Teen Gets Nike to Make Shoe for Disabled

Hmmm…….I really like this one.

One of Nike’s newest shoes, the LeBron Soldier 8 FLYEASE, may not be designed to be worn by professional athletes on the biggest stages in sports, but the shoe’s impact may be more important than any championship or trophy.

“I am currently 19 and in my second year of college,” Matthew Walzer, a teenager with cerebral palsy who helped to design the new shoes, told TODAY.com. “The shoes are the reason why I am able to go away to school on my own.”

Aha, that’s pretty much it. Read the story to understand Matt’s journey. I’ll leave you with quote that convinced me this was more than a fashion statement:

“It was the first time ever that I was able to put my own shoes on. I remember breaking down crying.”

 

Teen Helps Elderly Woman Walk

Kailen Young was just doing his job washing windows when he decided to help an elderly woman walk to her car. Someone took a picture, and the rest is viral history.

“I felt a little touch of heaven, that kindness and goodness in the world,” Clare (woman helped) told the WBIR of the teen’s help. “We need that so much, don’t we?”

That’s great. The man who took the picture had this to say:

“It spoke volumes. Black and white, male and female, young and old, all came together in one photo,” Yardley told HuffPost. “It was just a tender moment. … At the end of the day, it was a young person having enough compassion to help to help an older person.”

Stories like this are what this blog’s all about.

News: Man Uses Facebook to Save Life

This is a story that’s a little…odd…I mean…ugh, I just…it’s cool but there’s a problem I have with it. Anyway:

He (Chris Thomas) told The Huffington Post that he was attempting to get to the bathroom when his wheelchair caught the edge of a tall box just inside his bedroom. The heavy shelf in the box landed on his legs and tipped the chair over. He hit the back of his head hard on the linoleum, and when he tried to push up, he hit his head a second time. Thomas remembers little of the next hour, as he slipped in and out of consciousness.

So, Chris, while going in and out, needed help, and his smartphone became the only thing available to him. It just so happened that Facebook was open on the phone so he sent a message.

The response was rapid as his friends around the country dropped whatever they were doing and leapt into action. Out-of-state friends contacted in-state ones. In some cases, they didn’t know each other personally and all they had in common was Thomas.

Finally, as Thomas lay on the floor woozy and helpless, he saw his phone beeping and a text appeared. His friend Brad had summoned the EMT; help was coming.

This is great and all. But…if your phone was right there…I mean…he couldn’t call for anybody? I know he was drifting in and out but…I don’t know. It all worked out so that’s great. And I love putting Facebook in a positive light because people look at it as if it’s the worst thing in the world when it’s not.

 

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Quote About Hope

hope

Testimony: Redeemed from Same Sex Attraction, Self Harm, and Suicide

This is a long one, but, as I usually say, it’s worth the read:

I’ll begin my story by saying Its not necessarily one of deliverance. I still battle the same fleshly desires I did before I came to know Christ, but I have been delivered from the bondage. That being said my testimony is not one of radical transformation, but one where a good good Father stepped in and showed grace and mercy to a troubled twelve year old who just wanted to be loved.

So a little background, I’ve grown up in a Christian home, practically born in church. I was baptized around the age of seven and could be found either raising my hand or at the alter during every single alter call until I was about eight. On the outside I could be found professing my Christian faith, but in reality I considered myself an atheist and only maintained this outward “holiness” to please those around me, I thought it was the right thing to do.

Meanwhile I found myself increasingly unhappy. At the age of three I self harmed for the first time, this eventually would escalate into an addiction to cutting. At three years old I also started to deal with major depression. This ended up stealing most of the joy of childhood from me and only got increasingly worse as the years went on. Growing up I always felt “different” from the other kids. It wasn’t until puberty and finally hearing terminology used that I understood exactly what it was though.

Continue reading →

Charity Opens Theater for Homeless

Friends of the Streets, a Russian charity, has set up a makeshift movie theater in a tent next to a homeless center. They’re letting the city’s homeless decide which movies they feature this summer. In an effort to help the homeless have more mainstream lives, Friends of the Streets plans to show at least one movie a month. The group has also opened a hair salon for the homeless and is organizing a soccer match for them this weekend.

Do I want to be homeless?

Anyway, check out the whole story.