Long Lost Brothers Find They Are Neighbors

These stories never cease to amaze me. Hearing about siblings that have reunited is always fantastic...but when they turn out to be neighbors or coworkers, it's reminiscent of Hollywood. Here is the recent story of a pair of brothers in Canada:

After years of trying to find each other, two long-lost Newfoundland brothers have discovered they live just metres apart in Corner Brook.

"He was across the road. I could not believe it. That was crazy. It took me about three hours to get up the nerve to call," said Tommy Larkin, 30.

Larkin and his brother, Stephen Goosney, 29, were adopted as children by separate families. Larkin grew up in a happy family in Cook's Harbour, on Newfoundland's Northern Peninsula.

Goosney grew up a few hundred kilometres south, in Woody Point.

Both Larkin and Goosney spent years searching for their biological family but had no luck, until they received help from Newfoundland and Labrador's Post Adoption Services agency.

On March 25, the brothers found out they have been living on the same street in Corner Brook, western Newfoundland, for the past two years.

"[Finding him in] Newfoundland would have been really exceptional … but across the road is something amazing," said Goosney.

> Read the full story here at CBC News

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Surfer Paddles 40 Miles for Breast Cancer & is Joined by Whale

This story of surfer Jodie Nelson's 40-mile journey to raise money to fight breast cancer would have been amazing enough on it's own...but wait:

18 miles into the paddle, Jodie had a close encounter with a 30-foot minke whale, which are fairly rare for the waters but are known to be friendly and docile. She dubbed him Larry and watched as he blew bubbles beneath her, fluked, and showed her his belly. The whale stayed with Jodie for about an hour and a half. "It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life," she said.

According to Ray Hsieh from the Crow's Nest Boat Center, who was driving Jodie's support boat, "I've been boating and fishing all my life and have never seen anything like what I saw today. It was so strange, I actually called my friends at Sea World to ask them if it was normal, and they said, 'It's your lucky day! That whale is just playing. Sit back and enjoy the show.' So I did."

> Read more here

> Check out Jodie's site "Paddle with a Purpose" (some great videos and pictures there - you can also donate to the cause too.)

Her goal was to raise $50,000 - she's raised over $100,000 so far!

Dad Rescues 2 Year-Old Daughter After She Falls in River

As a father this story both scares the bejesus out of me and makes me happy at the same time.

A California dad dived into the frigid East River and rescued his 2-year-old daughter Saturday after she plunged 20 feet from a historic boat docked at the South Street Seaport.

Witnesses heard a splash, then a terrifying scream.

A moment later, the father, David Anderson, was racing down the deck of the four-masted Peking ship, emptying his pockets along the way.

"He jumped in like a scene out of a movie," said Eric Stringer, 34. "He was pulling things out of his pockets as he was running down the steps. He didn't hesitate."

Once he reached the pier, the frantic father flicked off his shoes and bolted over a fence. Witnesses said he then gazed into the water. His daughter, identified by sources as Bridgette Sheriden, was below the surface.

"He jumped in feet first like a pin," said Stringer, a freelance TV producer from Hicksville, L.I. "He went all the way under, and when he came up, he had her in his arms.

"She was motionless, at first. It was a couple of seconds, and then she started crying."

The crowd of onlookers gasped in relief. (NY Daily News)

> Read the Full Story & Watch a Video Recap

* Thanks to Greatdad.com for the tip on this story.

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Help Ardita = the Power of One

I came across this story in Madison's free alt-weekly and it's pretty amazing. I hope you are touched by it too and are inspired to take action. It's truly a story about the "power of one - one community, one family and one little girl."

Ardita Bilalli has been called a miracle child. After her premature birth, in war-torn Kosovo, she came to the United States in 2001 seeking medical treatment for a spinal condition. She was two years old.

After receiving treatment in Chicago, Ardita came to Madison; she's attended Elvehjem Elementary since early childhood. Now age 10 and in the fifth grade, Ardita suffers from spina bifida, among other serious health problems. She uses a wheelchair and is often in pain.

"I've cried a lot, and it's been hard," says Ardita, who over the years has had nine major operations. "There have been many surgeries, but it's fun here, and I've been with some really nice people."

Now Ardita faces what could be her toughest challenge. At the end of the current school year, she must return to Kosovo, where her future is less secure. She and her mother, Shemsije, have twice extended their visas to allow for Ardita's continual medical care, but have been denied further refuge in the U.S. They worry that Ardita may not be able to get the medications and care she needs in Kosovo.

"I just wish she could get the documents to stay," says Shemsije. "I wish there was another way."

Ardita and her mother came to Chicago in 2001 with the help of a Madison-based uncle, Gani Ahmetaj. He arranged for her to receive treatment at Shriners Hospital. Ardita's father, Sami, has remained in Kosovo, having been denied permission to leave. Says Shemsije, "My husband has tried to come and hasn't been able to."

While Ardita looks forward to reuniting with her father, the village in Kosovo to which she's scheduled to return in June has spotty electricity and unsafe water, which may exacerbate her medical conditions.

But there may be a glimmer of hope. Ardita has won the hearts of her classmates in Madison, and a group of concerned moms at Elvehjem Elementary School are taking up her cause. They have contacted lawyers and international experts and are now raising funds to ensure that Ardita has a fighting chance when she heads home.

> Read more about Ardita and this story here (The Isthmus)

Want to do something? Visit helpardita.com to learn more and/or you can also send money to:

Help Ardita Fund
Associated Bank
608-259-4275
4407 Cottage Grove Rd.
Madison, WI 53716