explanation for why she chose to live that way. “The Great Depression really left a mark on her,” he said. “I asked her what she was saving for, since she could afford it and it would change her life for the better.” After her donation became publicly known, it was clear what she was saving for…

Lasting Legacy

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  www.amsterdamnews.com

“She’s leaving behind a lasting legacy,” Richard said. Her million dollars was left to create a fund that, through its interest, would allow the school to give out a $25,000 scholarship each year to one special education student seeking post-high school education.

Unbelievable Effect

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  www.northjersey.com

“Her name will live on forever in this scholarship fund,” Richard said. “It’s unbelievable that she’s going to have this effect.” In addition to being her friend, he was the executor of her will. He was the one responsible for getting the money to the school district, as well as the other causes Mrs. Via Cava wanted to donate to.

Spread The Love

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  www.shape.com

In addition to the scholarship fund, Mrs. Via Cava wanted to give to help out the needy, both man and animal. To that end, she donated a considerable amount of money to the Salvation Army as well as some of the animal shelters in the area.

A Delay

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  www.firstround.com

But although Mrs. Via Cava would pass away in 2011 at the ripe old age of 89, it would be years before the scholarship was put in place. The legal and financial complexities of setting up the fund required 7 years before the Dumont district was able to make the scholarship she’d dreamt of a reality…

Child Study Team

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  Shutterstock

With all the details in place, the 2019-2020 school year will be the first where one student from the “Child Study Team” in need of financial assistance will be able to continue their education beyond high school.

Giving Back

Genevieve Via Cava Story
  www.independent.co.uk

For decades, the scholarship Mrs. Genevieve Via Cava set up will help family after family achieve their dreams. In death, she will continue helping others just as she had in life. “She was well-known and well-liked, a wonderful woman,” said Superintendent Triggiano. “She loved the kids she taught and the town of Dumont and this was her way of giving back.”

Pillar Of Community Leaves Final Gift After Lifetime Of Giving To Her Community is an article from: LifeDaily

High School Staff Learn How ‘State Senator’ Duped Them Weeks After His Visit

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Izaha Akins Story

Aside from the work of running the government, a lot of the things that a local politician does can be described as community engagement. They go to various events and gatherings to get a feel for what their constituents are feeling, not to mention getting their face out there for the free press and goodwill.

As politicians, they are aware of the stereotypes they’re fighting against from day one. They do what they can to appear honest and trustworthy, despite the preconceived notions of the public. But when the truth about one politician’s visit to a high school came out, it would do nothing to improve people’s perceptions…

Educational Treat

Izaha Akins Story
  www.showchoir.com

Henry Stobbs, who taught the American Government class at Mohawk High School in Sycamore High School, had secured a great treat for his students. He’d arranged for their state representative, Senator David Burke, to come in one day and give a talk to his students.

Unique Opportunity

Izaha Akins Story
  www.crawfordcountynow.com

Getting face time with the state senator was a great opportunity for his students. They would get an insider’s perspective into the workings of the state legislature and have the opportunity to ask him whatever questions they might have about the sorts of things that never appear in the newspaper…

Bad News

Izaha Akins Story
  www.mohawklocal.org

So when he got a call saying Sen. Burke wouldn’t be able to make his scheduled January appearance, Mr. Stobbs was crestfallen at first. He was told that Sen. Burke had fallen ill and not only would he be unable to speak to the class, he was stepping down from his position entirely.

But It’s Ok

Izaha Akins Story
  mhskap.weebly.com

But the person on the other end of the phone line had good news as well. He told Mr. Stobbs that he was Sen. Burke’s replacement and would be more than happy to come speak to the Mohawk High students in the former senator’s place…

Young Replacement

Izaha Akins Story
  www.bizpacreview.com

In fact, Sen. Burke’s replacement might be an even better choice to speak to Mr. Stobbs’ students. That’s because he was the “youngest state senator ever.” The guy on the other end of the line, Izaha Akins, was just 18 years old.

Skeptical

Izaha Akins Story
  www.toledoblade.com

Mr. Stobbs was naturally skeptical. He hadn’t heard about Sen. Burk’s resignation and replacement in the local media and an 18-year-old becoming a state senator is certainly the kind of thing that would be reported in the news…

Reasonable Explanation

Izaha Akins Story
  www.mohawklocal.org

But Sen. Akins explained that Sen. Burke’s resignation was not yet official and that he’d been the second choice to replace him, selected only after the primary choice declined the offer. With Mr. Stobbs’ concerns assuaged, they arranged to move the date of the visit up from January to December.

Great Visit

Izaha Akins Story
  www.dailychiefunion.com

When the day came for his visit, everything with Sen. Akins went great. He arrived with a driver and 2 aides, took a tour of the high school, then gave a rousing speech about the political process and the importance of being active in politics. Mr. Stobbs and his students thought everything about the visit was great — until several weeks later Sen. Burke showed up on the originally scheduled date, ready to give a speech…

Speechless

Izaha Akins Story
  www.ohiosenate.gov

When Mr. Stobbs explained about Akins’ visit, Sen. Burke was completely shocked. Nothing he’d been told about the senator’s stepping down or being replaced was true. Akins was not at all related to the state legislature and, for some reason, had duped them all.

Fooled Us All

Izaha Akins Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

“The presentation, although not ‘polished,’ was what one might expect from a young, inexperienced and newly appointed senator,” said Ken Ratliff, the Mohawk Local School District superintendent. “No one was the wiser.”…

Elaborate Scheme

Izaha Akins Story
  radio.wosu.org

This is an extremely elaborate scheme and not as simple as walking through the door,” Sen. Burke said. “When I heard about this, the school and I immediately began working with law enforcement.”

Not Hiding

Izaha Akins Story
  Izaha Akins / Facebook

It wasn’t hard for the police to track Akins down. In fact, it seemed like he wasn’t even trying to hide. He’d given them his real name and gave them his real ID when he showed up to the school…

Simple Explanation

Izaha Akins Story
  Izaha Akins / Instagram

When police tracked Akins down, he had a simple reason for why he pulled the stunt. He said he’d been doing a research paper for school — his freshman year of college — about school security in rural communities and his hoax was to show how lax school security can be.

Making A Point

Izaha Akins Story
  Izaha Akins / Facebook

“I was duping to prove a point, that these kinds of things can happen,” Akins said. He’d managed to impersonate a high ranking government official with no credentials, armed with nothing but a semi-plausible story. “They could easily have Googled me and they didn’t.”…

New Policies

Izaha Akins Story
  www.buckeyesheriffs.org

Some people viewed what he’d done as a harmless prank or even a beneficial one since it resulted in Mohawk High School putting an identity verification process in place for people visiting the school. Even the police believed Akins actions weren’t dangerous. “At no point during this process did we feel Mr. Akins was a threat to our students,” said Wyandot County Sheriff Mike Hetzel.

Criminal Act

Izaha Akins Story
  www.toledoblade.com

But whether or not his actions were harmful and regardless of the point Akins had been trying to make, he had broken the law. He was arrested on charges of telecommunications fraud and impersonating a peace officer, 5th, and 3rd-degree felonies respectively. He was facing up to 3 years in prison for the stunt…

Model Congress

Izaha Akins Story
  www.crawfordcountynow.com

After being arrested, Akins had been freed on his own recognizance before his trial date but the judge revoked that and set a $15,000 cash bond after Akins violated her order not to leave the state — to attend a Model Congress convention in Washington, of all things.

Hitting Home

Izaha Akins Story
  www.bemidjipioneer.com

Sitting in jail for nearly 2 months as he awaited the decision of the court, it’s certain that the true gravity of the consequences for his actions finally hit home for Akins. His lawyer, Andrew Wick, said his client readily agreed to avoid the risk of prison…

Lenient Sentence

Izaha Akins Story
  www.newjerseyglobe.com

Ultimately, he would be sentenced to serving a little over 1 more month in jail and 3 years of probation as punishment. The judge also ordered Akins to pay $138 in restitution to the Reaneke Family Dealerships, the car dealership that offered to provide a free car and driver for the “senator’s” visit.

Trouble Ahead

Izaha Akins Story
  www.thecourier.com

“He’s never had any legal problems before. He’s hopeful he can talk to potential employers and educators and explain the reasons for what he did,” said his lawyer. Izaha Akins also had hopes of eventually expunging the felony conviction from his record since, in addition to making it harder to get a job after college, it would also hurt his chances if he ever ran for a position in government.

High School Staff Learn How ‘State Senator’ Duped Them Weeks After His Visit is an article from: LifeDaily

FBI Solves 35-Year-Old Cold Case Thanks To California Man’s Fake ID

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William Hughes Jr. Story

When someone goes missing, investigators will work around the clock to find the person in question because they know that the more time passes, the less likely they are to find any clues that might lead to solving the case.

In 1983, authorities left no stone unturned after an Air Force captain mysteriously vanished without a trace. As time passed, they lost hope that the case would ever be closed. However, 35 years later, a routine investigation made them realize the answers they had been looking for had been right under their noses the entire time…

The Last Call

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.wsj.com

In July 1983, Air Force Captain William Howard Hughes Jr. called his mom to let her know that he was going to the Netherlands for a 2-week vacation and didn’t give her any other details except that he would be back home in Kirtland, New Mexico on August 1.

 

The Air Force Captain

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.stripes.com

The 33-year-old from Seattle, Washington, worked as a lead surveillance analyst on the Kirtland Air Force Operation Test and Evaluation Center in New Mexico. According to the Air Force, Hughes specialized in radar surveillance and had top-secret security clearance…

 

Top Secret Work

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.freeabq.com

Hughes had been assigned to the Kirtland Air Force base since 1981 and was involved in the planning and analysis of NATO’s control, command, and communications surveillance systems, which was highly classified.

 

The Work Trip

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.weau.com

In July 1983, Hughes was temporarily assigned to work in the Netherlands and left for his trip as planned on July 17, 1983. During his time in the Netherlands, Hughes wasn’t actually on vacation, but was being sent to work with NATO to new Airborne Warning and Control communications…

 

Highly Classified Technology

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.wikitravel.org

The new technology was created to be used for surveillance, command and control, battlespace management, and communications. After his time in the Netherlands, Hughes was supposed to return to duty at Kirtland on August 1, 1983.

 

Vanished Without A Trace

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.pxhere.com

However, August 1 came and passed and the 33-year-old single captain never showed up at work ever again. In the days and weeks that followed Hughes’ sudden and mysterious disappearance, officials opened up and investigation and searched for any trace of him…

 

The Investigation Begins

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.abqsunport.com

Investigators found Hughes’ car at the Albuquerque International Airport where he had left it when he went on the work trip to the Netherlands. When they searched his townhouse, they found personal to-do lists and a list of books Hughes had been planning on reading, but nothing that tipped them off to his whereabouts.

 

Retracing His Steps

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.rothira.com

Investigators managed to retrace some of Hughes’ steps after returning to New Mexico from the work trip and found surveillance footage that showed the 33-year-old withdrawing $28,500 from his bank account from 19 different bank branches…

 

Mysterious Activity

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.expertise.com

Despite the search they conducted around the country and overseas, law enforcement agencies failed to track Hughes down. The fact that Hughes took out so much money made investigators believe that he had either defected or been abducted.

 

The Family Speaks Out

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.videoblocks.com

Hughes’ family, however, insisted that Hughes wouldn’t intentionally leave without telling them or leaving them some sort of note. “We do not feel he disappeared voluntarily,” said Christine Hughes, 1 of Hughes’ 4 sisters…

 

The Deserter

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.stripes.com

According to Christine, her brother would never intentionally disappear and that it was totally out of his character to do something like that. By December 8, 1983, however, there was still no sign of Hughes and the Air Force declared him a deserter.

 

The Conspiracies

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.frontpagemag.com

As time passed, Hughes’ family never doubted that he had been taken against his will. Others, however, believed Hughes had either defected to the Soviet Union or been taken by the Soviets because of his top secret clearance, which would have been incredibly useful to them…

 

Strange Coincidences

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.cbsnews.com

In the following years, there was a handful of NASA catastrophes that made some people speculate if Hughes had helped the Soviets sabotage the missions like the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster. “The French and American accidents are adding up to a bizarre pattern, surrounded by strange coincidences and unexplained events… These include the apparent defection to the Soviet Union in 1983 of the U.S. Air Force’s leading expert on rocket self-destruct procedures,” said Tad Szulc, a foreign correspondent for the New York Times.

 

A Goldmine Of Classified Information

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.canestrinilex.com

“He is worth his weight in gold to the Russians in terms of future ‘Star Wars,’ if we have them,” an anonymous intelligence source told Szulc at the time. Over the years, however, there has been no indication that information Hughes knew had ever been leaked…

 

35 Years Later…

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.buzzerg.com

Hughes’ case was never closed, but after it had gone cold, investigators thought they would never find out what happened especially as more time passed. Almost 35 years after his mysterious disappearance, however, investigators got their first break in the case.

 

A Passport Fraud Investigation

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.b4pink.com

In June 2018, federal authorities found some discrepancies in a California man’s identity and brought him in for questioning as part of a passport fraud investigation. Authorities hoped to get some answers about inconsistencies in the documents, but they got far more than they ever dreamed of…

 

The Confession

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.pressdemocrat.com

When investigators confronted the man, Barry Timothy O’Beirne, he confessed that the identity was fake and that his real name was William Howard Hughes Jr., the missing Air Force captain. According to Hughes, he had made a fake identity and had been living in California ever since he vanished.

 

Finally Getting Answers

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.latimes.com

When questioned, Hughes explained that in the months leading up to his disappearance, he had been ‘depressed about being in the Air Force’ and decided to just abandon his life and create a new one. Once in California, Hughes got a job working as a consultant for the University of California system…

 

‘Tim’s’ Colleagues React

William Hughes Jr. Story
  br.freepik.com

Hughes’ acquaintances and coworkers, who knew him as ‘Tim’, were shocked when they found out the truth about their smart, funny, and kind colleague. “This just floors me,” Judy Boyette said, a former coworker. “My gosh, that’s Tim! Oh, my word. That is unbelievable. But that’s him! Wow.”

The Charges

William Hughes Jr. Story
  www.napavalleyregister.com

Hughes has been charged with desertion and is being held at the Travis Air Force Base in California until pretrial proceedings. He could face up to 5 years of confinement, may be forced to forfeit all pay, and could be dishonorably discharged from the Air Force. For now, the case is still being investigated. “At this point, there’s no indication that he had any classified information or that he gave any classified information,” said AFOSI spokeswoman Linda Card. “Until we have the whole story, we don’t have the story.”

FBI Solves 35-Year-Old Cold Case Thanks To California Man’s Fake ID is an article from: LifeDaily

Brother And Sister Raised By Cult Parents Speak Out Years Later

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Elijah Flowers Story

When it comes to cult practices, there’s no telling what might happen. From bizarre ceremonies to questionable rituals, there’s a good reason why cults have the terrible reputation that they have worldwide.

But when a child is born as the result of one of these bizarre rituals it means that an innocent soul is now involved, but completely against their will and without their consent. This brother and sister duo knew all about cults, thanks to their parents…

Born Innocent

Elijah Flowers Story
  elijahflows / Instagram

Kate and Elijah were born just a few years apart. Growing up, they were closer than your average brother and sister, but that was for good reason. After all, they had been born into not the most common of circumstances and had to be there 24/7 to support each other.

Close Bond

Elijah Flowers Story
  katefruitflowers / Instagram

From a young age, the two kids had a special bond, one that was unique and out of the ordinary. You see, the way their parents had met was unconventional and that made for an extra special relationship between Kate and Elijah…

Unification Church

Elijah Flowers Story
  www.washingtontimes.com

The Unification Church, also known as the “Moonies” is a Christian inspired worldwide movement, often referred to as a “cult.” Inspired by its founder Sun Myung Moon (hence the Moonies) this Korean man was known as a spiritual leader, but much more than that.

Strange Intentions

Elijah Flowers Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

As well as professing to be a spiritual leader (read cult leader) Moon also fancied himself as a bit of an entrepreneur, as well as an activist, and a peace advocate, apparently. Moon’s operation, which is a global one of many years, includes numerous businesses, news media outlets, and political activism. Kate and Elijah came from this cult…

No Names

Elijah Flowers Story
  elijahflows / Instagram

Having been indoctrinated into the Moonies from a young age, Elijah was reticent to name the cult specifically, “I will say that this was a very big movement. It wasn’t just like 100 people and a small little weird group. It was definitely weird but it was a large movement, thousands of people. It was at its height in the eighties.” He said.

Seekers of Truth

Elijah Flowers Story
  www.philosophytalk.org

When Kate and Elijah’s parents were in their twenties they were very bright people and were considered to be intellectuals. However, according to Elijah, they were also seekers of truth, and that’s why they joined the movement, unaware it was a cult…

Passionate People

Elijah Flowers Story
  www.tongil.org

In Elijah’s words, “Especially in their early years in college, they were seeking answers like a lot of us are, and they were very passionate about that.” That passion led them to the Unification Church and their lives, as well as those of their offspring, changed forever.

Harmony On Earth

Elijah Flowers Story
  elijahflows / Instagram

Initially, Elijah explained, his parents had the best of intentions when they joined the movement, “I think that especially in the beginning, it was presented as a way to bring together all religions and spiritualities to create a harmonious family on this Earth, and a progressive system for promoting world peace, pretty much,” he added.

Recruited Together

Elijah Flowers Story
  Kate Flowers / YouTube

Kate explains that her dad was from California and her mom was from Boston but that they were both recruited by the Moonies at a gathering. They were “love bombed” by other members there and brought into the church as part of the movement.

Best Intentions

Elijah Flowers Story
  www.asianews.it

While neither of the kids wanted to judge their parents for the decisions they made all those years ago, they know that they had the best of intentions. However, things started going wrong for them when Moon tried to enforce the belief that he was, in fact, God, as well as the new messiah…

Mass Weddings

Elijah Flowers Story
  www.yesandyes.org

A large part of this movement is the mass wedding ceremonies which they perform, sometimes with 1000 couples at the same time, joined in matrimony simultaneously. “Our parents were actually matched,” Kate said, “Blindly, had never met, did not know each other at all. The wedding ceremonies, the matching ceremonies were huge, like thousands of followers in one room.”

Bizarre Pairings

Elijah Flowers Story
  www.news.com.au

It may seem bizarre to anyone reading this, and it is, but men would stand on one side of the room and women on the other. Then Moon, the cult leader, would walk down the aisle and pair men and women who had never even met before. Minutes later and they would be married for life…

Estranged From Family

Elijah Flowers Story
  www.thesun.co.uk

Part of the cult movement’s strategy was to alienate new members from their families as quickly and quietly as possible so that they couldn’t be influenced to leave. The mother was even disowned by her own family after she became a Moonie, while the couple spent their time raising money for the Church.

Community Gatherings

Elijah Flowers Story
  elijahflows / Instagram

Both Kate and Elijah have disturbing memories of the community gatherings which they had to attend as kids. “I just remember that we would do honorings and ceremonies with altars of the leaders and we would say prayers and sing some songs, and we would go to community gatherings,” Elijah said…

Arranged Marriage

Elijah Flowers Story
  amoriyahflowers / Instagram

Kate was told by her parents that she was to be matched with a husband later in life when she was only five years old. “Even at the age of five or six years old, I was such a strong, free, independent spirit, I would look up at them and say, “no I’m not,”‘ she said.

Divorce Time

Elijah Flowers Story
  www.thesun.co.uk

It was only a matter of time before Kate and Elijah’s parents got divorced and left the cult. They had never been compatible and were simply put together by a delusional man who did not have their best interests at heart. Fortunately, their relationship with their parents improved markedly after they left the Moonies…

Spiritual People

Elijah Flowers Story
  Elijah Flowers / YouTube

“We both really believe that spirituality is a very important part of being alive, being connected to other people, community, some kind of faith, is really essential I feel, for a balanced progressive life,” Elijah said, although he also thinks that that kind of spiritual connection can only be achieved by a personal faith in God.

True To Yourself

Elijah Flowers Story
  www.thesun.co.uk

Kate also offered advice regarding her view on spirituality saying, “Ultimately you have to trust that you’re on your own journey and your own path and it’s perfect in whatever way that is, whatever you choose to believe, whatever you get into or don’t get into….Always keep a sense of yourself.”

Some Regrets

Elijah Flowers Story
  Elijah Flowers / YouTube

Kate and Elijah appear to be remarkably mature, and seem to have a healthy understanding of what happened with their parents all those years ago, “They were seeking answers,” said Elijah, adding, “They got involved in this movement which on the surface level had positive things to day. It was painted as promoting world peace.” Years later and the parents would regret their decision to join the cult.

All’s Well

Elijah Flowers Story
  www.thesun.co.uk

Kate and Elijah are philosophical now about where they come from. Having seen what cult life is like close up, they have managed to forge their own spiritual path, one full of positivity, generosity and happiness. The fact that they are now closer than ever and closer with their parents and extended family than ever before is a bonus they weren’t expecting.

Brother And Sister Raised By Cult Parents Speak Out Years Later is an article from: LifeDaily

Routine Traffic Stop Results In One-In-A-Million Encounter

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Trooper Michael Patterson Story

For many folks, the most common encounter they’ll have with a cop is being pulled over as they’re driving. If you’re lucky, you’ll get off with just a warning and you can go on about your day; but more often than not, it ends up costing you some money.

But every now and then, some other thing will happen. The cop and the driver being pulled over will have some weird and unexpected connection with one another. When one cop made a routine traffic stop, it would turn out to be a truly one-in-a-million encounter…

Featured photo credit: www.time.com

Minor Violation

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  Lindsey Ray / YouTube

On an afternoon in June, a New Jersey State Trooper was out in his squad car patrolling the streets when he noticed a vehicle with a minor violation. When he turned on his lights and gave the siren a tap, the car slowed down and came to a stop at the first opportunity by the side of the road.

License Please

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  abcnews.go.com

Trooper Patterson approached the vehicle and asked for the driver’s license, registration, and proof of insurance as he’d done a thousand times before. When the driver, an older man, handed over an additional bit of ID, the mood shifted a bit…

Piscataway?

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  www.6abc.com

“Oh, Piscataway PD?” Trooper Patterson said. The driver had handed him a police ID card, though it was somewhat out of date. As the driver, a man named Matthew explained that he was a retired cop, the 2 men began to talk about their commonalities.

My Hometown

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  www.6abc.com

It turned out that Trooper Patterson had grown up in Piscataway and the 2 of them talked about some of the police officers that they knew in common. As the chat continued, Matthew asked the trooper “What street did you live on?” That’s when the conversation took an odd turn…

Poe Place

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  www.6abc.com

“Poe Place,” Patterson replied. Poe Place was a street that always stuck out in Matthew’s memory. He told Trooper Patterson about a 911 call he responded to nearly 30 years ago, just 4 years into his law enforcement career that took place there.

Memorable Call

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  abcnews.go.com

The call was for a woman whose water broke as she was in the parking lot, leaving the nearby grocery store. She raced home with her legs clamped tight, and when she arrived her husband carried her inside and called 911. Matthew was one of the first people to show up on the scene…

Emergency Delivery

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  www.cbsnews.com

There was no time for the ambulance to arrive so officer Bailly helped deliver the woman’s baby as he received instructions over the phone from the woman’s doctor. The umbilical cord was wrapped around the little baby’s neck and the boy’s father gently lifted it off of his neck but there were otherwise no complications.

Heard It Before

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  www.cbsnews.com

As he was hearing the story, Trooper Michael Patterson got more and more excited. He’d heard that story a bunch of times, every year on his birthday, in fact. As soon as Matthew finished, the trooper blurted out “That was me!”…

No Way

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  www.10tv.com

“Get the hell out of here,” Matthew said in complete disbelief. He thought the trooper had to be pulling his leg. After all, what were the odds that this was the same baby he’d held in his hands so many years ago? “In the blue house? The colonial?” he asked.

Thank You

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  www.6abc.com

Michael was absolutely sure of it. “That was me. That was me,” he repeated with a huge smile on his face. He extended his hand inside the car and said “Thank you for delivering me.”…

You Won’t Believe This

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  www.cbsnews.com

The two men talked for a few more minutes, and after marveling at the coincidence, they parted ways. Trooper Patterson, of course, didn’t give Matthew a ticket for the infraction. They each excitedly called their wives to tell them about the encounter.

Picture?

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  www.abc.net.au

Both women were wowed by the chance encounter but still level-headed enough to ask an important question: did you take a picture? In their excitement, neither man had thought to document the encounter or even exchange contact information…

Dropping By

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  www.wellkeptwallet.com

But luckily, due to the way they’d run into each other, there was an easy way for them to get in touch. Michael knew Bailly’s address from the traffic stop so he went by his house and left a note in the mailbox.

Emotional Encounter

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  abcnews.go.com

Matthew responded to the note as soon as he got it and invited Michael to come by. He, of course, accepted the invitation and brought his mother Karen along as well. “There were a couple of tears shed perhaps by my wife and his mom,” Matthew said…

My First Kid

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  www.cbsnews.com

As they reminisced about the event that had brought them all together so many years ago, Matthew revealed that when he’d helped deliver Michael, he didn’t have any kids of his own yet. It was the first time he’d ever seen a baby be born.

Again And Again

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  www.cbsnews.com

It had been a monumental moment for him. Just like Karen, the story of Michael’s birth is one that Matthew had been telling people countless times to anyone who would listen in the nearly 27 years since it happened.

New Friend

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  www.star991.com

This time when they met up, they were sure to take plenty of pictures of the 2 men together. They also made plans to go hang out again, going out for pizza and other such things. Their chance second meeting had led to a new friendship.

For Old Time’s Sake

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  www.star991.com

The two had plenty to talk about, of course, both being in law enforcement. They were also soon going to be able to talk about being fathers, as Michael’s wife Alison was due to give birth in a few weeks. They joked that Matthew might help deliver that baby too…

What Are The Odds

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  NewJerseyStatePolice / YouTube

The state police released a statement about the 2 men meeting, saying “We’re not sure what the odds are of this happening — maybe they’re close to the odds of a hole-in-one, winning the lottery, or being struck by lightning — but it happened,” on their Facebook account.

Unique Chance

Trooper Michael Patterson Story
  NewJerseyStatePolice / YouTube

“As a police officer, you don’t always get a chance to have a moment like this with people you once helped in your career,” the post continued. To have the opportunity to not only meet up with but befriend someone you helped bring into the world and to find out that he too became a cop in truly a special thing.

Routine Traffic Stop Results In One-In-A-Million Encounter is an article from: LifeDaily

Persistent Cyberbully Finally Revealed After They Mock NHL Couple’s Tragic Loss

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Monika Caryk Story

For the past few years, we’ve all heard dozens upon dozens of stories about the dangers of cyberbullying and how so much of it can result in things like suicide or self-harm. Many of these cyberbullies are simply teens teasing other teens, and they are generally unaware of how this behavior can truly affect their peers.

Then again, cyberbullies and their victims don’t have to be just children. Though that doesn’t mean that they don’t act like children…

Lovely Couple

Monika Caryk Story
  www.journalpost.com

In August of 2017, Melinda and Erik were getting dressed and ready to take the next step. Despite the rainy morning that greeted them when they woke, the two were married at the Westin and danced away their reception at the National Gallery of Canada. It was a magical day and the start of a happy life for the two lovebirds.

 

Tragic Loss

Monika Caryk Story
  www.playerwiveswiki.com

But as happy as things were for the two of them, within a few short months, things would take a dreadful, tragic turn. Melinda became pregnant soon after the wedding and the couple was so excited to bring a child into the world together. It was a difficult pregnancy and a few short weeks before his due date, baby Axel, passed away inside the womb….

Pain and Loss

Monika Caryk Story
  erikkarlsson65 / Instagram

Afterward, 28-year-old Erik took to the internet to speak about his loss. “At this extremely difficult time it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel but we know one day we’ll get there…Even though he was stillborn, we know we will hold him again one day under different circumstances and the joy he gave us will be with us forever.”

Cruelty in a Time of Loss

Monika Caryk Story
  erikkarlsson65 / Instagram

The post was replied to by a number of well-wishers and supportive friends and fellow hockey players. Nevertheless, there was one negative comment amidst the tide of good natured posts that stood out. It was posted by and Instagram user named @sandydandy45, and it said, “I feel bad for the baby he didn’t have a chance with Melinda popping pain killer medication everyday…”

Pattern of Hate

Monika Caryk Story
  www.ottawacitizen.com

It was a nasty, hateful message and to those who weren’t aware, it seemed completely out of context. Erik and his wife knew better though. Melinda had been being harassed for months by an online cyberbully and this grievous insult was just one in a long line of abusive, terrible attacks upon her and her husband.

 

Months of Attack

Monika Caryk Story
  www.thestar.com

The months-long cyberbullying attack had begun with a number of comments towards Melinda ranging from aspersions against her character to hope that their son would die. This was prior to their son being stillborn, mind you. The Troll even expressed a desire for Erik Karlsson to be seriously injured and not be able to play hockey anymore. But who was behind it all?

How Dare They

Monika Caryk Story
  erikkarlsson65 / Instagram

The Instagram user eventually deactivated their account, but before they did, Erik responded. “How dare you,” he wrote back. “You have been making fake accounts and buying hacked ones for months to harass me and my wife but this is an all new low even for you. You are a disgusting person.”

Who was the Bully?

Monika Caryk Story
  www.ottawacitizen.com

Who was this bully though? Who was this person filling out burner accounts just to harass a woman that, to all who knew her, was a good and decent person: someone wholly undeserving of such abuse. As it happened, the person behind it all was someone the Karlsson’s knew very well, someone they’d seen many times before…

The Real Monika

Monika Caryk Story
  www.fabwags.com

The woman behind the abuse was someone name Monika Caryk, a former promoter, store manager, and travel agent. She also happened to be the fiancée of Senators forward Mike Hoffman: Erik Karlsson’s teammate. Both she and her husband-to-be were from Kitchener in Ontario, Canada and had met during their high school years, when Caryk was a runner.

 

Call the Authorities

Monika Caryk Story
  www.sportsgossip.com

Monika had been systematically abusing the Karlssons for months online and they had finally had enough. Insulting them in the wake of their personal tragedy was the straw that broke the camel’s back. They contacted the authorities and asked them to investigate this, to stop Caryk from furthering upsetting the couple. The Hoffman’s denied everything…

Denial

Monika Caryk Story
  www.dreshare.com

Mike Hoffman, of course, denied all of the allegations on behalf of both himself and his fiancée. “Obviously this is a tough time that they’re going through, and we want to find out who is doing this, because for some reason it’s coming into our court, and it’s 150 percent that it’s not us.” He added that they had nothing to hide and that they would cooperate in any way.

Thousands of Messages

Monika Caryk Story
  www.heavy.com

All in all, Monika Caryk had posted over 1000 negative and derogatory statements about Melinda Karlsson as a professional and a person. It amounted to little more than slander and rampant abuse. The Karlsson’s were at their wits’ end. There wasn’t much they could do about it though. But there was one thing…

Peace Bond

Monika Caryk Story
  victimservices.wordpress.com

Melinda Karlsson eventually had no choice but to file an application for something called a peace bond to an Ottawa, Canada, court. A peace bond requires that the person is on good behavior during a certain period of time and also to refrain from any criminal offenses. This meant if Caryk said anything online or otherwise, she’d be found guilty of harassment.

 

Statement of Hate

Monika Caryk Story
  www.iheartradio.ca

In the statement for the peace bond, Melinda explained exactly what her new enemy had done. “Monika Caryk has uttered numerous statements wishing my unborn child dead. She also uttered that she wished I was dead and that someone should ‘take out’ my husband’s legs to end his career…”

Gaining Support

Monika Caryk Story
  www.heavy.com

Melinda wasn’t alone in all this, however. Many of the wives and partners of the other hockey players on their team and in the NHL itself have come out to support them. Marlee Hammond, who is married to ex-Senator Andrew Hammond, explained that Monika Caryk had tried to keep the situation private until they intensified.

Private Person

Monika Caryk Story
  marlee_kat / Twitter

“Oh man if you only knew how unsurprising this actually is,” Marlee Hammond wrote on Twitter. “Horrible just horrible. and the worst part of all of this is how @MelindaCurrey just wanted to keep this private because she’s THAT nice of a person even when a person can be this cruel to her.” Other Wives had similar things to say as well…

Unhealthy Fixation

Monika Caryk Story
  HELLO! Canada Magazine / YouTube

Kodette LaBarbera, who is married to 11-year NHL vet Jason LaBarbera, said that Monika Caryk had always had a strange “fixation” with Melinda Karlsson. She explained that it was unhealthy and bordered upon scary as time went on. She added that at this point, Caryk would no longer be welcomed at events for the players and their wives.

 

Hockey Involvement

Monika Caryk Story
  www.tripadvisor.com

This brings us to another important facet of the situation. Because of the severity of the abuse, the NHL had to launch an investigation into the matter on behalf of not only the Karlssons but the Senators as well. “We are investing this matter in cooperation with the NHL and will take whatever steps are necessary to protect the safety and privacy of our players and their families,” explained the NHL in a recent statement…

Can’t Commingle

Monika Caryk Story
  www.sportingnews.com

“What we’ve indicated to Senators General Manager Pierre Dorian is that, and let’s call a spade a spade, it would be very difficult for both parties, both Erik and Mike as well as the wives and the fiancées, to co-exist in the same wives’ room and the same dressing room,” explained one of the NHL spokespeople.

Might Need to Trade

Monika Caryk Story
  www.tsn.ca

For reference, the Senators ended their season with the second-worst record in the eastern conference. Therefore, both Erik and Hoffman have been discussed as possible trades when the next season comes up. This might not be a bad thing though, because it might mean that the warring couples are no longer in such close proximity.

Persistent Cyberbully Finally Revealed After They Mock NHL Couple’s Tragic Loss is an article from: LifeDaily


Doctor’s Final Hope Experiment Leads To Woman’s Miraculous Turnaround

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Judy Perkins Story

When a person is ill, conventional medicine can almost always determine the cause and, more often than not, there is some sort of standard treatment that can address the problem. If everything goes as it should, the person is cured and can move on with their life.

But sometimes, the conventional treatments don’t work. When that happens, things can get very dangerous for the patient, especially if the illness is life-threatening. When one woman had exhausted all of the conventional options before her, she would find that a new experimental treatment offered a chance for survival…

Good Life

Judy Perkins Story
  community.breastcancer.org

In 2003, Judy was a 38-year-old engineer and mother of 2 young sons living out a normal life. Her marriage was good, her children were happy and her oldest, 5 years old, was getting used to school while her 3-year-old was wishing he could go.

Stage Zero

Judy Perkins Story
  www.trendingposts.net

Everything was going well for the Florida mom until she got the news that everyone dreads: she had breast cancer. Fortunately, it had been caught early — “stage 0” her doctor said, calling it “precancer.” She had a very good chance for successful treatment..

Under The Knife

Judy Perkins Story
  www.cheyenneregional.org

“I had a mastectomy. I had all my lymph nodes out,” Judy said. Along with medications and chemotherapy, the treatment seemed to work. After the cancer scare, she was fully cured and got back to life as usual.

Not Again

Judy Perkins Story
  www.cbsnews.com

Everything was fine until 10 years later when her worst nightmare reared its ugly head again. “I felt another lump on the same side, and this time it ended up being stage 4,” Judy said. “So, I entered the world of a cancer patient. Serious cancer patient.”…

Making The Most

Judy Perkins Story
  www.cnnsoapbox.com

“They told me I had 3 years to live,” Judy said. “That was actually better than I expected. Still, I really wanted a lot more time with my husband and 2 young sons.” She began chemotherapy and quit her job, spending whatever time she could with her family, traveling to places on her bucket list.

No Effect

Judy Perkins Story
  www.telegraph.co.uk

But as time progressed, the chemotherapy seemed to have no effect and her cancer continued to grow and spread. Some of her tumors had grown to the size of tennis balls. Her doctors moved on to more experimental treatments and medications but nothing seemed to work…

Hopeless

Judy Perkins Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

“I had sort of essentially run out of arrows in my quiver,” Judy said. “While I would say I had some hope, I was also kind of like ready to quit, too.” No longer well enough to travel or even move around much, Judy’s plans “were to binge watch TV and read books until I died.”

Final Chance

Judy Perkins Story
  ccr.cancer.gov

Then she met Dr. Stephanie Goff of the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Research. Dr. Goff was conducting a clinical trial for a new type of cancer treatment called immunotherapy, a process where the patient’s own immunity cells are bolstered to treat cancer. When she found out she was suitable for the trial, Judy Perkins jumped at the chance to join in…

Long Shot

Judy Perkins Story
  www.seekingalpha.com

It’s not that her hopes were high. Immunotherapy was a type of cancer treatment that showed promise to one day become an effective treatment but at the moment, had a low rate of success. But with all other options exhausted, she had no other choices that weren’t long shots.

Seek And Destroy

Judy Perkins Story
  www.cbsnews.com

The medical team took a sample from one of the tumors to identify its unique “signature,” the genetic mutations that are different in every person’s cancer. They then took samples of Judy’s white blood cells to see if they were capable of destroying any of those mutations. Of the 62 mutations they found, her white blood cells were able to attack 4…

The Injection

Judy Perkins Story
  www.cbsnews.com

From the sampling of her white blood cells, the doctors grew billions more in the laboratory over the next 8 weeks. Then, with a single injection in December of 2015, they put those cells back into Judy’s body so they could go to work attacking her tumors.

Side Effects

Judy Perkins Story
  www.npr.org

Along with the injection of white blood cells, she had to take some medications that would help them do their work, one of which had severe, flu-like side effects. Judy was feverish, lethargic and “at one point, I had the shivers so badly they had to give me a muscle relaxant,” she said…

Quick Results

Judy Perkins Story
  Judy Perkins / Facebook

But just over a week after the injection, Judy could already notice a difference. She had one tumor that had started pressing on a nerve in her arm a few months ago, causing a great deal of pain. “I could already feel that tumor started to get soft,” she said. The pain from the nerve seemed to grow just a bit more bearable each day.

Cautious Hope

Judy Perkins Story
  Judy Perkins / Facebook

“When I got home,” she said, “I could tell that it was still shrinking; after a week or two, it was pretty much gone.” It was an amazing feeling but Judy was cautious with her hope. “I knew things were moving in the right direction, I just didn’t know how long it would last,” she said…

Rapid Improvement

Judy Perkins Story
  www.cbsnews.com

A few weeks later, Judy was still exhausted all the time but all of her pain was gone. “I remember being happy in January just to walk around the block with my husband again, even though I had to stop and rest every few minutes. But I started to improve more quickly after that.” She said.

My Old Self

Judy Perkins Story
  www.cbsnews.com

“When I went back to the doctor in March,” she said, “they told me the tumors had significantly decreased.” By April, Judy felt more or less her old, pre-cancer self. “It was strange. I was preparing to die, and then suddenly it’s like, ‘I feel better now, I guess I’ll go hiking or paddle-boarding,’” she said…

Cancer Free

Judy Perkins Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

Her miraculous turnaround proved to be permanent as, 2-and-a-half years after her treatment, her body is completely free of any detectable cancer. “I’m one of the lucky ones,” Judy said. “We got the right T cells in the right place at the right time. And they went in and ate up all my cancer. And I’m cured. It’s freaking unreal.”

Not Perfect

Judy Perkins Story
  www.cbsnews.com

But Dr. Steven Rosenberg, one of Judy’s doctors cautioned that immunotherapy is still a treatment in the early research stages and doesn’t work for everyone. Of the 45 people in Judy’s clinical trial, the treatment was only effective for 7 of them. “Is it ready for prime time today? No. Can we do it in most patients today? No,” he said…

On The Cusp

Judy Perkins Story
  CambridgeHealthtech / YouTube

Still, many members of the medical community are excited about the potential immunotherapy has shown. Dr. Laszlo Radvanyi, scientific director of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research called Judy’s results “remarkable,’ saying that scientists may be “at the cusp of a major revolution” in fighting cancer through immunotherapy.

Big Deal

Judy Perkins Story
  www.systemsbiology.org

James Heath, president of the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle said “Metastatic breast cancer is basically a death sentence and this shows that you can reverse it. It’s a big deal.” It’s certainly the biggest deal of Judy’s life.

Doctor’s Final Hope Experiment Leads To Woman’s Miraculous Turnaround is an article from: LifeDaily

Student Suffers Nightmare After Night Of Drinking But She Refuses To Let It Ruin Her ‘Beautiful Life’

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Many Horvath Story

Sometimes it takes a really horrible thing for us to realize the true meaning of life. Under the most terrible of circumstances, a little light is waiting to shine inside of us, one that can brighten the darkest of days.

This perfectly describes the woman in the following story, who suffered a terrible accident after an innocent night out with friends. What happened nearly took her life, and it actually took her legs, but it didn’t take her spirit…

Featured photo credit: www.storytrender.com

It Started As A Fun Night

Many Horvath Story
  www.metro.co.uk

The last thing Mandy, 24, remembers on one night in 2014, was going outside a bar to smoke a cigarette. She had been drinking at a bar with her friends in Steele City, Kansas when she blacked out and woke up in an ambulance with medics all around her.

Her Worst Nightmare

Many Horvath Story
  www.jamanetwork.com

Mandy was hit by a train traveling at 50mph and the doctors were battling to save her life. She believes she was spiked with a date-rape drug and was left for dead on the train tracks because when she was found, it was 1 mile and a half away from the bar…

Unusually Out Of It

Many Horvath Story
  www.financialtribune.com

She had no memory of getting there, even though she didn’t have a lot to drink (two beers and two shots), which her blood alcohol level showed, as well as her bar tab. Mandy does remember going outside of the bar to smoke a cigarette and she felt hazy.

“It All Goes Hazy”

Many Horvath Story
  www.todayifoundout.com

When she was found, doctors initially thought she had tried to commit suicide and by the time she could tell that what she remembered, it was too late. “My last memory is smoking a cigarette outside and then it all goes hazy- the next thing I know, I’m in an ambulance with no legs.”

In Disbelief

Many Horvath Story
  www.24sata.hr

When a paramedic told Mandy that her legs were gone, she started to panic, trying to kick them in the air. But, it was only after she saw blood everywhere that she knew it was true. It was a beyond terrifying moment in Mandy’s life and after the accident, she had to stay in the hospital for months while doctors tried to perform surgery to salvage her leg tissue.

One Year Later

Many Horvath Story
  www.mandatory.com

Yet despite numerous surgeries, the remaining bones on Mandy’s legs began to grow, which led to them being amputated again. “It was heartbreaking because, despite 12 months of recovery, I still wasn’t able to learn to walk again.” It wasn’t until one year later, in April 2015, that Mandy was able to try using prosthetic legs…

Living With Her New Reality

Many Horvath Story
  www.metro.co.uk

She remembers the first prosthetics she was given and that they were suction sockets. But because her body weight was fluctuating regularly, it meant that her prosthetics would easily fall off. It wasn’t until she moved from Kansas to Colorado that she was able to get better prosthetics and she began learning to walk with them.

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Many Horvath Story
  KOAA 5 / YouTube

Before her accident, Mandy was an active person, and it took months for her to find her confidence again. As most people in her situation would, Mandy Horvath fell into a deep depression. Years later, she still suffers from post-traumatic stress, but she became determined to be the same person she was before her accident. In fact, she was about to become the most active she’s ever been in her life…

One Resilient Woman

Many Horvath Story
  www.fox4kc.com

Four years after the incident, Mandy Horvath was about to climb a mountain, that’s right, with no legs. Her father remembers something a doctor said during Mandy’s long recovery path: “She’s gonna do things, she’s gonna go places, and nothing’s gonna stop her.”

Inspiration

Many Horvath Story
  www.lifebeyond4limbs.com

Mandy found the outdoors to be the platform to inspire her. Her first climb was an incline trek to raise awareness for Limb Loss Awareness Month. But how would a double leg amputee climb a mountain?

Breaking Records

Many Horvath Story
  www.thedenverchannel.com

On her hands, of course. She used her hands to propel her up and despite suffering battered hands, Mandy became addicted to the adrenaline. She went on to become the first female double amputee to climb the famous Manitou Incline, a trail that climbs to 2,000 in less than a mile.

America’s Mountain

Many Horvath Story
  www.colorado.com

Next up, she planned to climb Pikes Peak, also known as America’s Mountain, located outside of Colorado, Springs, Colorado. Daniel Pond, an experienced climber, and friend was going to accompany Mandy as it would be a difficult climb, which would last three days. Although she had conquered the other mountains, this one was on a whole different level of difficulty…

Climbing Pikes Peek On Her 25th Birthday

Many Horvath Story
  www.cpr.org

The same day Mandy turned 25, she began the trek up Pikes Peak. The climb took place right after she attended a media event to promote two nonprofits she raised money for during the climb: The Battle Buddy Foundation and Operation Ward 57. As she began her climb, there were cameras surrounding her, documenting every moment.

The Views Made Up For The Pain She Felt

Many Horvath Story
  www.gazette.com

During the trek, Mandy was exhausted but saw views that made her feel alive and she recalled the lyrics by singer/songwriter, John Moreland. “I don’t want to come back down to earth/No, I don’t want to come back down to earth. My heart is growing heavy from the ever-endless hurt/So I don’t want to come back down to earth,” the lyrics read. But despite her inner voice telling her to keep pushing, Mandy was fighting through fatigue she didn’t know she could overcome…

Positive Words Of Encouragement From Her Family

Many Horvath Story
  www.gazette.com

Thankfully, she fought through the pain and frustration during the climb which she did solely with her hands and butt. It was difficult for her but her brother cheered her on, shouting, “Don’t stop! We’re very, very proud of you!” They were words that kept her going and she continued crawling. Mandy’s mother, Lisa Horvath, cheered, “That’s my baby, that’s my baby…Go Mandy! Go!”

It Was A Sign

Many Horvath Story
  www.outtherecolorado.com

A little over 74 hours and 7,600 ft of elevation later, Mandy had reached the mountaintop and just as she did, a rainbow arched above her. She fell into her family’s arms and they told her that the rainbow was “God’s way of saying, He’s gonna bless you and bless everybody.” After that…

Breaking Barriers

Many Horvath Story
  www.9news.com

Mandy was more determined than ever. She was so proud of herself and she felt confident for the first time in a long time. After reaching the top of Pikes Peak, Mandy felt encouraged to tackle another area of her life that she’d neglected: her dating life.

New Tinder Profile

Many Horvath Story
  www.gofundme.com/My-Accessible-Home

Not only did Mandy update her climbing resume, she also updated her dating profile on Tinder. While there was nothing funny that happened to Mandy that night in July 2014, she used her tragic circumstances as fuel for her hilarious and all-too-real Tinder profile. It read…

Aspiring Comedian

Many Horvath Story
  www.storytrender.com

“Disclaimer: I don’t have legs, but don’t worry- I’m taking it in my stride…Just roll with it okay?” Mandy continued, “My life was a train wreck (literally hit by a f***ing train), here are some awesome benefits from it: “I’ll never run away from you. Front row parking. Technically I can still doggy paddle. I even have sexy land roving bionic legs.”

Her Driving Force

Many Horvath Story
  www.outtherecolorado.com

“Face: 10/10. Body 8/10. Legs: 0.5/2. My Anthem: She Ain’t Got No Legs- Bloodhound Gang.” Mandy says that since her accident, humor has been the driving force that has made her recovery a lot easier. Today she continues to remain strong and does it all with an incredible sense of humor and a smile.

Student Suffers Nightmare After Night Of Drinking But She Refuses To Let It Ruin Her ‘Beautiful Life’ is an article from: LifeDaily

23-Year-Old Becomes A Father And Grandfather In The Same Day

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Tommy Connolly Story

There are certain moments in your life that you know are significant. They’re instances when life has thrown something unexpected at you and it’s up to you to make an important decision. One that you know can change the course of your life forever.

A young college student living in Australia was faced with one of these life-altering decisions. Either he could be a stand-up guy or pretend like what was in front of his face wasn’t happening. What he did next was a defining moment that he’ll remember forever…

Student Living In Australia

Tommy Connolly Story
  www.directexpose.com

Tommy, 23, was a regular guy living in Queensland, Australia. He attended school at the University of the Sunshine Coast, was an athlete, and also worked part-time as a real estate agent.

Excelled In Track

Tommy Connolly Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

Despite being so busy, Tommy was the type of person who put his all into everything he did. He trained rigorously in track and hoped to one day compete internationally. He had already tackled the sport on a regional level, so he wasn’t too far off from his next goal. But something unexpected quite literally stopped him in his tracks…

Hearing From A Long Lost Relative

Tommy Connolly Story
  www.uplandsoftware.com

During college break, Tommy got a message from one of his favorite younger cousins. The last time he spoke to Kiarna, 16, was about 10 years ago when her family moved away to a town called Southport. The message came as a welcome surprise.

Tommy Loved His Cousin

Tommy Connolly Story
  www.mamamia.com.au

“I was really excited to hear from her because I’ve always had a soft spot for her. She was my favorite little cousin, she was the sweetest girl and we got along so well,” Tommy said. Growing up, the two were close, so Tommy could tell by their first few messages that something was wrong…

She’d Fallen On Hard Times

Tommy Connolly Story
  www.thebuzztube.com

As Kiarna shared updates in her life with Tommy, he learned things were pretty bad. Kiara was actually homeless, had no phone, and was surviving on less than one backpack full of clothes. Tommy wondered how a 16-year-old even wound up in this situation.

Legal Trouble

Tommy Connolly Story
  Facebook

He couldn’t have been more in shock and according to Kiarna, a number of issues left her on the streets. In order to survive, she resorted to criminal activity and suffered many run-ins with the law as a result…

Resorted To Drugs

Tommy Connolly Story
  www.drogues-dependance.fr

She also used drugs to cope with her life, but she told Tommy she had recently stopped. Still, her life was in jeopardy. Kiarna’s boyfriend was in jail, which left her scared and alone dealing with everything life has thrown at her. As a homeless teenager, she felt hopeless.

Doing The Best With The Cards She’s Being Dealt

Tommy Connolly Story
  www.thetimes.co.uk

“Life dealt Kiarna a poor hand, and she’s had to play it best she could…She’s spent more time on the streets than anywhere else, and knows the police better than she knows her own family,” Tommy wrote in a tearful Facebook post. However, her bad luck wasn’t going to last much longer…

Everything Was A Surprise To Tommy

Tommy Connolly Story
  www.iheartradio.ca

Tommy had a plan as he couldn’t bear the thought of his favorite childhood cousin living on the streets and under such terrible circumstances. He also felt extremely guilty that he didn’t know about her situation sooner and even though she didn’t ask him for help, Tommy leaped into action.  

He Didn’t Need To Be Asked To Help

Tommy Connolly Story
  www.directexpose.com

“She didn’t ask me if she could stay with me but I had that day off work so I drove down to the Gold Coast straight away and picked her up. I took her to lunch and she told me her story,” Tommy wrote. Any problems he had seemed irrelevant after hearing Kiarna’s story and he offered for her to stay at his place…

Tommy Was All In

Tommy Connolly Story
  www.littlethings.com

Although he was in college and working at the time, Tommy was determined to help his cousin get out of the rut that she was in. In fact, he was determined to save Kiarna’s life. Instead of just supporting her from a distance or trying to find a shelter that would accept her, Tommy wasn’t afraid of a little personal sacrifice.

The Only Option

Tommy Connolly Story
  www.hildebrandlaw.com

His plan was to gain permanent custody of Kiarna and become her legal guardian. This was the only way he could ensure that she’d be protected and that he could provide her the support she so desperately needed. But in gaining custody, he hit a road bump…

Afraid Of Tommy’s Reaction

Tommy Connolly Story
  lifestyle.lifeloveandsugar.com

Kiarna had kept a secret from Tommy that she was hesitant to share. Before her boyfriend became incarcerated, Kiarna got pregnant and she was afraid to tell Tommy she was expecting, fearing he’d kick her out.

Kiarna Being Pregnant Didn’t Change Anything For Tommy

Tommy Connolly Story
  Facebook

Yet, despite her hesitation in telling him, Tommy didn’t seem to care because again, he wanted to help make his cousin’s life better going forward. He knew what this would mean, however, that on paper, he would literally become not just a father but also a grandfather…

Fearing For Her Baby

Tommy Connolly Story
  Facebook

At 23-years-old, this was a lot to take on, but he was ready for it. It disappointed him however when Kiarna told him that child services had been following her around for months and they had informed her that they’d take her child away from her after it was born.

The Future Was Uncertain

Tommy Connolly Story
  Facebook

It was a terrifying fear that lingered inside of Kiarna every day of her pregnancy. She said, “Since carrying this gorgeous boy, all of my friends kept telling me that he would be taken away from me. This made my pregnancy very difficult. All I wanted was to give this little man a better life than I had, a second chance was all I wanted.” But in order for this to happen, Kiarna had a lot of work to do and it was a race against the clock for Tommy…

Becoming Kiarna’s Legal Guardian

Tommy Connolly Story
  Facebook

As a result, he had to stop training for his track competitions and put his all into everything he had into becoming the legal guardian for Kiarna. This included working, moving houses, signing forms, being assessed and monitored, chasing funds, setting up bank accounts, buying baby stuff, furniture, and going to various doctors appointments, all for Kiarna.

New Milestones And A Birth

Tommy Connolly Story
  Facebook

Tommy taught her to read and write and thanks to him, she was able to pass her driver’s test and receive her learners permit. This was just in time for her due date, which was right around the corner. Just around two months after Tommy became her legal guardian, Kiarna gave birth…

The Youngest Grandfather In The World

Tommy Connolly Story
  Facebook

She named her baby boy Kayden and Tommy, at 23 years old, became the youngest grandfather in the world. Family members, friends, and peers had a lot to say about their unique situation. Most people on social media, however, have been very kind to Tommy, and they’ve commended him for the selfless act he did for his family member.

Family Is Everything

Tommy Connolly Story
  Facebook

Tommy wrote on Facebook, “When bad things happen it’s your family that supports you…It means no one gets left behind or forgotten. I’ve had my family pull my head out of the gutter before…It was time to pay it forward. After Jayden’s birth, Tommy continued to help out his cousin and he’s since started his own real estate company called UN Real Estate. Kiarna and Jayden are also doing well.

23-Year-Old Becomes A Father And Grandfather In The Same Day is an article from: LifeDaily

Rescuer Uncovers Sweet Reason Abandoned Pit Bull Won’t Leave Roadside

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Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story

Pit bulls have a bad reputation for being vicious breeds prone to violent attacks, but like many stereotypes, their aggressive reputation has little to do with reality.

In 2015, a volunteer from an animal rescue group got word that there was a stray pit bull on the side of the road. At first, the volunteer was nervous that the dog might be aggressive or try to attack when she tried to rescue her, but all her fears vanished when she saw what the pit bull was really doing there…

The Stray

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  DallasDogRRR / Facebook

In 2015, a passerby noticed a stray pit bull on the side of the road. It was clear the dog had been on its own for a while and needed some food and possibly some medical attention, but was afraid that the dog might act aggressively if they approached it.

 

Calling The Pros

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  www.kxro.com

The passerby was also afraid that if they tried to rescue the stray dog on their own, the dog might panic, run into the street, and get hit by a passing car. Rather than attempt it themselves, the passerby decided to contact the professionals…

 

Dallas DogRRR

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  www.digitalbydallas.org

The good Samaritan reached out to Dallas DogRRR, a group of volunteers that dedicates their time to rescuing lost and abandoned animals and providing them with shelter and care in the hopes that they will be adopted and find their forever homes.

 

Sending Out A Rescuer

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  DallasDogRRR / Facebook

As soon as the Dallas, Texas-based rescue group heard about the pit bull that wouldn’t leave the side of the road, they sent a rescuer out to the area where the dog had been spotted. Sure enough, the pit bull was still in the exact same spot…

 

No Signs Of Injury

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  DallasDogRRR / Facebook

The rescuer couldn’t help but wonder why the female pit bull was just lying on the side of the road. At first, the volunteer thought the dog might be injured, but as she slowly approached the dog, she couldn’t see any signs of injury or trauma.

 

The Plan

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  DallasDogRRR / Facebook

The plan was to get the dog into a cage and into the trunk of the car. After that, the rescuer planned to bring the abandoned dog to the Mercy Animal Clinic, where a vet would be able to figure out if she had any injuries or diseases that needed to be treated…

 

The Rescue

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  DallasDogRRR / Facebook

Surprisingly, the pit bull didn’t seem afraid or aggressive as the rescuer scooped her into her into her arms and placed her into the trunk of her car. At the time, she thought the rescue was over, but as she was about to pack up, a stranger approached her and told her she couldn’t leave yet.

A Helpless Baby

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  DallasDogRRR / Facebook

According to the stranger, who had been watching the pit bull for a little while, the dog had refused to leave the area because she had been looking after and protecting a tiny kitten that wouldn’t survive on its own…

 

The Kitten

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  DallasDogRRR / Facebook

The rescuer walked over to the area where the pit bull had been lying on the ground and found the kitten. As the stranger described, the kitten was incredibly young so they decided to bring it back to the shelter since there was no trace of the mother around.

 

The Truth Is Revealed

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  DallasDogRRR / Facebook

The rescuer assumed the kitten had recently been abandoned or orphaned and that the pit bull had been protecting it for the past few hours since it couldn’t last long without being nursed by its mother. However, when she set the kitten down next to the pit bull, she realized what had really happened…

 

An Extraordinary Bond

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  DallasDogRRR / Facebook

After placing the kitten down, the baby immediately latched onto the pit bull and started to nurse. Since the pit bull didn’t seem to be bothered by it, the rescuer realized that the dog had actually been nursing the kitten and keeping it alive with her milk.

 

The Clinic

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  DallasDogRRR / Facebook

The volunteer drove the pair to the Mercy Animal Clinic and showed the vet, Dr. Rick Hamlin, the extraordinary relationship that had developed between the pit bull and the kitten. “Over my 28-year career, I’ve never seen anything like this,” Hamlin said…

 

A Mother’s Instinct

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  DallasDogRRR / Facebook

“My best guess is that the mother pit bull had a litter of pups and they died or weaned and she still had milk. And the kitten’s mother, who just had her – well, something must have happened to her, and this kitten was left behind. The pit bull probably found her and took it as her own,” Hamlin explained.

 

Perfect Timing

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  DallasDogRRR / Facebook

Once at the clinic, the staff quickly got to work treating the pair, who they named Pitty and Kitty. According to the team, Pitty was just about to run out of her milk supply, so the rescue came at the perfect time. “If she hadn’t been getting enough milk, she wouldn’t have made it,” Hamlin said about Kitty…

 

Too Young To Wean

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  DallasDogRRR / Facebook

The team decided they would have to bottle-feed Kitty as she was far too young to wean. However, the first time they attempted to feed Kitty, her adopted canine mother wouldn’t leave her side and gave her sweet kisses the entire time.

 

The First Separation

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  DallasDogRRR / Facebook

The staff at the clinic knew Pitty was attached to the kitten, but they had no idea just how much until they tried to separate them for the first time so Kitty could go home with Hamlin overnight as she needed to be bottle fed every 2 hours…

 

Out Of Options

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  DallasDogRRR / Facebook

Normally, the team at the Mercy Animal Clinic wouldn’t try to separate animals that are bonded so strongly as it can cause emotional distress, however, in this case, it was necessary to ensure Kitty got the nutrients she needed to grow stronger.

 

A Mother’s Protests

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  DallasDogRRR / Facebook

“When I took Kitty out of the cage, Pitty started howling. It was the first vocalization she made since she arrived,” Hamlin said about the moment he took Kitty out of the cage that was being shared with Pitty. The very next morning, Hamlin brought Kitty back to the clinic bright and early…

 

An Emotional Reunion

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  DallasDogRRR / Facebook

“It was a tremendous reunion,” said Hamlin, who watched as Pitty kissed and cleaned Kitty. At that point, the team decided they would only allow someone to adopt Kitty and Pitty as a pair as they couldn’t bear to separate them permanently. Sadly, however, Kitty had been born with a congenital malformation in the kidneys and bladder and the team couldn’t save her.

A Happy Ending

Pit Bull Baby Kitten Story
  DallasDogRRR / Facebook

As expected, Pitty was devastated but not long after the perfect family came along and gave Pitty a new bunch of 4-legged brothers and sisters to love. Meanwhile, Hamlin decided to share Pitty’s story to show what pit bulls are really like. “Hysteria around pit bulls is exactly that,” said Hamlin, who explained that Pitty, “adopted Kitty and provided maternal needs for kitty.”

Rescuer Uncovers Sweet Reason Abandoned Pit Bull Won’t Leave Roadside is an article from: LifeDaily

Couple Finds Secret Treasure Inside ‘Rusty Electrical Box’ Buried In Backyard

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Matthew Emanuel Story

Kids fantasize about going on grand adventures and making exciting discoveries like the characters in their favorite fairy tales. Yet as we get older, we start to believe that those things don’t happen in real life.

In the spring of 2018, however, a couple from New York made an incredible discovery that showed them that the things of fairy tales can and do happen to ordinary people…

Moving House

Matthew Emanuel Story
  Google Maps

About 4 years ago, a couple from Staten Island, New York decided to buy a new house in the Todt Hill neighborhood of Staten Island. After finding the perfect house for their family, the new homeowners moved in and got settled in.

 

The Electrical Box

Matthew Emanuel Story
  Shutterstock

While sitting on the couch one afternoon shortly after moving in, the family noticed something for the first time as they looked out of the windows of the family room and into the backyard. Behind some bushes and trees, was what looked like an old electrical box…

 

Not Worth The Effort

Matthew Emanuel Story
  newyork.cbslocal.com

Because the electrical box was on the outskirts of their property and because it could hardly be seen from the house through all the vegetation in the backyard, the family never went out to inspect it closer or dig it up to throw it out.

 

Bare And Uncovered

Matthew Emanuel Story
  newyork.cbslocal.com

Over the years, the couple forgot about the rusting electrical box since it was almost always covered by either snow or plants. However, in the spring of 2018, the harsh winter storms and hungry deer had left the yard bare, which exposed the metal box for the first time in years…

 

Calling In Some Help

Matthew Emanuel Story
  www.nydailynews.com

The homeowners, Matthew Emanuel and his wife Maria, decided to finally give the backyard some much-needed attention in the spring of 2018. To get some more privacy, Matthew and Maria decided they wanted to plant some bamboo on the side of their yard and called Robert Foley to help.

 

The Landscaping Project

Matthew Emanuel Story
  Robert Thomas Foley / YouTube

Robert Foley, a horticulturist who specializes in exotic plants and goes by the name ‘Bamboo Bob’, agreed to help the couple create a private backyard oasis for the family. On April 28, Bob came over to the property to start planning the project…

 

The Planning Stage

Matthew Emanuel Story
  CityNews Toronto / YouTube

While walking around the property, Bob couldn’t help but stop at the metal box, which was about 2 feet wide and 1.5 feet deep, and asked Matthew what it was. “He said, ‘I don’t know,’ ’’ Bob explained. “I said, ‘How long have you lived here?’”

 

Digging Up The Truth

Matthew Emanuel Story
  CityNews Toronto / YouTube

Matthew explained they moved in just a few years before and that they never paid it much attention as they thought it was an old electrical box. However, when Bob and his workers got a closer look, they told Matthew and Maria that it definitely wasn’t an electrical box…

 

Unburying The Safe

Matthew Emanuel Story
  CityNews Toronto / YouTube

Since the box was partly submerged in the earth, Bob and his team started digging it up. Once it was out of the ground, the team flipped the box over and saw a dial on the other side. The ‘electrical box’ was actually a locked safe.

 

Prying It Open

Matthew Emanuel Story
  CityNews Toronto / YouTube

Bob and his workers hauled the massive safe, which weighed somewhere between 80-100 pounds, 20 feet over to Matthew’s back deck and left it there as they got back to work. Later that day, Matthew and the workers managed to pry the safe open with a pick…

 

An Unbelievable Discovery

Matthew Emanuel Story
  CityNews Toronto / YouTube

When Matthew, a financial adviser for Bernard Herold & Co., looked inside, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.  “The first thing we saw was stacks of hundreds, about three inches thick, wet and stuck together,’’ Bob said.

 

Decades Of Discoveries

Matthew Emanuel Story
  www.goodnewsnetwork.org

“You never know what’s under the ground. Every job, I’ve got to know what’s going on,” said Bob, who has worked for decades as a landscaper in backyards, gardens, and zoos all around New Jersey and New York…

 

The Loot

Matthew Emanuel Story
  CityNews Toronto / YouTube

“It was just a rusty box behind some trees,” Matthew said. “I have seen it the whole time. I have been throwing mulch on it.’’ Matthew started sorting through the contents of the old safe and found a treasure of gold, cash, and fine jewelry like diamond rings and earrings.

 

Finder’s Keepers

Matthew Emanuel Story
  CityNews Toronto / YouTube

“It was mind-boggling,’’ Matthew said. “There was so much gold I was using my kitchen scale. It probably weighed a pound or more.’’ Since the safe had been on their property, Matthew planned on keeping the incredible buried treasure and didn’t call the police…

 

Exposed To The Elements

Matthew Emanuel Story
  CityNews Toronto / YouTube

Since the safe had been left outside for years, some water had gotten inside and many of the bills were now wet and stuck together. Over the next few days, Matthew and Maria carefully separated the cash, laid it out, and let it dry.

 

A Childhood Dream Come True

Matthew Emanuel Story
  CityNews Toronto / YouTube

Once the money dried, Matthew counted the $100 and $50 bills, which amounted to about $16,000. In addition to the money, the rest of the safe’s contents were worth about $52,000. “I thought, ‘We found buried treasure!’ ” Matthew said. “We were freaked out. It’s something you can’t make up…”

 

An Address

Matthew Emanuel Story
  CityNews Toronto / YouTube

However, as Matthew was sorting through all the cash, gold, and bags full of precious gems and jewelry, Matthew discovered an address on 1 of the items. After searching the address, Matthew recognized the home, which belonged to an elderly couple, since he routinely walked his dog passed the house.

 

An Odd Question

Matthew Emanuel Story
  www.mirror.co.uk

On April 30, Matthew went over to his neighbor’s home and knocked on the door. “I have a strange question for you. Have you ever been robbed,”  Matthew asked his neighbors. The couple said they had and explained that in 2011 a safe with $52,000 worth of their belongings had been stolen from them…

 

Returning The Treasure

Matthew Emanuel Story
  www.videoblocks.com

The couple reported the robbery to the police, but they were told that they would likely never see their things ever again. “Well, I think I have your stuff,’’ Matthew told them. “Why don’t you come over to my house and I will show it to you?’’ When they saw all of their money and valuables, which they were forced to accept was gone forever, they were both visibly shaken. “She was like shaking and hugging me,” Matthew said.

Doing The Right Thing

Matthew Emanuel Story
  CityNews Toronto / YouTube

“It is like a childhood dream that you find treasure. I knew it was quite a find,” Matthew said about the experience. “A couple of people asked us, ‘Why did you return it?’ It wasn’t even a question. It wasn’t ours… I knew whose it was. When I did not know Saturday night, I had all intentions of keeping it. But once Sunday came and I found out whose it was, I knew it was somebody else’s. I couldn’t walk past their house and live with myself knowing I had their stuff.’’

Couple Finds Secret Treasure Inside ‘Rusty Electrical Box’ Buried In Backyard is an article from: LifeDaily

Man’s Life Saved By A Miracle Thanks To Craigslist Ad

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David Nicherie Story

When someone is desperate to save their own life, they will stop at nothing and do what they can to achieve that end. But when it’s an organ transplant that’s required, it makes the quest to stay alive a very tricky one.

When David was in his twenties he found out that he had some issues with his kidneys and his only recourse was dialysis which he needed to do almost daily for six years. When enough was enough, David turned to Craigslist in a last-ditch attempt…

Hard Life

David Nicherie Story
  www.inspiremore.com

Life for David was hard and that was something he had to live with on a daily basis and for many years. He had all but given up hope that his situation would improve, however, David was a positive kind of guy and he dreamt about receiving salvation for his problem. David’s life was hard, and only getting harder.

No Help

David Nicherie Story
  www.tinashealthyliving.com

Despite David’s serious kidney issues, he found it hard to get the help he needed. Having already turned to family members to try and find a match for a new kidney, David was left disappointed when he was unable to find a match; and understandably so…

Great Efforts

David Nicherie Story
  www.patch.com

Whatever can be said about David, he sure is persistent. Having failed to find a kidney match from his family members, David promptly turned to the National Kidney Registry, making great efforts to solve his problem. When that also failed, he even started a website which attempted to match donors with recipients.

Losing Hope

David Nicherie Story
  www.inspiremore.com

The daily dialysis, the other health problems caused by the condition; it was all too much for poor David, and by the age of 29 he was finally losing hope. David had tried everything, exhausted all avenues, and was feeling destitute, rejected and down. He was losing hope fast and something needed to give…

Craigslist Advert

David Nicherie Story
  www.kspr.com

Craigslist was the last place that David thought he would find salvation from, but by this stage, he was desperate and would stop at nothing to ease the pain. He logged into an old account he had on the site and posted an ad seeking a donor who was a match for a new kidney. A few days later and David was in for a nice surprise.

Donor Found

David Nicherie Story
  Jessica / Facebook

Amazingly, it didn’t even take long for responses to start pouring in. Having posted on the Bay Area Craigslist’s “volunteers” section, David soon linked up with a 30-year-old Newport Beach woman named Jessica. Clearly a selfless soul, Jessica agreed to donate her kidney to this perfect stranger…

New Friends

David Nicherie Story
  sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

For David, Jessica was a godsend and literally a lifesaver. No sooner had the two chatted about the situation that the surgery for the lifesaving transplant was arranged, and the two were to be admitted together at the UCSF Medical Center at Parnassus. David could have cried when he met Jessica and wasn’t at all sure why she was helping him in the first place.

Transplant Success

David Nicherie Story
  sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

Luckily for both David and Jessica, the kidney transplant operation was a resounding success and David was potentially looking at a future without dialysis. By Friday morning the two were recovering nicely in the hospital and, despite some incision pains, were both looking good…

Total Gratitude

David Nicherie Story
  sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

David spoke to reporters about the situation, “I look at this as the beginning of a long journey and the ending of another one,” he said. “The pain just reminds me that I have a gift from somebody who saved my life. I’ve never felt more grateful.” He added.

Inspired By Dad

David Nicherie Story
  sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

When Jessica was asked why she gave her kidney to a complete stranger her answer was surprising. She informed reporters that after her father died from cancer she was actively looking for someone in need of a kidney so she could save a life. Jessica feels that she and David will be lifelong friends from here on in and for good reason…

Forever Friends

David Nicherie Story
  www.eastbaytimes.com

“He has a part of me now, so we’ll probably be close for the rest of our lives,” Jessica said, adding, “My dad had cancer, and I saw a few people pass away of cancer, and kidney failure is very similar to it,” she said. But she always felt she had the power to help others in need.

Power To Help

David Nicherie Story
  www.orangecountycosmeticsurgery.com

Jessica is clearly a special person and her act of kindness to David is proof of that, “People are dying, they’re suffering, and it’s destroying their families, but there’s a treatment for it. I’ve always thought if you have the power to help someone and save a life, why not?” She said…

Totally Thrilled

David Nicherie Story
  kidneydonordavid / Facebook

Amazingly, Jessica had been actively looking for recipients for her kidney for some time, so when she saw the Craigslist post from David, which somehow found it’s way to her Facebook feed, she was thrilled and fired off a message to David immediately.

Emotional Gain

David Nicherie Story
  sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

Jessica had clearly thought long and hard before she donated her kidney to David. She spoke about the fact that the only thing the donor has to gain from the exchange is on an emotional level, “You don’t always get the option to meet your recipient. As a donor, the only thing you have to gain is emotional, so if you don’t know where it’s going, it’s kind of a pointless procedure,” she said…

Eight Hours A Day

David Nicherie Story
  sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

Before David met Jessica, he needed to sit for eight hours a day, three days per week, hooked up to a dialysis machine. Having been diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease, life for David became unbearable. Before his transplant, David stooped into a deep depression, and one he almost didn’t pull out of.

Six Years Later…

David Nicherie Story
  sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

“When it first happened, I didn’t take it that seriously. I assumed it was something I could take a pill for and deal with the rest of my life,” David said. “Six years later, it’s the hardest experience I’ve ever gone through. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”

Shot In The Dark

David Nicherie Story
  sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

David knew that the Craigslist posting was a “shot in the dark” as he put it. However, he was not dissuaded and went ahead and posted anyway, “I didn’t think a single person would get back to me. I thought if anyone would get back to me it would be a joke or a scammer,” David said.

Many Responses

David Nicherie Story
  sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

Sure, David received a bunch of responses before Jessica reached out to him but none of them were “Kosher.” According to David, he received 150 responses but almost all of them were from people who wanted large amounts of cash for the transaction; something David couldn’t afford and wasn’t interested in as it was totally illegal as well as immoral…

No Strangers

David Nicherie Story
  sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

The connection between David and Jessica was a special one from the get-go, and that was also for good reason, “She gave a piece of her body to me. I could not have imagined doing this experience with a random stranger who just showed up at the hospital,” David said.

Purpose In Life

David Nicherie Story
  sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

“I saw death in the eye, and now that I’ve seen what it looks like and what it feels like and what more than half a million people in America go through every day, I realized I can’t turn my back on it,” Jessica said. “She gave me this new purpose in life,” David added.

Man’s Life Saved By A Miracle Thanks To Craigslist Ad is an article from: LifeDaily

Clarinet Player’s Career Ruined By Vengeful Girlfriend’s Fake Rejection

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Eric Abramovitz Story

When a person is passionate about music, there isn’t much in the world that will stop them from realizing their dreams. Thousands of hours of practice go into becoming perfect, but thankfully, all that hard work usually pays off in the end.

Eric had been playing the clarinet since the age of 7 and playing the instrument was his whole life. He had so much invested in a career as a world-class performer, but his girlfriend at the time had other ideas…

Elite Musician

Eric Abramovitz Story
  www.bellanaija.com

Eric had been a talented musician virtually since the day he was born. Having come from a musical family, playing clarinet was Eric’s main passion in life. In fact for Eric, playing that instrument was tantamount to life itself. He practiced for hours on end while his friends played football, but he loved every moment of it.

Award Winning

Eric Abramovitz Story
  Eric Abramovitz / YouTube

Eric started playing instruments when he was 7 and his parents always held high hopes for his future. Born and raised in Canada, Eric’s parents had no doubt their boy would be an international star one day, having already won a slew of awards for his clarinet playing from a relatively young age…

Dreaming Big

Eric Abramovitz Story
  www.heifetzinstitute.org

Eric and his family had always dreamed big, and that set Eric in very good stead when it came to applying for a music scholarship at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles. That scholarship would be worth $50,000 a year and would give Eric the opportunity he needed to make it to the bigtime in the world of clarinet playing.

One Of Two

Eric Abramovitz Story
  CBC Music / YouTube

Having completed a lengthy and very demanding audition process, Eric was just one of two students vying for the honor to jump-start his career. Applying for a special scholarship, the two players had a lot on the line.  However, to Eric’s great surprise and chagrin, he was rejected by the school, in favor of the other student who pitted him to the post…

Totally Numb

Eric Abramovitz Story
  blog.signpost.com

“I was numb when I read the email. I had to read it a few more times,” Eric said, “When I found out I didn’t get it, it was really hard to deal with. I went through some really dark, sad, angry days.” But he knew he was better than his competitor and was lost for answers as to why he had been rejected.

Young Love

Eric Abramovitz Story
  www.langleytimes.com

Eric had been dating Jennifer for a while now, and when the two moved into an apartment together just off the McGill campus where they studied, no one was surprised. According to Eric, the relationship between him and Jennifer was a serious one. Things “became serious very fast,” he explained, but what did Jennifer have to do with his scholarship rejection?

Pure Evil

Eric Abramovitz Story
  Eric Abramovitz / YouTube

Jennifer wasn’t the warm loving person that everyone thought she was; in fact, she was quite evil in her own right and certainly selfish. As it turns out, Jennifer was the one who hacked Eric’s life, leaving him without the scholarship he so badly wanted and needed in order to progress in his career. But why had she done it and how had she done it?

She Panicked

Eric Abramovitz Story
  eabram93 / Twitter

Perhaps Jennifer loved Eric deeply, or perhaps she just loved herself. Either way, when push came to shove, she just couldn’t bear to let go of Eric and that’s why she hacked his email and posed as Yehuda Gilad, Eric’s clarinet master. While it was unclear what Jennifer was scared of and why she derailed her boyfriend, something fishy was certainly afoot…

Easy Target

Eric Abramovitz Story
  www.pxhere.com

Unfortunately for Eric, he was an easy target for his girlfriend’s wily plans. Being the trusting type, Eric left his Facebook and email open on his laptop as he trusted Jennifer and had no reason not to. However, when Jennifer read the email from Gilad accepting Eric, she intercepted it as she didn’t want him to leave her.

Even Consoled Him

Eric Abramovitz Story
  Eric Abramovitz / YouTube

“We were living together at the time so she was the one to console me when I found out,” Eric recalled. “It’s really sick now that I look back on it.” Not only had Jennifer posed as Gilad by creating a fake Gmail account, she even consoled Eric when he told her the bad news…

Plan Worked

Eric Abramovitz Story
  www.timesofisrael.com

For better or for worse, Jennifer’s plan had worked. Having replied as Gilad to her boyfriend from the fake Gmail account, she fabricated a different offer of only $5,000 per year in annual tuition, money she knew that Eric couldn’t afford. Her plan had worked, Eric was staying put right by her side at McGill..for now.

Breaking Up

Eric Abramovitz Story
  montreal.ctvnews.ca

Even though Eric didn’t know at the time that his girlfriend had set him up, the couple split up anyway, with Eric saying, “things were getting too intense and some things just weren’t working out.” It was just the opportunity Eric needed for a fresh start, so he decided to go audition in front of his former clarinet master, Gilad at USC, where he also taught…

Tension In The Air

Eric Abramovitz Story
  www.wreg.com

Gilad was shocked to see Eric there, as he wondered why he hadn’t accepted the original scholarship offer from him. Eric was feeling uneasy as Gilad had rejected him previously, or so he assumed, and Gilad was feeling uncomfortable for the same reason but in reverse. After Eric’s performance, the two men went into a room to chat.

You Rejected Me?!

Eric Abramovitz Story
  the wind-o / YouTube

As Eric explained, “We went into a room to chat after I finished and he asked me what I was doing here,” Eric said. “He was like, ‘You rejected me. Why are you here? “I was like, ‘Uh, no, you rejected me,’ and he was like, ‘No, you did,’ and we had this awkward exchange where we kept going back and forth like that and I thought maybe he had confused me with someone else.”

Something’s Off

Eric Abramovitz Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

Eric was bamboozled and simply couldn’t fathom how such a massive and life-changing misunderstanding could have happened. He went back to that rejection he had received by email, while Gilad confirmed that it wasn’t sent by him and that the email address wasn’t even connected to him. Eric knew he’d been sabotaged, but by who?

What About Jen?

Eric Abramovitz Story
  www.cnn.com

Having enlisted the help of some computer-savvy friends to get to the bottom of the mystery, Eric was left none-the-wiser until one of his buddies asked, “What about Jen?” He hadn’t even considered the possibility but it did make sense. The two had lived together and she had full access to his computer at the time, “It would have been so easy for her,” Eric said…

Stab To The Heart

Eric Abramovitz Story
  www.eklist.com

“It was very Sherlock Holmes-y and we were so excited about our detective work, but it was a simultaneous stab to the heart and back,” Eric said. However, once the evidence was pieced together it was compelling and couldn’t be ignored. “At first she tried to deny it, but the evidence I had was overwhelming,” Eric said. “Then she blocked me on social media and we only spoke to each other through lawyers.”

The Lawsuit

Eric Abramovitz Story
  www.esportsinsider.com

Eric and his family weren’t about to take this laying down, so Eric initiated a lawsuit for $300,000 against his former lover, for loss of reputation, loss of educational opportunity, and loss of two years of potential income. The judge in the case added on another $50,000 for what he called her, “despicable interference in Mr. Abramovitz’s career.”

No Regrets

Eric Abramovitz Story
  Orchestre symphonique de Montru00e9al / YouTube

As the old saying goes, “All’s well that ends well” as Eric said he has no regrets about what went down, “It’s very hard to know what my path would have been had this not happened,” he said. “But I am happy and proud of myself because I landed on my feet. I have no regrets. I have always aspired to make a living doing what I love, and I have, so I am very fortunate.”

Decent Future

Eric Abramovitz Story
  www.imedici.mcgill.ca

For Eric, despite the setbacks, he is looking towards a very decent future in the world of clarinet playing. “It had to be two years later at a different school that obviously cost a lot more than Colburn would’ve cost, but luckily it wasn’t all bad in the end. I still got to do what I set out to do.” And that means that Jennifer achieved nothing with her little ploy as Eric goes on to enjoy great success in the thing he loves the most.

Clarinet Player’s Career Ruined By Vengeful Girlfriend’s Fake Rejection is an article from: LifeDaily


Kidnapped Indian Child Finds A New And Dangerous Life

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It’s a story you’ve heard before, a young girl, born into poverty in a dangerous country, finds herself in a harrowing situation. She is captured, forced to adapt to her new, more dangerous surroundings, and has to find a way to survive.

Yet this story, contrived as you may believe it is, is not your usual tale of survival, it is one that speaks to the power of corruption and redemption…

Poor Upbringing

Seema Parihar Story
  www.downtoearth.org.in

Seema was born in Auraiya in Uttar Pradesh, India. Like many of her fellow Thakur children, she was born to a poor family who lived each day in squalor and wretchedness. Even from a young age, Seema understood that if you wanted to survive in the world, you had to do whatever it takes.

Kidnapping

Seema Parihar Story
  www.yoinfluyo.com

It was a good thing she learned that too because when she was kidnapped at the age of 13, she would have to grow up rather fast. She was taken from her village by Lala Ram and Kusuma Nian, both of them bandits, or dacoits as they were called in her country. They didn’t want to use her as ransom or anything though, they had other intentions…

Bandits

Seema Parihar Story
  www.indianexpress.com

Dacoity, or “banditry” as it is known in English is how several people in Seema’s part of the world discuss bandits, highwaymen, and other such criminals. It is a term that is synonymous in Bengali, Odiya, Hindi, Kannada, and Urdu. Armed dacoits will attack people on the road or in their homes and rob them before fleeing back to their own dacoit villages.

Fighting Back

Seema Parihar Story
  collection.nam.ac.uk

For many years, dacoits like the ones who stole Seema, were the scourge of native law-abiding Indians and British who had annexed the country into their empire. In order to crack down on these thugs, the East India Company established the Thuggee and Dacoity Department in 1830, as well as a few similarly named suppression acts a decade later. It worked somewhat, but only for a time…

Inspiration

Seema Parihar Story
  www.fusia.ca

In time, Seema ended up joining the Dacoits in their illegal escapades. Years went by and she ended up becoming a well-respected member of the band. As she grew, she learned about another famous female dacoit, Phoolan Devi, who at one point had been called “The Bandit Queen.” The more she learned about Devi, the more inspired she became. Like her, the Bandit Queen was born into poverty and escaped her parents by running away and joining a gang.

Marriage

  www.indianexpress.com

Phoolan Devi had married young, before joining the gang, but things had never really worked out. Seema noted that this was where the similarities ended. Indeed, by the late 1980’s she had married fellow dacoit Nirbhay Singh Gujjar, and the two were happy. That happiness would not last, however, and when she left Gujjar, her transformation into a new Bandit Queen began in earnest…

Gang Leader

Seema Parihar Story
  www.roadsandkingdoms.com

A few years later and Seema Parihar had ascended her way through the ranks to become the leader of her gang. In the coming years, she and her dacoits engaged in all manner of looting, kidnapping, and in some rare cases, murder in the regions surrounding Bihand jungle and Chambal River.

A Symbol

Seema Parihar Story
  www.sparking.biz

Over the course of her career as the new Bandit Queen, she killed more than 70 people, kidnapped 200, and looted a paltry 30 homes. It seemed that her crimes were more in the way of violence than the search for wealth. She had become a legend, a living symbol of dacoit crime in the once-notorious Chambal region…

Two Decades

Seema Parihar Story
  news.bbc.co.uk

It was June of the year 2000 and Seema Parihar had been a dacoit leader for 18 years. Nearly two decades of that kind of life had taken its toll though. Not just on her conscience, but on her body. It was time for her to make a change in her life. She had plenty of years left in her, and she was going to do something good with them.

 

Willful Surrender

Seema Parihar Story
  www.thequint.com

Her decision was to surrender herself to the mercy of the authorities. She surrendered to the Uttar Pradesh police. Knowing who she was and what her laundry list of crimes contained, she was sent to jail. She faced an impressive 29 charges, including 8 counts of murder and half a dozen for kidnapping. Perhaps it hadn’t been the best idea after all…

Receiving Offers

Seema Parihar Story
  www.lexinsider.com

She remained jailed for a year while the courts considered her charges. In August of 2001, Seema received offers from several political parties. As much as this seems unusual to those of us on the outside, it made perfect sense for her. This can also be traced back to her idol, former Bandit Queen Phoolan Devi.

Support for Politics

Seema Parihar Story
  www.thehindu.com

Like Phoolan, political parties wanted her support in certain upcoming elections. As much as she was a criminal, she was also notorious enough to wield a great deal of support from the people who lived in her region. In 2002, the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election took place and Seema supported Shiv Sena. It was her first time, but it wouldn’t be her last…

Justice Party

Seema Parihar Story
  www.freemalaysiatoday.com

In November 2006, Seema Parihar joined the Indian Justice Party. She even ran as its candidate for the Mirzapur-Bhadohi Lok Sabha by-election a year later. She switched parties a year after that, all the while fighting the courts for the many cases against her. She hadn’t been tried officially yet, so she still had time.

 

Many Acquittals

Seema Parihar Story
  www.telesurtv.net

As of October 2008, when Seema was trying to figure out a new political affiliation, the former Bandit Queen had been acquitted of 15 of the criminal cases against her. It wasn’t all of them, but it was enough for her to be out on bail for the remaining 14 cases. Her prominence in the political arena made it clear she wasn’t going anywhere…

New Leader

Seema Parihar Story
  www.hindustantimes.com

A few years later and she had successfully fought back against more charges, all whilst also being appointed as head of the women’s wing of the National Corruption Eradication Council, an anti-corruption organization. The former criminal had become something of a legend of a different sort, and she was trying hard to change her life for the better.

 

Playing Herself

Seema Parihar Story
  www.alchetron.com

Her popularity grew and Seema was even invited to play herself in the film “Wounded – The Bandit Queen.” It was the first instance of a criminal playing her own real-life story on the silver screen. It even took place in her hometown of the Chambal Valley. As if that weren’t enough, she was even offered a place on a popular TV show…

Reality TV

Seema Parihar Story
  www.alchetron.com

In 2010 Seema Parihar had been invited to participate in season 4 of the popular Indian reality TV show, Big Boss. Despite all her political work. she was in jail at the time and had to file a petition to appear on the program. Eventually, after initially rejecting the petition, she was allowed to participate.

Open Concert

Seema Parihar Story
  timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Despite being on the show for 11 weeks, Seema was eventually voted off (evicted). Still, she was so popular that she was invited to appear in a music concert in Delhi organized by Moxx Music Company and Raj Mahajan. She spoke to the audience about her 17 years of experience living in the jungles…

New Life

Seema Parihar Story
  www.hindustantimes.com

Today, after serving time for many of her crimes, and being acquitted of many more, Seema Parihar is a social worker, helping others who need it instead of taking property or lives. She is also the star attraction of The Ballot, a movie produced by the Etawah district administration to promote voting. Her popularity has not waned much since her days as the Bandit Queen.

Not Affiliated

Seema Parihar Story
  article.wn.com

She has stated that despite her part in the Ballot, she is “Mot with any party anymore, nor am I supporting any party or candidate.” This story though, one of a fall into criminality and dragging oneself out of it and into a life of redemption and public service.

Kidnapped Indian Child Finds A New And Dangerous Life is an article from: LifeDaily

Spanish Gatecrasher Is Not The Politically-Savvy Businessman That He Seems

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Gomez Iglesias Story

Some people seem to have it all going for them. They’re handsome, charming, charismatic, intelligent, and no matter where they find themselves, they always fit in perfectly: often becoming the life of whatever gathering they happen to be in.

For most people, these traits are inborn, they’re just something they’ve always had: cultivated to become assets in their professional lives. There are some people though, that know how to display such features without actually possessing them….

Invited to the Palace

Gomez Iglesias Story
  www.que.es

Mr. Iglesias had been invited to the royal palace. He was beside himself with excitement and a little bit of worry. After all, he was going to meet the newest king of Spain, Felipe VI. Thankfully, Mr. Iglesias’ business partners were going to be among the guests at the royal palace, so he’d be among his friends.

 

Top Brass

Gomez Iglesias Story
  www.elcomercio.es

Iglesias had been to other events before and he’d always been to them in style. In general, he preferred to have lunch with some of Spain’s top businessmen and executives, but he was not above hobnobbing with politicians either. It was in his dealings with those politicians that he found himself being invited to the highly exclusive event…

Government Advisor

Gomez Iglesias Story
  www.newmyroyals.com

He had made those political connections while moonlighting as an adviser to the Spanish government. Not just the lower tiers of government either, he often consulted with members of the secret service. Still, meeting the king of Spain himself did feel a bit above his pay grade: even if he did make quite a bit himself.

Payday

Gomez Iglesias Story
  www.elmundo.es

Mr. Iglesias’ business contacts helped him take a pretty tidy salary home. That isn’t counting the 25,000 euros, or about $32,000, he received from one of his business colleagues in return for helping facilitate a property deal. He acted as a government advisor in that capacity. Now, he stood at the palace, shaking hands with the king himself…

Who’s That Hombre?

Gomez Iglesias Story
  www.metodohoffmann.com

Catalina Hoffmann, a businesswoman who was also attending the party, stood next to Iglesias as he met the king. She didn’t know who he was, but she thought she had heard of him. She was questioned by security about whether or not she had added him to the guest list, which of course, she hadn’t. But nothing became of the guards’ suspicions.

 

Crashin’

Gomez Iglesias Story
  www.cadenaser.com

Gate-crasher though they believed him to be at that particular event Mr. Gómez Iglesias seemed to be, at least at first glance, a well-established member of the government and business communities. As it turns out though, crashing a coronation was the least of his rather illegal escapades, and the truth behind who Iglesias really was would soon come to light…

An End

Gomez Iglesias Story
  news.sky.com

Gómez Iglesias’ gate-crashing schemes finally came to an end when he tried to attend a party at the American Embassy. His goal was to continue his upward movement and get himself more acquainted with members of Spain’s royal family. His attempt was unsuccessful, however, and the incident drew the police’s attention towards him.

Assets

Gomez Iglesias Story
  www.que.es

When the police came to arrest Mr. Iglesias they discovered a man whose lies had garnered him much over the past few years. He was not a rich man, nor a businessman, nor a politician, and yet, he played them effortlessly in the life of privilege he was making for himself. He even pretended to be associated with the police by having fake police-car lights and registration plates. So who was Gómez Iglesias anyway?

Model Student

Gomez Iglesias Story
  www.elmundo.es

Francisco Nicolás Gómez Iglesias was 20 years old and up until he began his climb to the top of the social ladder that was Spain’s highest society, he was a university student. He was enrolled in Colegio Universitario de Estudios Financieros, one of Madrid’s top finance universities when he realized that with the right attitude, knowledge, and contacts, you could go pretty far.

 

The Power of Charm

Gomez Iglesias Story
  www.emaze.com

He dressed well, had an innocent expression, and a handsome face. Not to mention a startling amount of charisma and seemingly-intimate knowledge of common business practices. This was no surprise to some, who knew him as a model student, but the police couldn’t believe what they had stumbled upon…

He Did What?

Gomez Iglesias Story
  magicgrouponeroquetes.blogspot.com

So how does a baby-faced, 20-year-old university student like Francisco crash his way not only into the king’s coronation ceremony, work as a government advisor, and broker a highly lucrative business deal without being found out? That was the question that police had to answer, but not before the public had their say.

Gate Crashing

Gomez Iglesias Story
  www.iol.co.za

The Spanish media began calling him “Little Nicolás,” in reference to a series of French novels about a mischievous schoolboy. Francisco soon gained a reputation as Spain’s most notorious gate-crasher. There were greater things at stake here than pretending to be a businessman though…

False Docs

Gomez Iglesias Story
  www.libertymutual.com

The real issue is that in trying to make this new life for himself and by playing the part of Mr. Gómez Iglesias, he happened to falsify a number of sensitive government documents. These documents included both police and secret service forms. Holding these “official” posts actually made things much more complicated and severe than just being a businessman would have.

 

Security Lapses

Gomez Iglesias Story
  www.afa.net

His arrest didn’t just bring him to the world’s attention, it also brought to light a severe lack of security in terms of the way the Spanish secret service and police operated in the country. And for a country who has only recently gotten over decades of assassinations and bombings by separatist groups, this was not a “good look” for Spain…

Important Connections

Gomez Iglesias Story
  www.thelocal.es

As Spain’s government reels from this somewhat innocuous incursion into its security, the world has little choice but to take note about the ease in which scammers like “Mr. Gómez Iglesias” can infiltrate not only financial institutions but unprepared governments. Most of what he accomplished was achieved by virtue of his charm alone.

Incredulous

Gomez Iglesias Story
  www.prvteye.com

Judge Mercedes Pérez Barrios was absolutely flabbergasted once she read the charges against the accused. She and many Spaniards like herself felt incredulous that a young man like him, no matter how clever, was able to get close enough to shake the king’s hand without so much as a background check, and she said so…

Unbelievable

Gomez Iglesias Story
  www.alchetron.com

Judge Barrios said that she “Could not understand how a young person of 20, using only his word and apparently under his own identity, could have access to conferences, places and events without his behavior alarming anybody.” It’s a reasonable question: how did no one else notice?

 

Nothing to Say

Gomez Iglesias Story
  www.elconfidencial.com

News outlets tried to get the straight scoop right from Mr. Gómez Iglesias himself, but Francisco could not be reached for comment. In fact, he hasn’t even made a public statement since his release from police custody. This may be partly because any admission would upset his family, who believe he’s been set up somehow…

Greased In

Gomez Iglesias Story
  www.20minutos.es

Some people close to Francisco did know what was happening early on though. Jaime García-Legaz, the Spanish secretary of state for trade and a former professor at the university knew that it was possible for one to “grease his way into the ranks of Spain’s conservative elite.” If the knew what they were doing of course.

To the Curb

Gomez Iglesias Story
  www.losblanquillos.com

Mr. García-Legaz admitted that once he found out that Francisco had used him as a reference in order to gain access to business executives, he cut off ties with the former student. He knew something was going on, just not the extent of it. The ultimate fate of Mr. Gómez Iglesias remains to be seen, but it’s unlikely he’ll be able to talk his way out of it.

Spanish Gatecrasher Is Not The Politically-Savvy Businessman That He Seems is an article from: LifeDaily

School Guard Who Did Nothing To Stop Shooter Accused Of Being A Different Kind Of Predator

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Stoneman Douglas Story

Parents trust that everyone from teacher to coaches and security guards at their child’s school will do everything in their power to keep their children safe.

So when parents from a Florida school found out the man paid to protect their kids did nothing to protect them from a tragic attack, they were understandably furious. Now, however, those parents have learned that the very same man was also accused of being a different kind of predator.

February 14, 2018

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.abcactionnews.com

On the afternoon of February 14, 2018, the people of Parkland, Florida and the rest of the United States was yet again left devastated after a local high school became the site of 1 of the deadliest school massacres in United States History.

 

The Former Student

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.sun-sentinel.com

At about 2:19 on that Wednesday afternoon, a 19-year-old former student arrived at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, a high school about 30 miles northwest of Fort Lauderdale where he had previously been expelled from…

 

Inside Building 12

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.wcpo.com

The 19-year-old had been carrying a duffel bag and a backpack and made a beeline toward Building 12, a building on the school’s campus containing 30 classrooms that held about 900 students and 30 teachers. After entering the building, the troubled teen set off a fire alarm.

 

Not A Drill

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.neatoday.org

The school had held a fire drill just the day before, so when students heard the fire alarm that afternoon, they thought there was a legitimate emergency and started filing out of the classroom as quickly as possible. At the time, they didn’t realize they were walking right into a trap…

 

Walking Into A Trap

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.pmchurch.tv

As students and teachers filed out of the classrooms, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz was waiting with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and began firing as former classmates and teachers entered the hallway. For the next 6 minutes, Cruz gunned down as many people as possible.

 

6 Minutes Later

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.cbs12.com

By the end of the 6 minutes, a code red lockdown had been activated, however, Cruz dropped his gun on the 3rd floor of the building and blended in with other students fleeing Building 12. After walking off, Cruz visited a Walmart and then a McDonalds before being stopped and arrested by police at 3:40 in the afternoon…

 

The Victims

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.independent.co.uk

While Cruz was booked into the Broward County Jail, SWAT paramedics were making their way through Building 12 trying to locate survivors and save as many lives as possible. Ultimately, 14 students and 3 staff members were killed in the massacre.

 

The Charges

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.cnn.com

In addition to the students and staff that were murdered, another 17 were injured. Cruz has since been charged with 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted first-degree murder. In the aftermath of the tragic attack, however, many parents and students demanded to know how Cruz even had the opportunity to carry out the attack…

 

Demanding Answers

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.amazingsecurityandinvestigations.com

Parents knew that the school had hired multiple security guards to protect their children and make sure the school was always secure. So after Cruz walked into the school with a semi-automatic rifle without any issue, everyone demanded to know where the guards were during the shooting.

 

The Truth Is Revealed

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.wptv.com

While performing an investigation, police spoke to the school security guards to get some answers. While talking to 1 of the guards, 39-year-old Andrew Medina, police found out that the people paid to protect the students literally did nothing to stop the attack…

 

‘He’s On A Mission’

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.usatodayhss.com

“He’s beelining. He’s got his head down. He’s on a mission, you know. He’s on a mission,” Medina told investigators about the moment he spotted Cruz walking onto campus with a duffle bag and a backpack containing the weapon and ammunition that would be used to kill 17 innocent kids.

 

Not A Surprise

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.newsweek.com

“I’m telling you I knew who the kid was,” Medina explained to investigators. “Because we had a meeting about him last year and we said, ‘If there’s gonna be anybody who’s gonna come to this school and shoot this school up, it’s gonna be that kid…’”

 

Failed To Act

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.sun-sentinel.com

Despite recognizing Cruz and noting that he was walking with a purpose, Medina failed to stop Cruz or at least activate a code red, which could have saved some lives as it would have initiated a lockdown and summoned the police before the attack even began.

 

The Only Warning

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.alamom.com

Instead, Medina radioed another security guard, David Taylor, to warn him that Cruz was on campus giving him enough time to hide in a janitor’s closet. As a result of his incompetence and cowardice, parents demanded that Medina be fired…

 

A Transfer

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.punjabupdate.com

Rather than being fired, Medina was transferred to another school. Most parents didn’t feel it was enough, but they were glad he was no longer working at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Recently, however, it was revealed that Medina should have been fired long before the 2018 massacre.

 

Sexual Harassment Complaints

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.wptv.com

Recently, it was revealed that Medina was accused of sexually harassing 2 teenagers. 1 of the alleged victims was Meadow Pollack, an 18-year-old student who was murdered by Cruz during the shooting as she tried to shield another student…

 

An Investigation Begins

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.local10.com

“He would call her names like ‘gorgeous and sweetheart’ and just be a creep. And when her boyfriend confronted him about it, he threatened him, too,” said Hunter Pollack, Meadow’s brother. After Meadow and the other student made complaints about Medina, the Broward County school district investigated the accusations.

 

Predatory Behavior

Stoneman Douglas Story
  wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu

The investigation found that Medina, who was also the basketball coach, targeted the girls in the hallway, where he would make inappropriate comments or ask them to meet outside of school.  “Both students became so uncomfortable with Mr. Medina’s comments and actions, they sought out different routes to their classes in an attempt to avoid him,” Robert Spence, a detective from the district’s special investigative unit, said…

 

Protecting The Wrong People

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.tbo.com

Ultimately, the professional standards committee found probable cause that Medina sexually harassed the students and advised he be fired. Instead, district officials decided to ignore the recommended punishment and gave him a 3-day suspension. “It’s absolutely unbelievable the level of incompetence at this district,” Andrew Pollack, Meadow’s father, said. “What do you have to do to get fired at this place? Why do they keep protecting these guys?”

A Disturbing Realization

Stoneman Douglas Story
  www.nbcnews.com

After his daughter’s death, Andrew has become a school safety activist and only recently found out that his daughter was being sexually harassed by the very same person who failed to save her life. “What’s killing me is that he should have been terminated and he wasn’t and he was at that gate,” Andrew said. “We might have had someone who might have done something like call ‘code red’ and instead we had someone with half of a brain who did nothing. And after all this, they reassigned him somewhere else where he might act this way to other girls.”

School Guard Who Did Nothing To Stop Shooter Accused Of Being A Different Kind Of Predator is an article from: LifeDaily

Canadian Citizen Suing Government After Border Agent’s Error Ruined His Life

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Olajide Ogunye Story

As a citizen of a country, we are supposed to be afforded certain rights and protections. But sometimes, the very people who are supposed to uphold those rights are the very ones to violate them.

After moving to Canada from Nigeria and becoming a naturalized citizen, 1 man spent the next two decades building a life for himself and his family. Tragically, however, it was all ripped away from him thanks to a border agent’s mistake…

A Regular Morning

Olajide Ogunye Story
  creamcoffee22.wordpress.com

On the morning of Wednesday, June 1, 2016, a Canadian citizen woke up and got ready for work like he did every other weekday. Once he was ready for the day, he left his home and planned to go straight to work at a local hair salon, which he owned.

 

Completely Surrounded

Olajide Ogunye Story
  www.steemit.com

However, when the man walked out of his home, he saw something that made him stop in his tracks. His home was completely surrounded by Canada Border Service agent. “I was confused, really confused,” the resident said…

 

Sweeping The Area

Olajide Ogunye Story
  www.theguardian.com

The man asked the agents what was going on and they explained they were doing a sweep of the area. “It took me five minutes just to get to my car,” the man explained. However, when he tried to drive off to work, some agents stopped him from leaving.

 

The Questions Begin

Olajide Ogunye Story
  www.viraltoptrend.com

The agent asked for the man’s name and asked him to present official documents that could prove his identity. As requested, the man told the officer his name and showed the agents several forms of official identification, including a citizenship document and a government-issued health card…

 

Ignoring The Proof

Olajide Ogunye Story
  www.mississauga.com

All of the documents were in Olajide Ogunye’s name, which would normally be enough to prove someone’s identity. However, the agents, who had just finished searching the 47-year-old’s home, claimed the documents weren’t enough to prove Ogunye was who he was claiming to be.

 

A Minor Inconvenience

Olajide Ogunye Story
  www.globalnews.ca

Since the agents weren’t satisfied with Ogunye’s IDs, they explained that they needed to bring him to their office to ‘sort this out’. It was a slight inconvenience, but Ogunye thought that everything would be cleared up quickly once they got back to the office…

 

A Simple Test

Olajide Ogunye Story
  www.mapio.net

The agents brought Ogunye to the Greater Toronto Enforcement Centre, the Canada Border Service Agent’s base office at Pearson airport. Once they arrived, they explained that they simply needed to fingerprint him to prove his identity.

 

Nothing To Hide

Olajide Ogunye Story
  ca.worldpronews.com

Since Ogunye had nothing to hide and was telling the truth about his identity, he was happy to give his fingerprints and prove once and for all that he was who he said he was. Unfortunately, that wasn’t what happened…

 

Indisputable Evidence

Olajide Ogunye Story
  www.theverge.com

After taking his fingerprints, the agents said that the prints didn’t match those that were on file for Olajide Ogunye. Instead, they told him that the prints, which they never showed him, came back as a match for a refugee that had illegally returned to the country after being deported.

 

The Truth About His Past

Olajide Ogunye Story
  www.expatforum.com

The 47-year-old was stunned and insisted that he was Olajide Ogunye, a naturalized Canadian citizen who moved to Canada from Nigeria with his parents and siblings in 1990 and became a citizen when he was 26 years old in 1996…

 

The Refugee

Olajide Ogunye Story
  www.nationalpost.com

The border agents, however, insisted that he was lying to them and that his real identity was Oluwafemi Kayode Johnson, a failed refugee claimant who they believed had illegally returned to Canada after he was deported in the 1990s and was impersonating Ogunye.

 

The Arrest

Olajide Ogunye Story
  www.brantfordexpositor.ca

After that, the agents arrested Ogunye and booked him into Maplehurst Correctional Complex, a maximum-security prison. “I was confused, really confused,” Ogunye said about the moment he was locked away in a prison full of dangerous criminals and offenders…

 

Violating His Rights

Olajide Ogunye Story
  www.publiclibrariesonline.org

“It was very frustrating. Somebody telling you you’re not your name. I showed them all my IDs. I showed them my citizenship. How are you going to put a Canadian citizen in jail,” Ogunye said. “I wasn’t expecting something like that to me as a Canadian citizen.”

 

8 Months Of Hell

Olajide Ogunye Story
  www.bondfield.com

For the next 8 months, Ogunye was imprisoned first in the Maplehurst Correctional Complex and then later at the Central East Correctional Centre, which is another maximum-security about 2 hours away. For Ogunye, those 248 days were pure hell…

 

Deteriorating Health

Olajide Ogunye Story
  www.bondfield.com

While in prison, Ogunye was assaulted by fellow inmates and had no contact with family members because of lockdowns that occurred almost every single day. According to Ogunye, he was put on suicide watch as his physical and emotional health rapidly deteriorated.

 

Suicide Watch

Olajide Ogunye Story
  www.usatoday.com

“One time, for the whole month, I was crying non-stop. I was crying continuously,” Ogunye said. “The nurse had to give me depression pills to make me calm down.” In addition to the depression medication, Ogunye was also put on medications for high blood pressure and a prostate condition…

 

The Investigation

Olajide Ogunye Story
  www.dailynews.lk

Meanwhile, the border service agents were supposed to be investigating his case. Yet his brother and sister weren’t contacted and interviewed until 6 months after his arrest. Ogunye’s siblings confirmed that Ogunye wasn’t Johnson and after 8 months in prison, they finally released Ogunye in February 2017.

 

A Different Life

Olajide Ogunye Story
  www.bellanaija.com

On February 4, 2017, Ogunye was overwhelmed with joy and relief when he was finally able to prove his identity and was given his freedom back. Unfortunately, the life waiting for him outside of prison was drastically different than the life he had before he was wrongly imprisoned…

 

The Lawsuit

Olajide Ogunye Story
  cassandralegacy.blogspot.com

“They put me through a lot. They destroyed my life. I lost my job,” Ogunye said after being released from prison. “They destroyed my family. I don’t have a good relationship with my kids anymore. I don’t think that’s going to come back.” Now, Ogunye is suing the government for $10 million for violating his rights as a citizen.

Fighting For Justice

Olajide Ogunye Story
  ca.worldpronews.com

Ogunye also wants to make sure that no one else has to go through what he was forced to endure. “For them to keep someone in jail for eight months… it is not really a good thing. I hope they don’t do this to somebody else and that is one of the reasons why I’m bringing this to court,” Ogunye said. “It is shocking,” said Adam Hummel, Ogunye’s lawyer. “The very fact that this happened, someone who was approached and showed he was a Canadian citizen, means that it could happen to anyone if this is how [border agents] are operating.”

Canadian Citizen Suing Government After Border Agent’s Error Ruined His Life is an article from: LifeDaily

Dismembered Man Case Follows Drug Deal Gone Badly Wrong

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Daniel Lopez Story

When drug deals go wrong they can go very wrong indeed. Where large amounts of money or merchandise are at stake, people will often do things they wouldn’t have dreamed of doing ever in their lives.

When a violent altercation went down on Hillwood Drive, screaming and shouting turned into something a lot worse and far more sinister. But when it was all over and the dust had settled, pure shock set in when police heard how all that shouting ended…

Old Friends

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.fox32chicago.com

Jose and Daniel were old friends. They may not have been best buddies and didn’t see each other very often but they were very well acquainted nonetheless. The two men had done some business together before, and while it was anything but above board, it was highly lucrative.

Mutual Benefit

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.coherentchronicle.com

Daniel and Jose had a great little sideline going on. One of the men had come into some overpriced, top-shelf cosmetics including expensive makeup and body creams. At the same time, the other man had drugs and a lot of them. It was a natural transaction and one that was making both of these guys quite rich…

A Big Deal

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

On this particular night, both Daniel and Jose had arranged to meet in order to do another one of their lucrative deals. It was win-win for everyone concerned and there should have been no need at all for any sort of altercation, let alone violence. However, these guys were gangster types and even had the tattoos to prove it.

Nicknames

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.mysanantonio.com

These ex-prison chaps all have nicknames which they call each other on a regular basis. Jose was fondly known as “Pee Wee” for reasons we’d rather not go into; while Daniel was known as Guero by his friends. But even with the familiarity that nicknames can bring, these men were headed for a fight, and it was going to be a big one…

Stab In The Back

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.videoblocks.com

It was a September evening much like any other when the men arranged to meet in order to do a “drugs for makeup” exchange. For whatever reason though, on that fateful night, Jose stabbed Daniel in the back when he wasn’t looking, and that ended him up in the hospital fighting for his life.

Bad Blood

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.axisimagingnews.com

No one is clear as to why Daniel was stabbed that night, as his old “friend” tried to take his life. The men were known to be volatile as befits their overall image, from immigrant families, and would fly off the handle at the drop of a hat and for no good reason. However, Daniel had been stabbed and that was obviously a big deal…

Getting Revenge

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

Just a day after Daniel came out of hospital, having made a good recovery, he put his revenge plan into action. He wasn’t about to let Jose get away with stabbing him in the back like that and revenge would be swift and sweet. Daniel employed his then-girlfriend Sabrina to help lure Jose to a home in Hillwood Drive and his cousin was also present there.

Vicious Attack

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.firsttoknow.com

Jose had no idea that Daniel was there lying in wait for him. Had he known, he most likely wouldn’t have shown up that night. While he beat Jose, he knew he was in big trouble, and no one even knew where he was. By this stage, the man was being beaten relentlessly with baseball bats and was about to lose consciousness…

Gruesome Details

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

This slide is not for the faint of heart. Not satisfied with just administering a beating to the man, Daniel went ahead and tortured him. After he had done so, according to court records, he went ahead and suffocated the man with a plastic bag, and then cut his limbs off, cooking them on a grill in the backyard.

Sabrina Saved

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.ourrescue.org

For whatever reason, Daniel decided not to kill Jose’s girlfriend Sabrina, and her life was spared. However, she had been stripped naked, bound by her hands and feet and kept captive for days in a shower room near where her boyfriend was killed. Luckily for her, she was not killed during the revenge attack…

No Chance

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.videoblocks.com

Sabrina was sure she would be killed as she had witnessed the brutal slaying of her boyfriend. She knew she had no chance of escape at the time, “I couldn’t. There was always someone watching me,” she said in court, adding, “He (Daniel) told me if I acted stupid, ‘you know what you’re going to get.'”

Scared Stiff

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.expressnews.com

Sabrina was understandably scared to death by the situation she found herself in. “I saw what he was capable of. I didn’t want to test him. I didn’t want to end up like Pee Wee,” she said. But to make matters worse, the state had Sabrina in custody for six months, suspecting she had a hand in the murder. “Are you telling me the state of Texas has had you locked up for six months for nothing,” defense attorney J. Charles Bunk asked her. To which she simply replied, “Yes.”

Victim Of Crime

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.mysanantonio.com

Bunk went on to ask some more difficult questions, which highlighted that once again, police negligence had delayed and affected this sensitive case, “Did the district attorney ever explain to you that you are a victim of a crime,” Bunk asked Sabrina. She simply stated that she hadn’t wanted to testify as she didn’t want to “be in the same room with that man,” and understandably so.

Taking It Badly

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.expressnews.com

Daniel Lopez knew what he had done to his victim on that night. There should have been no cause for surprise or shock when the verdict was read out. The jury only took 3 hours to deliberate that the man was guilty, but he took that announcement badly; very badly indeed…

Show Of Force

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.expressnews.com

The judge in the case could see the type of man he was dealing with and that probably explains why he ordered 10 Bexar County Sheriff’s Office deputies to be inside the courtroom when the verdict was read out. It was a good call on behalf of the judge as the accused played up, flailed his arms and resisted arrest.

More Revenge

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.cbsnews.com

There’s no question about it, Daniel Lopez is a hateful as well as a vengeful man. Deputies even needed to position themselves between him and his attorney Bunk, as it appeared like he was going to violently attack him at any moment. In the end, it took the combined strength of 8 deputies to finally remove the convicted man from the courthouse, as he yelled abuse at them…

Doing His Job

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.mysanantonio.com

Bunk did his job as a defense attorney, despite whatever his personal misgivings may have been at the time. During closing arguments, Bunk tried to implicate another person in the murder; Jose’s cousin Candie was also in attendance at the address when the murder took place.

She Did It

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

According to Bunk, his man was innocent in that he didn’t deliver the final blows which killed the victim. “They want you to assume it had to be this guy,” Bunk said, pointing to his client, then asking, “Why don’t they tell you they know Candie Dominguez did it?”

Strong Prosecution

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.mysanantonio.com

The prosecutors in the case, Josh Somers and Matthew Ludowig, were not about to take the defense’s allegations lightly, especially in front of the jurors. During closing arguments both men tag-teamed the jury, insisting that Daniel was the main player in arranging the murder, which was clearly a premeditated act. “You don’t get to beat a man within an inch of his life and then say I’m not guilty of murder,” Ludowig told the jury.

Closing Arguments

Daniel Lopez Story
  www.expressnews.com

“Look at the facts and use your reason and common sense and everyday logic,” Somers said to the jury, “Daniel Lopez is the only person that knew Jose Luis Menchaca and had a motive and reason to murder him.” As a result of the case, Lopez is looking at life in jail for what he did; a verdict which many people have welcomed due to the gruesome nature of this case.

Dismembered Man Case Follows Drug Deal Gone Badly Wrong is an article from: LifeDaily

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