It takes a special sort of someone to donate a portion of an organ to a person in need. The gift is even more generous if the recipient is someone the giver hasn't ever met. Sandy Flash, a resident of New York, is just such a person, having selflessly donated a portion of her liver without even knowing who the recipient would be. She would later come to learn that her courage and generosity saved the life of a one-year-old boy named Sonny, and the moment they met is melting hearts across the internet. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cleveland Clinic (@clevelandclinic) Facing a rare and life-threatening condition Sonny was born a healthy baby, but within months, his family faced a devastating diagnosis: biliary atresia. This rare condition blocks bile ducts in the liver, leading to liver damage. Doctors attempted to treat Sonny with the Kasai procedure, a surgery designed to reroute bile flow. But like many children with biliary atresia, Sonny's condition worsened. By his first birthday, he was battling end-stage liver disease, and his family learned he would need a liver transplant to survive. "When they tell you your child needs a transplant, you start thinking, ‘How are we going to get this organ?’" — Katie White, Sonny's mom A stranger's extraordinary decision Meanwhile, Sandy Flash had already decided to become a living organ donor. Her husband’s own liver transplant at Cleveland Clinic had inspired her to give back in the most profound way. With a trusted team led by Dr. Choon Hyuck David Kwon, Director of Minimally Invasive Liver Surgery at Cleveland Clinic, Sandy underwent a rigorous screening process to ensure her safety and compatibility as a donor. Sandy’s procedure was performed laparoscopically, a minimally invasive technique that reduced her recovery time and postoperative pain. In May 2023, Sandy learned she would be donating a portion of her liver to Sonny, a child she’d never met but whose life depended on her gift. "Next to having my own children, this is the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done." — Sandy Flash A life-saving transplant According to the Cleveland Clinic, Sonny’s condition had reached a critical point by the time the transplant was scheduled. He was battling end-stage liver disease, and his other organs were beginning to show signs of strain. The transplant, led by Dr. Koji Hashimoto, Director of Liver Transplantation at Cleveland Clinic, gave Sonny a new chance at life. The small portion of Sandy’s liver transplanted into Sonny’s body will grow as he grows, allowing him to live without the devastating effects of biliary atresia. The recovery process was not without challenges, but Sonny soon began thriving. He returned home to his family and, over the following months, caught up on milestones he’d missed, becoming a bubbly, active toddler. "As of today, Sonny’s so happy and bubbly. You wouldn't even know he’s gone through everything he did." — Katie White A meeting filled with gratitude In July 2024, after both Sandy and Sonny had recovered, the two families met for the first time at Cleveland Clinic. Sandy didn’t know much about the child whose life she had saved, and Sonny’s family was eager to thank the stranger who had changed their world. The moment Sonny toddled over to Sandy with a bright smile on his face left everyone in tears. @clevelandclinic When Sandy Flash first saw Sonny’s bright smile, she knew her decision to become a living organ donor was worth it. Sonny’s mom, Katie White, was overwhelmed to meet the stranger who selflessly donated a portion of her liver to save her son. “Sandy gave a piece of herself to save my baby’s life. Organ donation is truly an unconditional gift,” says Katie. “Next to having my own children, this is the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done,” says Sandy. After Sonny was born, doctors diagnosed him with biliary atresia, which affects liver function. He would ultimately need a transplant. “When they tell you your child needs a transplant, you start thinking, ‘How are we going to get this organ?’ Sonny’s Cleveland Clinic Children’s team mentioned all the potential options, including an anonymous living donor,” says Katie. When becoming a living organ donor, Sandy didn’t know who she’d end up helping but felt called to do it after her husband, Jim, needed a liver transplant. In 2022, Sandy and Jim traveled from where they live in Western New York to our main campus in Cleveland, Ohio, for his transplant. Later, when Sandy ultimately decided to become a living donor, she knew she wanted to come back. She decided to donate a portion of her liver’s left lobe. Up to two-thirds of the liver can be safely removed as long as the tissue is healthy and able to regenerate. The portion of the liver transplanted will grow with the child’s body. In May 2023, Sandy and Sonny were matched and their surgeries were scheduled. Sandy is thankful she underwent her procedure laparoscopically, or minimally invasive, as it cut down on her recovery time. Once 1-year-old Sonny reached a good place in his recovery, they met for the first time. “It was amazing to see this beautiful, energetic boy with a huge smile. When it comes to organ donation, I think many people, like me, don't think about it until it touches you personally. I’m sharing my story to hopefully inspire others to consider becoming a living organ donor,” says Sandy. Katie adds, “This weight lifted off our shoulders when we met. I felt a sense of relief being able to see the person who saved my baby’s life.” ♬ original sound - clevelandclinic "It was amazing to see this beautiful, energetic boy with a huge smile on his face," Sandy recalled. "I asked what his name was and when Katie said Sonny, I thought, ‘Perfect.’" The case for living organ donation Living organ donation provides a unique opportunity to save a life, often with better outcomes than transplants from deceased donors. Organizations like the American Transplant Foundation and Mayo Clinic emphasize the importance of this option, highlighting the shorter wait times and higher success rates it offers.via GIPHY For Sandy, the experience was life-changing: "The rewards of the experience, knowing that you helped someone in dire need, are incredibly fulfilling." Sonny’s story serves as a testament to the life-changing power of organ donation, and his family hopes their journey inspires others to consider becoming donors.

You wouldn’t think a story involving AI and phone scams would be a positive one…but life is full of unexpected surprises. O2, the UK’s largest mobile network operator, recently launched Daisy, technically spelled “dAIsy,” a voice-based AI chatbot who sounds like an elderly woman. And this robot grandma has one mission and one mission only: waste phone scammers time. As many of us know, phone scammers notoriously target the elderly, hoping they’ll have a perfectly exploitable combination of naivety and a lack of tech savviness. Which makes sweet ol’ dAIsy the perfect scambait. Little do these fraudsters know, they are in for a mind numbingly meandering, never-ending conversation with dAIsy—a tactic many real life folks have adopted to give scammers their comeuppance. And even if and when dAIsy can’ avoid giving personal information, it’s completely fake. The video below shows just how effective dAIsy is at her job. At one point we hear a frustrated scammer on the other line shout “IT’S BEEN AN HOUR!” To which dAIsy quips, “oh how time flies.” brilliant. Of course the best part is when she nearly gives someone an aneurysm just by calling them “dear” repeatedly. - YouTube www.youtube.com Of course, we know that voice-based AI can, and has, been used for nefarious purposes as well. And scammers are quickly learning how to adopt this technology for their own scheme—giving convincing portrayals of distressed grandchildren and overly generous CEOs. But the great thing about dAIsy is that she not only doles out a bit of karmic justice, she also helps O2 discover common scammer tactics, which can, in turn help them create better protections moving forward. And this is the important takeaway. Ideally we would be able to shut down these fraudulent organizations outright, but they are constantly adapting. Thankfully companies like O2 are making efforts to stay ahead of the game to make that goal more of a reality. Plus, what a fun way to deliver justice. This is a great example of how AI, for all its inherent flaws, can be used for good. Plus we all love stories about delightful grannies beating the bad guys.

In the age of social media, it’s easy for moms to feel bad about themselves. Given the “positivity bias” of social media, parents are much more likely to share idealized pictures of their families that make everyone else feel like they’re the only ones who don’t have it together. A study published in “Computers in Human Behavior” found that being confronted with “idealized motherhood” can increase anxiety and put unnecessary pressure on your mental health.“And interestingly, it didn’t matter if the idealized portrayal was from a social media influencer [a “mommy influencer”] or an average Instagram user [an “everyday mom”],” the study’s author Dr. Ciera E. Kirkpatrick writes. “Idealized content from either of these sources had the same negative effect—indicating that anyone putting out idealized motherhood content like this can have harmful effects on new moms. It’s not just a problem with influencers,” Dr. Kirkpatrick continues. See on Instagram One stay-at-home mom is doing her best to make everyone feel better about the chaos that comes with having children. TikTokker Emily Feret has earned over 1 million followers on the platform because of her videos that aim to "normalize being normal."In one of her posts, she shows you what a “normal” person's fridge looks like. "You guys love these, I like to normalize being normal, life without the filter. So I'm gonna show you my fridge so you can feel better about yours,” Feret says in the video. @emilyjeanne333 THE FRIDGE #WorthTheWait #normalizechaos #normalizenormal #messyhouse #fridgetour #normal #nofilter #pinterestmom #hotmessmom In another video, she takes a walk through her house, "so you can feel better about yours." On her journey, she encounters a washing machine that doesn't work quite right, a bed that isn't made properly and a massive stack of toilet paper she keeps in her hallway.Feret also provides support for mothers who feel overwhelmed.“The mess isn’t going to go anywhere. You have young kids. You’re at home all the time. You’re living in your home. It’s going to look lived-in, and that’s okay,” she said. “Your kids are little. Enjoy them. Love them.”“I want you to know that you’re doing enough by doing exactly what you’re doing right now,” she added. @emilyjeanne333 #stitch with @marandaarbo I don’t know you but I see you and I love you. Breathe mama #breatheinbreatheout #nornalizechaos #nornalizemess Feret told Parents what inspired her to share her home life on TikTok."I was watching all these videos and seeing all these pictures on social media of these picture-perfect houses and 'filtered lives,' and it was making me feel bad about my life," Feret told Parents. "I was not seeing any houses or moms that looked like me and my life. I wanted to show how my life is not at all like that and that you can be 'normal' and be doing a wonderful job even if your house is a mess and your kids are driving you crazy."Feret’s videos are clearly resonating with parents because she’s had over 38 million likes on TikTok. She can’t believe the success that she’s had being “normal” but is happy she can help mothers like herself.“All I have ever wanted to do is to help other people. The response has been overwhelming. I have people sending me gifts and celebrities commenting on my posts. It’s incredibly surreal,” she told Motherly. “I wanted other moms, and really anyone out there, that if their life does not look like an Instagram post it doesn’t mean you aren’t doing well.”This article originally appeared two years ago.

Something was wrong with our daughter. We'd seen the signs brewing for a while, but couldn't pinpoint their exact nature. She'd always been an easy-going kid, but sometimes she'd flat-out refuse to do certain things or go certain places, and she would panic if we tried to coax her. She had frequent dizzy spells and stomachaches with no apparent physical cause. If she heard someone we knew was sick, she'd immediately ask with a worried tone, "What kind of sick?" Those last two things should have been bigger clues, but we didn't have the clarity of hindsight. And as adolescence approached, she started experiencing more anxiety in general. She would back out of plans with friends more frequently. She spent more and more time in her bedroom. When I took her to orchestra practice—something she enjoyed—she couldn't make herself get out of the car to go in. We could see her trying to do things, but more and more she was paralyzed by a fear she couldn't name. It was clear she was struggling with anxiety and we tried a couple of different therapists. They each helped a little, at least to keep the spiral from getting worse. But we seemed to be missing something.It began dawning on me how often she talked about feeling nauseous. I took note of how many times she'd ask us if food was OK to eat and how frequently she'd refuse to eat certain things. She obsessively checked every bite of meat to make sure it looked cooked enough, and if her stomach felt the slightest bit off, she wouldn't eat at all. If a character in a movie or TV show gave any indication that they were about to vomit, she'd hop up and leave the room. If she found out someone had a stomach bug, she'd hole herself up in her bedroom. And so we started piecing it together."I've noticed that most of your anxiety seems to be centered around you worrying about throwing up," I said to her one day. "Does that sound accurate?" She flinched when I said, "throwing up," but nodded "yes." As a shot in the dark, I googled "intense fear of throwing up," and found the clinical term that would change everything: emetophobia.Emetophobia (also called specific phobia of vomiting, or SPOV) is a pathological fear of throwing up. In scientific literature, it is often referred to as an "understudied" or "underresearched" disorder, but there is a growing consensus that it is surprisingly common. One study found that up to 3% of men and 7% of women are affected by it. No one loves throwing up, of course, but when it becomes an actual phobia it can be incredibly debilitating. For our daughter and other emetophobes, throwing up is the most terrifying thing that could happen to them. My daughter has said if she were given the choice between throwing up and dying, she's not sure which she'd choose. Totally irrational, but that's what makes it a disorder. Sometimes emetophobia is a PTSD response to a traumatic vomiting episode, but often—as in our daughter's case—there's no clear cause. But the why is less important than the what and the how to treat it. People with emetophobia are basically afraid of their own bodies. Many phobias are situational—people don't generally freak out about heights or spiders or small spaces unless they're in or around those situations—but a person can't avoid or escape their own body. There are no breaks, no periods of relief from the fear. And the biggest triggers for emetophobia—food and other people—are also unavoidable, which makes it a particularly challenging disorder.We all know that anything we eat has the possibility of giving us food poisoning—we know it's rare, so we take reasonable precautions and don't worry about it. Emetophobes do worry about it. All the time. They check expiration dates obsessively. They ask for reassurance that food is safe to eat. (I can't count how many times our daughter has asked us to smell or taste something that is not the least bit old.) Obviously, they can't not eat, but they often start limiting their diets to things they deem "safe."Additionally, in an emetophobe's brain, pretty much every normal stomach sensation—hunger, digestion, gas—gets interpreted as nausea. And if they think they're nauseous, they won't eat. Such disordered eating can easily be misdiagnosed as anorexia nervosa, though it's a totally different illness. People are another big trigger. Any person we interact with could have a stomach bug and not know it yet, which they could pass along to us. Again, we all know this, but we understand the chance is small, so we don't worry about it. Emetophobes do worry about it, incessantly, to the point of avoiding people and places where people will be, which is basically everywhere except their own personal living space. Hence the spiral into reclusiveness, which can easily be mistaken for agoraphobia. The compulsive food checking, the frequent hand washing and the avoidance of certain things that go along with emetophobia also look a lot like OCD. (And indeed, as my daughter's therapist explained, emetophobia is a form of obsession.) All of these things make diagnosis tricky, especially since emetophobes won't usually walk into a therapist's office and say, "Hey, I'm deathly afraid of throwing up." They often avoid all words related to vomit and won't talk about it, so they speak in vague terms about their fear, which can lead to an initial diagnosis of generalized anxiety. Getting the correct diagnosis is vital, however, to getting the right kind of treatment.Before we found a therapist who knew how to treat emetophobia, we utilized a website called emetophobiahelp.org. It's run by therapist Anna Christie, who suffered from emetophobia herself, and it's an excellent starting place for self-help. One of the first things the website suggested was to have my daughter look at this: V * * * * Not the word "vomit," just the first letter with the rest of the letters as stars. That's how avoidant many emetophobes are about anything involving the idea of throwing up. We added one letter at a time—just looking at them, not even saying the word—until she worked up to reading the whole word, then saying it out loud until she could do it with minimal discomfort, then saying synonyms—puke, barf, upchuck, and so on. The day my daughter could say "vomit" and "puke" without hesitation was a huge milestone. Incremental exposure like that, eventually leading up to watching videos of people vomiting and pretending to throw up yourself, is one part of treatment. (Successful treatment doesn't require actually throwing up, by the way. Nor is vomiting a cure for the phobia. It's common for people to think, "Oh, if they just throw up and see it's not that bad, then they'll get over it," but that's not how it works. Generally speaking, an emetophobe vomiting without undergoing the mental changes needed to process it will not resolve the phobia.)The other part of treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This is the retraining of the brain to manage the fearful thoughts. There are various elements of this part of treatment, including learning how the amygdala—the fear center in your brain—works and how to purposefully interact with it. Through various thought-feeling-behavior exercises, you learn how to diffuse the fear and stop inadvertently reinforcing it. (There's some evidence that EMDR can also be helpful for people with emetophobia.)As her parents, we had to learn how the behaviors we thought were helping our daughter actually weren't. Telling her over and over again that food was fine seemed like the logical counter to her repeated requests for reassurance, but really, we were reinforcing her need for reassurance, which then reinforced the anxiety. We had to learn to tell her once, and only once, that something smelled or tasted fine and then stop responding. We had become avoidant of talking about vomit in front of her because it seemed so traumatizing—that wasn't helpful either. So much of what we've learned in treating emetophobia is counterintuitive. That's true of treating most anxiety disorders, but with emetophobia, the behaviors are so specific it's important to find a therapist who understands how to treat it. It also can be hard to find a therapist who is familiar with it. Most we have called have never heard of it or never treated it. Anna Christie's website is a good place to start your search. It has a list of therapists who specialize in treating emetophobia. She also has recommendations for finding a therapist if there aren't any on her list near you. We're in a rough time for finding therapists right now, though, as so many are booked out for months and aren't accepting new patients.For self-help, an incredibly helpful book also came out last year. It has been a lifeline for my daughter, as her therapist moved out of state and we have struggled to find another to complete her treatment. "The Emetophobia Manual" by Ken Goodman, L.C.S.W. is basically a whole course of therapy in book form, complete with exercises and exposures. It's so good, I can't recommend it highly enough.The good news is, emetophobia is treatable and there are more and more resources available for people who suffer from it. But it starts with getting the correct diagnosis, which is often the hardest part of the process. This article originally appeared two years ago.

Imagine you're hiking out in the red rocks of Moab, Utah, or taking a stroll down the beach in Key West, Florida, when you come across a gorgeous piece of glazed pottery. No one is around, just a beautiful, hand-carved bowl sitting with an envelope next to it that reads:FREE ARTThis bowl was left here for someone to find and keep. If it doesn't speak to you, leave it for someone else to find, or take it and give it to a friend. I only ask that it be enjoyed, and if you like, you can let me know where it ends up. (Contact details inside.)Love, KimKim Press is an artist from Texas who shares her pieces under the name Sailing Adrift Studios. When she travels, she takes a piece with her to leave for a random, unsuspecting person to find. Lucky wanderers in 36 states and two countries have come across Press' pottery "free art drops" and gotten to take home an unexpected artistic treasure from their own travels. And these aren't any old bowls. Check out how absolutely stunning these pieces are: See on Instagram See on Instagram Press recently shared a video highlighting some of the pieces she's dropped, and every single one of them would be an incredible gift. "To say that I am proud of these numbers is an understatement," she wrote. "In my wildest dreams, I could never imagine how much taking a pottery class and playing in mud would change my life…. And it just goes to show that if you travel far enough, eventually you will find yourself." See on Instagram People who find Press' pottery let her know where the pieces ended up, and half the fun of it is seeing how far they travel. She put a page on her website where she shares the pieces' "found" stories, such as the bowl she left in Santa Monica, California, making its home in Spain, a bowl she left in Tucson finding its way to China and a piece found in Pennsylvania ending up in Mexico. Sometimes she leaves them in hiking spots in the wilderness. Sometimes she drops them in the middle of a city. Some pieces have stayed in the states she dropped them and others have traveled across the country or the world. People who have found them have shared how much joy their discovery brought them:"Just wanted to drop you a note to say that I picked up your 'Free Art' in the park in Fairhope during my last day of my Snowbird stay (January and February) in Orange Beach. While I was in Orange Beach, a dear friend fell and broke her hip and I wanted to get her something to take back. When I say your beautiful bowl, I knew it would touch her heart. Thank you so much for your generosity. She absolutely loved it." See on Instagram "Dear Kim , Today I found a wonderful surprise, we were at Ft. Zach for my grandson's 5th birthday party and found this on our table, my first thought was ..why is this here? Then I read the card and was speechless... How incredibly lucky I am to have such a precious gift. You are an amazing , talented person. Thank you so much , this will be something I will pass on to my grandchildren. I wish you nothing but the best!""Found this incredible gem today. It makes me happy how people are so passionate about their gifts and talents that they would want to share it with the world. Thank you."Some people have even started looking for the pieces when Press does an art drop announcement, alerting friends and family if the drop is near where they live. A woman who found a bowl in Boise, Idaho, wrote: "My friend follows you and today she shared your profile with our friend group. We all followed your page and on my way home from work she called me and sent me on an adventure. I squealed when I found it. Thank you so much!! Keep on keeping on."And a group in Lago Vista, Texas, shared:“Our out of state guests were about to do a polar plunge in our pool when they saw your post and decided to go art drop hunting instead... so exciting!!!”Everyone who found pieces shared how much gratitude they felt upon finding them.Check out the Sailing Adrift Studios website to see where Press has left her free art so far, and follow her on Facebook and Instagram to see where the next art drop happens.Thank you, Kim Press, for bringing joy not only to the people who happen upon your artwork, but also to those of us living vicariously through them. (I really need one of those bowls!) This article originally appeared two years ago.

The darkest side of himself. The post “Going down there”: The album Neil Young called his most depressing first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

The heart of rock and roll relatability. The post “Came out later”: The artist that shaped Bruce Springsteen’s songwriting first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

from The Gateway Pundit: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

by Rhoda Wilson, Expose News: “When a country or a state legalises assisted suicide or euthanasia, it can no longer call itself anti-suicide, because it specifically approves some suicides … It’s a very dangerous movement that is normalising this kind of approach to dying as opposed to natural death,” Welsey J. Smith said. In Tuesday’s […]