Following the destructive earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011, the world watched as the country fought to prevent a full-scale disaster at the damaged Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. More than 200 elderly retired engineers and other professionals volunteered to tackle to the crisis, keeping the young from exposing themselves to potential nuclear radiation. Calling themselves the Skilled Veterans Corps., they pressured the Japanese government to allow them to step up.
Source: BBC.co.uk
Jean Wilson LOVED her pizza, and would order a pepperoni pizza every day from her local pizza joint. But after three days passed without her calling in an order, delivery driver Susan Guy became worried and headed over to check on Jean, ignoring her boss’s order not to do so. After receiving no answer and confirming with neighbors that Wilson hadn’t been seen in days, she called the police, who found Wilson on the ground where she had fallen days before. She was rushed to the hospital where she recovered quickly. This is why you should always tip the delivery person.
Source: WMCTV.com
AmazingAnimalStories.com
Usually when the King of the Jungle runs towards you, it isn’t to give you a hug. But this was the case with lions Sirga and Christian. When she was just a cub, Sirga was abandoned by her pride and rescued by conservationists Valentin Gruener and Mikkel Legarth in Botswana. She’ll be introduced back into the wild soon, but in the meantime, is giving some serious snuggles to her human pride. And in Christian’s case, he was saved from a Harrods department store in London by Australians John Rendall and Anthony “Ace” Bourke. Christian was later reintroduced into the wild in Kenya. Years later, Rendall and Bourke went to visit Christian, but were warned that he might not remember them, and could potentially be aggressive as he was now the leader of his own pride. Instead, the pair were greeted with open paws, and a seriously cute reunion followed.
Source: DailyMail.co.uk and Wikipedia.org
World War II veteran Frederick Leach, 94, died in November in a nursing home in England. Leach had lost contact with his family years prior and was predeceased by his wife. The local council launched an appeal along with his obituary, and hundreds of people arrived at the funeral, including fellow soldiers and civilians, to give Leach the send-off he deserved.
Source: BBC.co.uk
Two puppy brothers up for adoption in Philadelphia attracted international attention after a video produced by Engagement Studios spotlighted their special relationship. Jeffrey and Jermaine were 8 months old when they were rescued, and Jeffrey was almost completely blind. When they were homeless, rather than leaving his brother to fend for himself as the two wandered around the city, Jermaine acted as his brother’s seeing-eye dog, nudging him around and ensuring that he stayed safe. They were adopted as a pair shortly after the story aired.
Source: Engagement Studios
You have to have been living under a rock if you haven’t heard this story: 5-year-old Miles Scott was fighting cancer and was working with the Make-a-Wish Foundation to make one of his dreams come true. But when he revealed that his dream was to be Batman, it seemed a bit out there. The entire city of San Francisco came together to make it happen, arranging complicated rescue plots, throngs of adoring fans, and even fake newspaper publications to publish all the good stuff. Batkid to the rescue!
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Religious intolerance has been around a long time, but doesn’t always prevail. In many instances, stories have surfaced about groups of people in prayer that have been protected by others to keep them safe while they worship. Such was the case in Egypt on Coptic Christmas Eve 2011, several days after a terrorist attack by a radical Islamist group killed nearly two dozen Christians. Hundreds of Muslims showed up at churches around the country to shield those inside, using their bodies to block doorways and holding candlelight vigils for those who had been killed. The image of a cross inside a crescent emerged from the incident, representing the plea for an “Egypt for all.”
Source: English.Ahram.org
Amy Jung adopted Pudding the cat on a whim from the Humane Society where she had originally gone just to play with the kitties for a bit, but it ended up being the best decision she could have made. The night she brought Pudding home, Amy suffered a diabetic seizure and was unable to call for help. After sitting on her chest to try and wake her up, Pudding ran into Amy’s son’s room and woke him up. He was quickly able to call for help, ultimately saving his (and Pudding’s) mom’s life.
Source: HuffingtonPost.com
In the same tsunami that damaged the Fukushima Nuclear Plant, dozens of communities around Japan were inundated with water, with flood levels above 10 feet. Hideaki was at work when the tsunami hit, but he rushed back to his home with scuba gear. Rather than wait for rescue workers, he swam through treacherous waters to rescue his wife who was running out of room to breathe. Not yet done, he scoured the city and managed to locate his mother, trapped on the second floor of her home. Still not satisfied, Akaiwa continued to head out into the water every day on his own, searching for tsunami survivors to rescue.
Source: HuffingtonPost.com
After Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the Northeast U.S. in 2012, an 11-year-old Labrador retriever went missing from her family’s home in the hard-hit Rockaways area of New York. She turned up in a nearby hospital and was brought to the local animal shelter, where her microchip revealed her family’s name and address. Unfortunately, electricity and phone lines had been knocked out in the area, so Sandy’s family wasn’t able to receive word about her. Animal rescuer Phyllis Taiano took matters into her own hands and drove out to their house. They were able to go and fetch Sandy the next day, making for a seriously happy reunion.
Source: NYDailyNews.com
