Las Vegas Used Car Dealer Saves Travelers Stranded After 9/11

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Sep 17, 2001

In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in the United States, Don Forman, a used car dealer in Las Vegas, heard on the radio the plight of stranded travelers who could not get home to their families. Because every airline was grounded for weeks, there were no bus or train tickets left. No rental cars available.

Business was slow at Forman’s United Nissan, so he decided to help. He rented passenger vans and called the media. He was offering a ride to anyone stranded in airports who needed to get home. For free.

By the end of the day, 150 people stranded in Las Vegas were back at home in Southern California.

The word spread through hotels, rental car counters and casinos. By the second day Don Forman had to charter buses. He galvanized his 147 employees to shuttle more than 900 stranded souls back home to California.

He spent $8,000 of his own money but credited his employees for organizing the fleet, and the mayor’s office and dozens of businesses for donating food, money and time.

Forman recalled, “Our dealership was just like everyone else in the country. We all stood around with our mouths open. We didn’t know what to do. When we started doing this, my employees were ecstatic. They really felt a part of something.”

After the last piece of baggage was loaded onto each bus — Forman even schlepped bags — and after each passenger was given two bottles of water, Forman would climb up and stand next to the driver to bid them farewell and a safe trip home.

“Everybody just applauded,” said Irv Hamilton of Alameda, California. “I can imagine this sort of thing in the Midwest, but… you don’t think of Las Vegas as being particularly hospitable.”

Now, you do. And car dealers too.

(Thanks to E.J. Niles for submitting story tip)

9-11 Aftermath: An E-mail from the U.S.S. Winston Churchill

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Sep 14, 2001

German ship, Lutgenspic, a few days after 9-11 attacks

“Dear Dad,

We are somewhere out to sea, still with little direction as to what our next priority is. We have spent every day since the attacks going back and forth within imaginary boxes drawn in the ocean, standing high-security watches, and trying to make the best of our time. Being isolated as we are, I don’t think we appreciate the full scope of what is happening back home, but we are definitely feeling the effects.

About two hours ago we got a call from the LUTJENS (D185), a German warship that was moored ahead of us on the pier in England. While in port, the CHURCHILL and the LUTJENS got together for a sports day/cookout on our fantail, and we made some pretty good friends. Now at sea they called over requesting to pass us close up to say good-bye. The Captain told the crew to come topside to wish them farewell. As they were making their approach, our Conning Officer announced through her binoculars that they were flying an American flag.

As they came even closer, we saw that it was flying at half-mast. They had made a sign to display on the side that read, “We Stand By You”. The entire crew of the German ship were manning the rails, saluting, in their dress blues.

More than a few of us fought to retain our composure as they stayed alongside us for a few minutes and we cut our salutes. It was probably the most powerful thing I have seen in my entire life.

The German Navy did an incredible thing for this crew. It’s amazing to think that only a half-century ago things were quite different. And to see the unity being demonstrated throughout the world makes us all proud to be out here doing our job.

After the ship pulled away the Officer of the Deck turned to me and said “I’m staying Navy.” I’ll write more as I know when I’ll be home.

Love you guys…”

Record Numbers of Steelhead Trout Running in Columbia River

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Aug 30, 2001

After decades of decline in salmon and steelhead runs, this year the largest steelhead run in the history of dam counts is crossing Bonneville Dam on its way up the Columbia River. As of August 19, the count of steelhead at Bonneville, the first dam the fish must negotiate on the Columbia, topped 390,000, nearly four times the 1991 to 2000 average.

Steelhead trout, are considered to be a variety of salmon. They are listed by the federal government as threatened or endangered throughout western states.

Some of the conservation measures Washington state has taken may be responsible for the increased steelhead run. In 1999, Washington put in place its Statewide Strategy to Recover Salmon, specifically addressing ecosystem health and conservation measures. Habitat was upgraded. Harvest and hatchery management practices were implemented. Lawmakers in the state opposed all proposals for new hydroelectric projects and their potential for degrading salmon habitat.

Largest Coral Reef Preserved

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Aug 30, 2001

Australia will end commercial coral harvesting on the Great Barrier Reef in order to protect the world’s largest living reef formation. While it is prohibited for private individuals to take coral from the reef, up to 200 tonnes are still taken commercially each year, most for the retail aquarium trade. A phase out plan will be implemented to try to limit the economic impact on coral harvesters along the 1,300 miles of the reef.

Harrison Ford Rescues Lost Boy in the Wilderness, Just Like the Movies

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Aug 30, 2001

Harrison Ford with plane-Flickr-Mike Miley-CC

When 13 year-old Cody Clawson attended a boy scout camp in Yellowstone National Park he accidentally strayed from the path while hauling supplies from their vehicle and wandered deep into the Wyoming wilderness.

After a four-hour search with dogs failed to find Clawson, air rescue teams from two states were called in. It was cold and raining and the scout had to hunker down for the night alone in the forest dressed only in a Tee shirt, shorts and sandals.

He couldn’t have dreamed the happy adventure that was about to greet him the next morning.

Not only was Cody rescued in a helicopter and airlifted back to civilization — pretty cool for most teenagers — but the pilot who swooped down and landed the chopper turned out to be real-life Star Wars hero, Harrison Ford.

Actor Ryan Gosling Stops New York Street Fight (WATCH)

As a part-time resident of nearby Jackson, Wyoming, Ford helps out the local authorities flying his trusty Bell 407 helicopter into the backcountry where airplanes cannot land. The July 9, 2001 rescue was his second in less than a year. Last August, the action star guided his chopper up Wyoming’s Table Mountain to save hiker Sarah George.

“Boy, you sure must have earned a merit badge for this one,” Ford reportedly told the boy. The lad, who lives in Huntsville, Utah, replied, “I already earned this badge last summer.”

Photo by Mike Miley via Flickr – CC

Scout’s Volunteer Garden Yields Harvest of Compassion, and Sharing for Food Banks

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Aug 15, 2001

Marshall Levit of Houston, Texas, was 14 years old and seeking an Eagle Scout project. He looked at the large parcel of land next to his synagogue. Where others saw only a vacant lot filled with weeds, Levit imagined a lush, organic garden whose yield would feed the poor, hungry, and homeless.

Undaunted by the fact that he knew nothing about gardening, and undeterred by the scope of the task, Levit persuaded the synagogue to donate the land. This 14-year-old took seriously his religion’s dictum to feed the hungry, and he insisted that his synagogue take it seriously. Levit reports that, “Adults did not embrace this issue or support it. There were doubts and skepticism. But I had a vision of what could happen.”

Levit solicited donations of expertise, money, seeds, tools, and labor from the community. His vision and enthusiasm persuaded dozens of volunteers to help him create five 40’ x 5’ beds on the vacant lot, which he dubbed ‘The Garden of Eatin.’ Levit pressed particularly hard to get volunteers from his synagogue to join him in planting, weeding, and watering under the hot Texas sun. Levit kept the garden productive throughout his high school years, working there at least two days a week.

Before he left for college, he organized volunteers to provide leadership in his absence. During summer breaks, he still works in the garden that he started as a teenager. His work has generated thousands of servings of organic produce each year delivered to the food pantry at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Houston.

For over eight years, the garden has meant more than simply having additional items available at the food pantry. Food banks—and the poor they serve—typically cannot afford fresh produce. One family wrote to the garden’s volunteers, “May God bless you for your generosity toward the needy of this parish.” Marshall Levit says, “We’re giving not just food, but time and love.”

Most gardens grow only fruits and vegetables. The Garden of Eatin’ yields a harvest of love, compassion, and sharing.

(Story by the Giraffe Project – Celebrating People who Stick Their Necks Out, and providing educational programs to inspire children to find and emulate heroes in their own communities.)

Sports Arena Rises From Toxic Wasteland

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Aug 10, 2001

Instead of looking for land in the outer suburbs to house a new stadium for its basketball and hockey teams, the city of Dallas decided to assist developers in cleaning up a 72-acre toxic mess at the city’s core.

Where there once was arsenic and lead leftovers from a 100-year old city dump, the American Airlines center opened this summer, serving sushi and sea bass to its sports and entertainment fans. Where once motor oil and benzene spills leached into soil and groundwater from abandoned industrial and railroad facilities, 8 million sq. ft. of apartments, offices, stores and entertainment will meander around the arena, providing auto-weary Dallas commuters with a place to live, work and play downtown.

The Victory Project, which was developed by Ross Perot Jr. — son of the former U.S. presidential candidate — has become a stellar example of cleaning up a “brownfield.” Brownfield is the term for a contaminated area with the potential for reuse. The local EPA chief, Stan Hitt, called Victory, “a model for brownfield development. What used to be an empty field has real potential to boost downtown Dallas.”

Mayor Ron Kirk recognized that building a $1 billion development would keep dollars and jobs from migrating to the suburbs. “The manufacturers and polluters abandoned this 30 years ago, but we’ve cleaned it up and put it back on the tax rolls.”

The $12 million clean up costs were a small fraction of total dollars spent, and were partially borne by previous land owners responsible for the pollutants. Developers had to haul away 15,000 huge truck loads of contaminated soil and clean 15 million gallons of polluted groundwater.

The nation’s largest brownfield project is Bethlehem Steel’s $1.5 billion plan to convert its Pennsylvania steel mill into an entertainment and retail complex. At its heart will be a Smithsonian-affiliated American Museum of Industrial History featuring blast furnaces, painted and preserved. Giant vats that formerly moved steel will become people-movers. The plant dates back to 1870. It covers four and a half miles of river frontage, and once employed 30,000. The proposed complex with its cinema, shops, ice rink, and hotel could have enormous economic and social implications for Bethlehem’s south side neighborhoods of Puerto Rican Americans, providing up to 10,000 jobs and a $70 million tax base.

Another brownfield in Chicago will become the site of a solar-generated energy plant that will sell energy to the city.

There is a realization that if you remove the dangerous elements, the land can be reused and recycled to benefit the surrounding community.

(Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

VH1 Saves School Music Programs

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Aug 1, 2001

Musica Instruments Save the Music Foundation

Studies show kids involved in music programs have improved reading abilities, higher self-esteem, score higher on standardized tests, and are more likely to stay in school and go to college.

Concerned with the growing number of public schools that have canceled music programs, cable channel VH1 initiated a rescue mission called Save the Music.

Save The Music focuses on rebuilding programs that have been eliminated, or boosting programs that are at imminent risk of being canceled.

Since the program was created in 1997, more than $17 million worth of musical instruments were donated to 750 public schools in 70 cities, enhancing the lives of more than 250,000 children.

For info, or to donate an instrument visit Save the Music, or call toll free 1-888-VH1-4MUSIC.

Unconditional Acceptance: What Do You Do When You Meet The Homeless Face To Face?

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Jul 15, 2001

My husband, son, and I went out to McDonalds. We were standing in line, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did. An overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside me as I smelled a horrible dirty body smell. There standing behind me were two homeless men.

As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was smiling. His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of Light as he searched for acceptance. He said, “Good day” as he counted the few coins he had been clutching. The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I perceived the second man was mentally deficient and the blue eyed gentleman was his salvation.

When asked what they wanted, he answered, “Coffee is all Miss” because that was all they could afford. It was a cold March morning and if they wanted to sit in the restaurant to warm up, they had to buy something. Then I felt a compulsion so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man. I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were on me. I smiled and ordered two more breakfast meals on a separate tray. I walked to the table the men had chosen, put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman’s cold hand. He looked up at me, tears in his eyes, and said, “Thank you.” I leaned over and said, “I didn’t do this for you. God is here working through me to give you hope.”

I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, “That is why God gave you to me, Honey. To give me hope.”

We held hands for a moment and we knew that only because of the Grace we had been given were we able to give. We are not church goers, but we are believers. That day showed me the pure Light of God’s sweet love. We as human beings and part of God, share this need to heal people and thus be healed. In my own way I had touched my husband, son, and every soul in that McDonald’s. I learned one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn. Unconditional acceptance.

Africa’s Last Eden Spared by Logging Company

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Jul 8, 2001

forest Congolese timber protection-ForestPeoplesProgramme

A Congo Republic rain forest full of rare animals and trees, one of the most pristine left in Africa, will be protected from all logging thanks to the voluntary actions of a timber company to forfeit its harvesting rights.

Congolaise Industrielle des Bois decided it would be best to leave the 100-square-mile Goualogo Triangle forest forever untouched by humans, even though it contains thick patches of of mahogany trees and valuable hardwoods, because, as the company’s president said, “The Goualogo Triangle is a very special place.”

Logging in the triangle could potentially have been worth $40 million to CIB. Although the company is not getting anything in exchange for giving up its harvesting rights, they said there was plenty of other land in Congo available for logging.

The company’s sacrifice will benefit dense community of chimpanzees, forest elephants, red colobus monkeys, gorillas and other large mammals, and allow eco-tourism and scientific work to thrive. Congo’s government will protect the swampy forest by adding it to an existing national park.

Cruise Ships End Reckless Polluting

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Jul 1, 2001

As of July 1, cruise ships belonging to the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) will implement a new set of dumping standards that includes zero discharge of some of the most hazardous chemicals used aboard luxury liners.

ICCL members unanimously adopted mandatory environmental standards for all of their cruise ships and they will be included in the Safety Management System (SMS), which ensures compliance through internal and third-party audits. Failure to comply with SMS procedures could prevent a ship from operating from US ports. Compliance with these standards is a condition of membership in the ICCL.

Cruise Lines Will:

prevent discharge of chlorinated dry cleaning fluids and sludge from on-board dry cleaners
prevent discharge of hazardous wastes from print shops
prevent the dumping of used batteries, unused and outdated pharmaceuticals, and the release of mercury from spent fluorescent and mercury vapor lamps
minimize the discharge of silver from photo processing
eliminate the discharge of contaminated waters known as graywater and treated blackwater in any port or within four nautical miles from shore “or such other distance as agreed to with authorities having jurisdiction”

Natural Gas Buses Replace Diesel Fleet at Tourist Destination

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Jun 23, 2001

Hearst Castle became the first California state park to operate with 100% natural-gas-powered buses. 16 new clean-fuel buses were unveiled June 23 that will reduce harmful air emissions by up to 75 percent replacing the old diesel buses.

Not only will they improve air quality – preserving the pristine nature of the San Simeon area — but also reduce noise, save tax dollars and eliminate reliance on imported oil.

The fleet will transport nearly one million visitors annually from the visitor center to the hilltop Hearst Castle, a 10-mile round trip.

Disabled Man Breaks up Robbery with Knife, Awarded Carnegie Hero Award

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May 31, 2001

The Carnegie Hero award is given to persons who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the lives of others.

Duane James, of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, was driving past the parking lot of a drugstore on May 19, 2000, when he saw a woman being robbed. He decided to intervene although the man weilded a knife.

Melissa A. Valles, 39, was exiting her car in New Bedford when a man armed with two knives approached, threw himself into the car across her, and, threatening her life, attempted to rob her. Ms. Valles struggled against the man. Meanwhile, James, 35, stopped at the scene and, although he was disabled by chronic leg pain, ran to Ms. Valles’s car, where he struggled with the assailant. The assailant dropped one of his knives at the scene, then fled on foot. James chased him and caught him at a point about 800 feet away, then held him for police, who arrived shortly.

James was awarded the bronze Carnegie Medal as well as $3,500 in a ceremony on April 26, honoring 19 individuals recognized for their bravery.

Since 1904, when The Carnegie Hero Fund was established by industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in Pittsburgh, 8,488 medals have been awarded along with $24.8 million in grants and aid.

Thousands Raised for Cancer Research by 8 Year-Old Girl Honoring Dad

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May 30, 2001

Why did Georgetown University rename its cancer research lab in honor a donation of just $5,000? Because the money was raised by a nine year-old girl.

Taylor Sevin was just 8-years-old when her father was diagnosed with a fatal diagnosis of sarcoma, a malignant cancer. She accompanied him to Lombardi Cancer Center and was always by his side during his treatments there. Alan Sevin lost his fight with the disease at the end of October 1999.

“When my daddy died of cancer, I was very sad,” Taylor said. “I wanted to do something so that other kids would not be sad like me.”

With this determination, the little girl began her crusade to help Georgetown’s researchers find a cure. Two months after her father died, Taylor and her mother, Kym, arrived at Lombardi with a Tupperware container filled with $155 in bills and change that Taylor had collected from friends and family to donate for cancer research.

Then in early 2001, Taylor returned to present yet another donation. Through a cross-country letter-writing campaign and an event at her Catholic school, in which students paid 50 cents to dress out of uniform, she had raised $5,000.

After this presentation, the renamed Alan and Taylor Sevin Laboratory has been a constant reminder of a girl and her dad.

To date, Taylor has raised close to $8,000 and she is planning a gala fund-raiser and writing to country music stars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw asking for their participation.

(Taylor’s Fund: The Development Office, Lombardi Cancer Center, Room E501, Research Building, 3970 Reservoir Road, N.W., Washington, DC 20007.)

Utility Plans Its Own Curb on CO2

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May 5, 2001

gas flame photo by michael connors via morguefile

New Orleans based Entergy Corp., the nation’s third largest utility in terms of electricity produced, is stepping out ahead of the Bush Administration on the climate-change issue by imposing a five-year cap on its own emissions of carbon dioxide, a gas that contributes to global warming. By improving the efficiency of its plants, and planting trees that absorb the CO2, Entergy pledges to stay within its 50 million ton annual limit.

Whooping It Up! Cranes Return to the East

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May 1, 2001

For the first time in more than a century, whooping cranes will migrate across the skies of eastern North America this fall.

It all started back in November, 2000, when scientists successfully taught a new migration route to a flock of sandhill cranes with a 40-day record-breaking 1,250 mile journey in an ultralight aircraft from central Wisconsin to a wildlife preserve in Florida.

They knew that if the cranes could return to Wisconsin on their own in the spring, the major obstacle would clear in efforts to reintroduce rare whooping cranes to an eastern ancestral migration route, using the same method.

“I Couldn’t Wait to Tell Everyone the Birds were Back!”

Finally in April, transmitter signals announced the sandhill cranes’ return to the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, their nesting grounds inWisconsin. The young birds found their way back to where they had been fledged by human surrogate ‘parents’ in costume.

“Our hope was to show them the way south while maintaining their wildness,” explained Joe Duff, co-founder of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership. “We are ecstatic.”

Now, in early July, biologists begin training a flock of 10 whooping cranes chicks. They should depart in mid-October and follow an ultralight aircraft flying over Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia on their way to Chassahowitzka NWR in Florida.

The species is the most endangered crane on earth, having recovered from a low of only 21 birds in 1941 to slightly over 400 today. Half that number, however, live in one wild migrating flock that annually moves between the Northwest Territories and Texas. Biologists have long worried about the entire flock being wiped out by hurricanes, contaminants, or disease.

To help ensure the species’ survival, more than 40 private landowners have offered their property to be used as overnight sites for the migrating birds.

The ultralight flight technique which brought the Sandhill Cranes to Florida is the same technique featured in the movie, Fly Away Home.

Defective Tires Recycled

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Feb 10, 2001

The 6.5 million tires recalled by Bridgestone/ Firestone from Ford Explorers in August, 2000 are being put to good use by Waste Management, Inc.

The defective tires are being chipped down to dinner-plate size and used on the bottom of a new 12-acre landfill to keep toxins from leaching into groundwater.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is also burning some of the tires for fuel — each tire providing the equivalent of seven gallons of oil.

World Wetlands Day, A Cause for Celebration

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Feb 5, 2001

February 2 is World Wetlands Day: From 1986-1997, the rate of wetlands loss in the United States has declined by 80 percent, according to a 2001 Fish and Wildlife Service report.

Healing on Her Mind; Surviving a Brain Tumor

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Bill Asenjo

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Jan 15, 2001

As Cheryl Clark began a weekend horseback ride one sunny October afternoon in 1997, a time bomb went off. A violent seizure threw the 48-year-old former athlete to the ground. A CAT scan revealed a brain tumor the size of a lemon.

Surgeons quickly removed the tumor, but the pathology report delivered a devastating diagnosis: Glioblastoma Multiforme IV, the most aggressive of brain tumors. Even when removed, this tumor grows back with a vengeance. Oncologists consider it incurable and gave Clark 3-6 months. Yet more than two years later Clark not only survives, but thrives. She jogs, helps conduct brain tumor research, and is active in a brain tumor support group she helped form.

Clark’s stunning recovery is due to a holistic approach that starts with an intensive nutritional program designed by nutritionist and Ph.D., Jeanne Wallace, who prescribed reducing sugars, and emphasizing Omega-3 fats, found in fish and flax, to slow tumor growth and strengthen Clark’s immune system. Wallace also prescribed an array of herbal and natural dietary supplements.

Clark became deeply involved with her oncologist and her treatment, and after much research, opted for radiation instead of the customary chemotherapy. Wallace’s regimen of diet and herbal remedies helped maximize the radiation’s effect while protecting healthy tissue and reducing swelling. As a result, Clark had no fatigue, side effects or complications from radiation. The tumor responded well.

Encouraged, Clark then volunteered for experimental gamma-knife radiosurgery, which directs high-intensity radiation from many angles. Again Wallace’s nutritional regimen kept Clark free of side effects.

Clark also invested in other holistic treatments, like acupuncture, Belle Ruth Naparstek’s visualizations for cancer, affirmations, prayer, massage (zero balancing, polarity, Shiatsu), and cultivating a positive attitude.

“I haven’t always had a positive attitude.” Clark lost both parents to cancer–her father in 1982, her mother in 1985. An important relationship ended in 1989. “My attitude bottomed-out, and I felt like giving up on life. For years I didn’t care if I lived, but when faced with the prospect of dying, every molecule of my being ached to live. I chose the attitude ‘I still have many days to live, play, love…and I’m going to make the most of them.”

Since then, Clark’s MRI’s show no sign or symptom of the tumor or brain disfunction. She is off medication.

“This journey has been exciting and rewarding,” Clark said. “Exciting because I’m still here, rewarding because I can help others.”

Today, as Wallace’s research assistant, Clark says, “Work keeps me very busy.” Adding with a smile, “It’s now 2 years and 7 months since my diagnosis. I’m enjoying life fully and passionately. And treasure every day.”

MENU FOR A CURE

Diet

Reduce sugar intake – sugar suppresses the immune system and feeds cancer cells
Omega-3 fats (fish and flax) – slows tumor growth; strengthens immune system to identify and eliminate cancer cells Herbs
Siberian ginseng, astragalus, cat’s claw, mushroom extracts – can prevent tumor progression

Supplements

IP6 (inositol hexaphosphate) – Research reveals IP6 inhibits tumor growth; stimulates immunity
Vitamins C and E, melatonin, St. John’s wort, whey protein and shark liver oil – maximizes radiation’s effect while protecting healthy tissue and reducing swelling

Contact: Jeanne M. Wallace, Ph.D., CNC at Nutritional Solutions, North Logan, Utah – Phone: (435) 563-0053

Woman Donates Part of her Liver to a Child She Didn’t Even Know

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Dec 20, 2000

Kimberly Springer and 6-month old Adam Courtney

While the season of giving flourished in department stores, the true meaning of the word was demonstrated in a hospital in North Carolina. A near-stranger was donating a part of her liver to an infant with a rare liver disease whose last hope was a transplant.

Kimberly Springer vividly remembers her husband, Darrell, bringing home the news about a co-worker at the New River Air Force Base whose baby, Adam Courtney, had no more than four months to live unless a suitable liver donor was found. She asked what blood type he had and when she found out it was the same as hers she immediately called the hospital and volunteered to donate.

“I just wanted to do it,” explained Springer, who has two children of her own. “I never thought of not doing it.”

Doctors assured Kimberly and her family about the procedure. “They’d done this enough times that they were really confident,” Kimberly recalled. “There were normal health risks when you have surgery. But they said my liver would grow back within four weeks.”

One of the unique things about the liver is that it is the only organ in the human body that regenerates after trans-plantation. Both Kimberly’s and Adam’s livers would re-grow to normal size.

Adam’s mom, Sheri, really wanted to call and thank Kimberly but she didn’t know what to say. “You just don’t know how to act. Here is somebody willing to put their life on the line to help your son…. She is a special person.”

But when the Courtneys were in the neighborhood for dinner, Sheri took the opportunity to visit the Springers and make contact. “As soon as I walked in, I couldn’t even say ‘thank you’ before the tears started pouring out of my eyes.”

After surgery, which was the day after Kimberly’s 28th birthday, Sheri remembers Kimberly got to see Adam for the first time. “She would light up every time she saw Adam. She just stood there with her mouth open.”

Kimberly has made a complete recovery and Adam continues to grow and thrive and is expected to live a normal life.

“It’s neat,” Springer said. “I don’t even know how to describe it – to be able to help somebody like that. It’s a great feeling.”