The social media community of Reddit has once again responded with incredible generosity to a personal story of tragedy posted on their website. Jake Villanueva, 23, was given six months to live after a surprise diagnosis of terminal kidney cancer and he posted his story on the website. Not to ask for anything, but just to talk. What happened next is the stuff of Reddit legend.
They thought cell phone service would be impossible, stranded on the remote Idaho mountain after their plane crashed. But then the Brown family heard a voice echoing into the night: "You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen…"
Unable to find a job after he was laid off from his retail position, a former Iraqi vet put an Army medal, received during his 2008-09 deployment, on eBay. There were no bids for days until a news reporter told his story.
A California couple who found a wedding ring in the used car they recently purchased, spent weeks trying to track down the owner. Now a 79 year-old has been reunited with the ring that belonged to her late husband.
Chicago firefighter John Francis Minich died a hero, collapsing just moments after rescuing several people from a burning apartment building in 1952. But for nearly six decades, Minich's body has lain in an unmarked grave, until yesterday. Thanks to one of those he saved -- a baby still in her mother's womb at the time -- a granite headstone decorated with a Fire Department logo was dedicated at the site.
One night last month, Russell, who was unable to sleep, climbed out of bed and sat down at his computer to do some late night eBay searching. Russell, who lives in Southland, Texas, says that every so often he'd do a search for his 1967 Austin Healey, a beloved sports car that was stolen in 1970.
The community of Laramie, Wyoming came together with strangers across the US in a touching tribute to a US soldier killed overseas who never got the chance to finish a project which was to become a meaningful gift for his wife -- the restoration of a 1959 Chevy truck.
The funeral of a 28-year-old waiter in southern Egypt turned into a celebration when he woke up after being declared dead.
After a massive tornado hit Joplin, Missouri last year, thousands of families whose homes were destroyed lost their most treasured mementos. But thanks to the dedication and hard work of Abi Almandinger, tornado survivors have been reunited with thousands of old photographs that were blown away with the wind and found by strangers. Her webpage, Joplin's Found Photos, acts as a clearinghouse for photos that had been been blown away by the storm.
A West Vancouver bus driver and passengers on an express bus to Horseshoe Bay are being hailed as Good Samaritans after they stepped up to get a woman to Nanaimo to see her dying mother on Mother's Day.
No relative or friend proved to be a suitable donor match for Michael Andrade's mom. Weeks dragged on, with Lucy on a waiting list, while her condition grew visibly worse. Michael decided they needed to cast a wider net, and do everything he could to find a donor. Under the headline "Please help us find a liver donor," he added a grainy photo of himself as a boy on his mom's lap and wrote a detailed appeal on a Tumblr blog post.
Since 9/11, more than 2 million service people have been deployed overseas. But the strain of long-distance relationships makes the moment when families are finally reunited that much sweeter. A Memorial Day TV special on Nat Geo channel reveals the emotional back-stories behind the best surprise soldier homecoming videos.
While a British couple was saving for and planning their dream wedding, the groom was suddenly diagnosed with throat cancer. All their income had to be funneled toward medical expenses. They could no longer afford a beautiful wedding. When the bride-to-be saw her fiance's health quickly deteriorating, she reached out on Facebook asking for donations. People's generosity was overwhelming.
Tornado survivors in Woodward, Okla., are proving that even in the midst of devastation, treasures can be found and hope can be restored. Over the weekend, disastrous, tornadoes tore through the Midwest, killing six. One family barely got away before their house was completely destroyed. Mom had been watching TV with her wedding ring on the table.
A painting - nearly five centuries old and worth millions - that was taken by the Nazis in World War II has been returned to the heirs of its original Jewish owner by U.S. officials. Also, the former neighbor of a Dutch Holocaust survivor traveled to the United States to hand-deliver two sets of china, dishes that her family left behind before they were led to Auschwitz.
Last fall, Texana Hollis, 101, was evicted from her Detroit home after almost 60 years. A Good Samaritan from church took her in, while others tried to find funding to get her foreclosed home back. Unfortunately the building was in bad condition and condemned as not fit to live in, especially for the wheelchair bound great-grandmother. But, now her house is being given back to her – in better shape than ever – thanks to Detroit resident Mitch Albom, the best selling author of Tuesdays with Morrie and his charity for the homeless, S.A.Y. Detroit.
On March 17, a triumphant 65-year-old mountain climber from Utah reached the tallest peak of Mount Kosciuszko in Australia, making her the oldest woman in the world to have reached the summit of the highest mountains on each of the world's seven continents.
The Supreme Court heard arguments last week about the fate of 2,500 offenders who were sentenced as teenagers to life in prison without the possibility of parole. A few blocks away, family members of their victims came together quietly to support the opportunity for young wrongdoers to eventually seek rehabilitation outside of prison.
In honor of Valentine's Day, the 573 love letters between Elizabeth Barrett and her future husband, fellow poet Robert Browning, are available online for the first time, revealing their courtship, their blossoming love and their forbidden marriage.
After many years of searching for his life's purpose, James Smith, 22, finally discovered his passion in the world of art, using spray paint, ink and acrylics in combination with black lights to create neon explosions of color. But the opportunities required an infusion of cash to keep up with the demand for more art work and supplies. His mother, a Reverand, prayed for help. That very night it was delivered.
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