Pizza Man Saves Life During Delivery

Serendipity? Pretty amazing story from Colorado:

A man in Lakewood [Col.] is alive, thanks to a pizza deliveryman."The pizza guy saved his life," said Kami Linn, the wife of George Linn. "Every doctor and nurse has told me that."George Linn and his family moved to Lakewood July 9. Linn was having heart problems and was hospitalized last week. He was released on Wednesday.

On Friday night, the Linn family called for pizza. About an hour later, Linn collapsed."We are just talking and all of a sudden George said, 'Oh no,' grabs his neck and collapses onto the floor," said Kami.Kami said she had just dialed 911 when the doorbell rang."I don't know why, but I open the door [to] some burly-looking dude and I was like, 'Help me, come help me,'" Kami said. "I didn't care if it was a scrawny teenager. I am like, 'Get in here,' and [the pizza guy] is like, 'I am a paramedic.'"

"He runs in and immediately does CPR on George who has gone into cardiac arrest and has died," said Kami. "He revived him and got him to breathe again."The pizza deliveryman, Chris Wuebben, recently took the job at Johnny's New York Pizza in Lakewood. His boss said Wuebben had also just recently moved to Denver and was delivering pizzas until he found a job as a paramedic. Before that, Wuebben was an Emergency Medical Technician in the military and had just returned from Iraq. The CPR Wuebben peformed worked.

"By the time he had him revived the other paramedics came and took over and said if is wasn't for the pizza guy, who I found out later was Chris, George would have died," Kami said.Linn's fight isn't over yet. He is in the intensive care unit at Swedish Medical Center. He has an infection in his lungs that is making his heart weak and beat erratically. Once that is tackled, his wife said he should be fine.

"This only happens in movies. I don't know, whatever you want to believe, but I know that things are going to be OK because that never happens," Kami said. (from ABC7News Denver)

> Watch a video of the story here.

> Read more coverage on this story from Reuters

* Thanks to my friend Jill W. for sharing this great story about her hero nephew on Facebook!

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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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Haitian Siblings Survive Earthquake & Meet Adopted Parents

> Read More about the Haehre Family

> Support Relief & Development in Haiti through the Red Cross

A Christmas Miracle: Mother & Baby "Died" Then Revived

Warning: This story is goose-bump inducing and awe inspiring. Enjoy and Happy New Year!

In what is being hailed as a Christmas "miracle," a young mother died during labor with a still-born baby on Christmas Eve but both mom and baby came back to life just minutes later, before the eyes of the nearly heartbroken, stunned father.

> Read more about this story here

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Top 10 "Happiest Endings" of the Last Decade

Newsweek has put together a myriad of top 10 lists of the last decade, but this one is my favorite - the top 10 happiest endings.

All are goose-bump inducing and wonderful....and sublime :)

Here is the full list with links to the well written overviews:

1. Miracle on the Hudson
2. Rescue of Euna Lee and Laura Ling
3. Rescued Miners in Pennsylvania
4. 2004 Red Sox Victory
5. Captain Phillips’ Rescue
6. Subway Hero Wesley Autrey
7. Ashley Smith Robinson
8. Martin Tankleff’s Release From Prison
9. Aron Ralston’s Survival Story
10. Elizabeth Smart

> Read past rescue stories at Sublime Goodness

Rescuing Baby Ducks from a Pool - Video

Something cutesy to start the week:



Glad that some people are nice enough to try to get them out and also I like that the mama duck picks up on it quickly.

I also didn't know ducks could quack that much.

* Thanks to Angela for passing the video on!

5-Year-Old Daughter Climbs Ravine to Save Mother

This story gave me goosebumps:

A 5-year-old Canadian girl saved her mother’s life after their truck drove off a cliff. Nikki Butler, 30, was driving through the Rocky Mountains with her daughter Mary when their truck skidded on black ice, flipped over the guardrail, and rolled four times before coming to rest at the foot of a steep embankment. Unable to wake her unconscious mother, Mary unbuckled her seat belt, crawled out the rear passenger window, and climbed 150 feet back to the road where she flagged down a passing truck. “I needed to save my mom,” said Mary, “because I love my mom.” Mary was not hurt and her mother suffered only minor injuries. (from The Week)

I want to give that kid the biggest high-five in the world.

> Read More about the Rescue Here

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Man Rescues Flood Victims Just Like Father

Heroism must run in this family. Check this out:

As the 37-year-old Douglasville, Georgia, man [Zack Stephney] set out September 22 to try and save a woman whose car was swept away by rushing waters, he thought of his father's drowning. He, too, had fought to rescue people struggling against currents.

That was in 1979.

Tommie Stephney, a City of Atlanta employee, dove into the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta, Georgia, to save canoeists who'd flipped their boat, his son said. He safely brought two to shore. The third, he said, panicked -- forcing them both under. It would be a week before his father's body was found.

A week later, the death toll in Georgia from the floods was 10. Standing along the fence still tangled with weeds and debris, Stephney peered down at Brooks' mucked-up car, knowing that number could have been higher....

"It could've happened to me the same way it did my dad," Stephney said.

The "what ifs" keep spinning through his head:

What if her window hadn't been down?

What if they 'd never spotted her?

What if she'd failed to stay calm?

Mixed in are thoughts about his father, a man he in many ways struggles to remember.

What Stephney did was not unlike the countless heroic efforts that played out in disaster areas during the flood. First responders and regular citizens risked their own lives to save others.

But he had something else pushing him, the kind of inspiration rooted in family legacy. And without a doubt, Tommie Stephney would have been proud of his boy.

> Read the full amazing story here at CNN

Eerie. Also, if you read the story, you'll find out that he showered and then put in a full day's work. I would think it would be hard to concentrate after such an adrenaline rush!

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Teenage Girl Only Survivor of Plane Crash into Indian Ocean

This is both a sad story and an uplifting story. On the one hand, 152 people are most likely not to be found alive because of a plane crash this week into the Indian Ocean. But on the other, by some divine twist of fate or miraculous occurrence, 14-year-old Bahia Bakari was found in the water where the plane went down...the plane's sole survivor. Here is the deal:

Bahia Bakari clung to wreckage in shark-infested waters for more than 13 hours after being ejected from the doomed jet.

The 14-year-old, who cannot swim and did not have a lifebelt, was alone in the water from 1.30am as bodies and debris floated past. Her mother was among the dead.

It was not until 3pm that rescuers saw her bobbing up and down in the Indian Ocean.

She waved as they shone a torch from their boat but was unable to grasp a life ring and was hauled aboard.

Bahia, shivering uncontrollably and suffering a broken collarbone, cuts, bruises and hypothermia, was given hot water and sugar before being taken to hospital.

Surgeon Ben Imani said: “Her health is not in danger. She is very calm given the shock she has suffered.”

Bahia sat up for photographers but under French privacy laws we are not allowed to show her face.

Bahia’s father Kassim Bakari, who had waved off his family in Paris, has spoken to her by phone about her incredible survival.Mr Bakari, from Marseille, said: “She felt nothing and was found in the water. She was ejected. She was found beside the plane. I never thought she would get out like that. It’s the good Lord who wanted it.”

In a radio interview, he said: “I’m astonished. I’m grieving for my wife but I am stunned and amazed Bahia is alive. She’s a very timid girl. I never thought she would escape like that.” He added: “She’s pleading to see her mother. Who is going to tell her? I don’t know who is going to tell her that. I can’t tell her.”

Alain Joyandet, the French minister for international co-operation, visited Bahia in hospital in the Comoros capital of Moroni.

He said: “It’s a true miracle. She showed incredible strength. She is physically out of danger but is very traumatized.”

> Read more at mirror.co.uk

Wow. I can't even imagine what the rest of her life will be like. What is it like to live your life after you nearly lost yours?

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Nursing School Student Saves Dean's Life at Graduation

"Not your typical rescue story" is what I first thought reading this. Instead, a powerful story of second chances. Here is the deal:

Charity Townsend Caldwell wasn't even going to go to her own graduation that day, but a friend talked her into it at the last minute.

As the new nursing graduate hustled out of the rain into the DeSoto Civic Center on May 2 and saw a crowd gathered around a man, her instincts kicked in.

"I'm a nurse," she called as she pushed through people, got down on the floor in her heels and her half-zipped graduation gown and checked for a pulse. The man's breathing was shallow. Then his pulse stopped.

"All I was thinking is, 'I only have three minutes to get the blood flowing to his brain,'" she said.

Caldwell, 35, began chest compressions, an act she had only performed once before and an act she was later told saved the life of Southwest Tennessee Community College's Dean of Health Sciences, Glen Swinny.

"He really wouldn't have made it, we don't think, without Charity," said Provost Joanne Bassett. "It was just amazing to see a little angel working in front of us."

Swinny was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto. He had suffered a heart attack and his arteries were 90 percent blocked. He had double-bypass surgery two days later.

Caldwell had never met Swinny, but she visited him in the hospital the day after his surgery.

"I couldn't recognize him at first, but when he looked at me, I knew his brown eyes," she said. "He hugged my neck, kissed me and said, 'Thank you so much.'"

School officials called Caldwell a heroine, but she views it differently.

"It was divine intervention for both of us," she said. "He let me know that I could do it."

It took a lot of perseverance and little bit of luck for Caldwell to reach the graduation ceremony that night.

As a single mother working full-time, Caldwell struggled for eight years to get her nursing degree. She began when her son was in kindergarten, taking one class at a time. After failing two classes, she was dismissed from the program.

"I was crushed," said Caldwell, who said she has always wanted to be a nurse.

When Southwest instituted a readmission policy in 2007 in response to the state's nursing shortage, she gave up her full-time job as a clinical reimbursement specialist at Smith & Nephew and started over.

In a letter to the school's president after graduation, Caldwell wrote: "I have no doubt that the second chance I was given to pursue my dream resulted in a second chance for Dean Swinny. To all of my instructors, classmates, friends and family, thank you for believing in me." (from Memphis' Commercial Appeal)

Watch the CNN Video:



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6 Year-Old Takes Wheel, Save Dad's Life

Another day, another courageous kid highlighted in Sublime Goodness! What's also eerie to me is it was only a month ago that I posted about an 8 year-old girl who took the wheel and saved herself and her grandmother. Here is Tustin's story from last week:

Philip Mains of North Platte, Neb., is usually able to control his diabetes. But while driving recently with his two young sons in his Chevy Avalanche, Mains’ blood-sugar level suddenly dropped, plunging him into unconsciousness. His 6-year-old, Tustin, immediately took the wheel and safely steered the vehicle, which was traveling at about 15 mph, until a police officer chased it down and threw the car into park. “I saw my dad fall asleep,” said Tustin, “and I climbed over the seat and got on my dad’s lap.” His dad is doing fine. (from the Week)

> Read more about the events here in the North Platte Telegraph

It should also be noted that "Tustin managed to do a pretty good job of driving the Avalanche. Phillip said there wasn't any significant damage to the vehicle and it appeared the only damage was a scrape that occurred when Tustin brushed the side of the bridge after he turned the vehicle around."

Wow. Great job Tustin! Your father should be proud. What an amazing and inspiring child.

Hero Cop Saves Toddler from Train & Inspires Children

I'm sure you might have seen this story on the news recently - it's pretty amazing (and in Wisconsin!). It's always great to hear about someone acting selflessly to save others. In case you missed it, here is the deal (if you know the scoop, just skip to the video below):

Monday's Memorial Day Parade in Elm Grove [WI] was canceled after an accident on the train tracks. But the tragedy could have been even worse if it weren't for the actions of a West Allis man and Elm Grove Police Officer John Krahn.

Tim Weiner was on his way to the parade when he saw a van get stuck between the gates on the train tracks on Juneau in Elm Grove. Inside the van was a 23-year old mother, Monica Partenfelder and her 2-year old son.

"She kind of panicked. I don't blame her. She probably didn't see where the train was coming from. You could hear it was getting close," Weiner said.

The wheels of the van were lodged on the tracks. She was trapped. That's when the boy's father, Scott Partenfelder, who was riding in a different car, raced to try to get the mother and son out in time. Witnesses say Officer John Krahn also came out of nowhere to help.

"I couldn't figure out why he wasn't getting away from the car. But I later found out there was a child in the back. So he was reaching in the back when the train hit the car. He was trying to get the child out. This guy is a hero," Weiner said.

The two men got the mother out of the van in time, but they couldn't get the 2-year old boy out of the car seat. The train smashed into the van, knocking the vehicle into both Partenfelder and Officer Krahn. Witnesses say even after the crash, Officer Krahn was only worried about the boy's safety.

"I ran over to the police officer, and his leg was pretty bad, and all he said to me was "Get the kid out of the van!" and he was screaming and yelling in pain," Weiner said.

The 2-year old was in the van when the train collided with it head on. Incredibly, the young boy wasn't hurt. Officer John Krahn, now in the hospital, is being praised for his actions.

"That cop, that guy's a hero as far as I'm concerned. He really didn't have to be there, he didn't have to do that. But he did," Weiner said. (from MSNBC)

I also really liked this video about Krahn's impact in a local elementary school where he children know him as the "D.A.R.E." cop. His heroic actions inspired some great discussion with the kids.

Watch:



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Dog Saves Owner's Life from Mountain Lion Attack

I'll never get tired of stories like this. When you watch the video, it's touching to see the owner's emotion for his dog (I would be grateful too!). Here is the deal:

They say dogs are man's best friend and one west coast pup certainly lived up to that title. An Orange County [Georgia] couple said they were hiking when a mountain lion came at them. The couple's beloved pet jumped into action.

William Morse said he and his wife, Candy, were hiking in Falcon Campground about 1:00 p.m. when he spotted a mountain lion approach.

That's when the couple's 5-year-old Labrador-chow mix, Hoagie, attacked the mountain lion and protected the couple.

The Morses said the attack lasted about 30 seconds. The mountain lion took off and William and Candy Morse were unharmed. Hoagie was severely injured. (from Fox Atlanta)

And here is the sublime end to this story (which isn't touched on in the CNN video below):

Candy Morse said they got Hoagie three years ago. Hoagie had been abused and the previous owner was going to have him put to sleep. The Morse family saved Hoagie and now Hoagie has returned the favor.

Isn't that amazing?

Watch the CNN video:



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8 Year-Old Girl Saves Self, Grandmother by Taking Wheel

I love stories like this for a few reasons. Wait, here is the deal:

CBS11 in Dallas / Forth Worth has the story about an 8-year-old girl who helped steer a car when her grandmother passed out.

Emma Hicks, 8, of Cleburne, a town south of Forth Worth, is being given a national award for doing a good deed. While she crashed her grandmothers SUV through a fence and into a shed, it was a crash that may have saved lives.
There's still damage visible at the site where Emma Hicks ride home from school ended. "On the way home my grandma, she blacked out," the little girl explained.

Emma's grandmother, Jeannie Mendoza, has to depend on her granddaughter's memory. "I turned on the corner and I told her [Emma] I felt funny and I was going to pull over," Jeannie recalled. "I pulled over a little bit and I don't remember anything after that."

Jeannie had a seizure while driving with her granddaughter. Emma said, "And her foot was on the gas pedal and then we were going." The two were racing down the road and heading toward danger.

Something had to be done, so little Emma took action. "I had to undo my seatbelt and I had to get in the front seat and I had to steer the truck. And then we came to a turn and I couldn't make it."

Until the incident, Emma's only driving experience was on her grandfather's lawnmower and tractor. It was a rocky ride for the courageous little girl. "So we went through a metal fence, a shed, and we hit some wood. And then the car stopped, but the doors were jammed on her side and my side. And so, I opened the window and I went to go get help." (from CBS News)

First, Emma Hicks saved herself and her grandmother...awesome. When faced with danger, she acted courageously.

More importantly will remember this event for the rest of her life when faced with perilous situations. She also inspired many around her, including those not around her...like me!

Watch the CNN Video:



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Another Hero Captain - "Captain Courageous"

A few months later, we have reason to celebrate another American Captain - Richard Philips. A selfless and heroic soul. Here is the scoop from the Early Show:

Appearing on CBS' The Early Show, Captain James Staples, a friend and former classmate of Richard Phillips at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, said the willingness of the captain of the Maersk Alabama to risk his own life to protect his crew did not surprise him at all.

"It's an amazing feeling to know that Richard's now safe. I can't even explain how happy I was when I heard this great news," Staples said.

In a move that surprised the pirates, crew members of the U.S.-flagged ship had put up a fight Wednesday when pirates boarded the cargo vessel. Somali pirates had become used to encountering no resistance when hijacking vessels in search of million-dollar ransoms.

The ship had been carrying food aid bound for Rwanda, Somalia and Uganda when the ordeal began Wednesday hundreds of miles off Somalia's eastern coast. As the pirates clambered aboard and shot in the air, Phillips told his crew to lock themselves in a cabin and surrendered himself to safeguard his men.

At the beginning of the tense standoff, the Maersk's crew actually held one of the pirates hostage, hoping to exchange him for their captive captain. But Phillips opted to be taken away by the bandits so that his crew would be freed.

Early Show anchor Harry Smith asked Staples about their experience and training at the Merchant Marine Academy and how it prepared Phillips for the hazardous region around the Horn of Africa.

"Well, surely he was taking all the precautions that he's been trained to do to keep the ship out of harm's way," Staples said. "It's just that every day at sea is a different day. And it just was probably a situation he was under and he just handled it marvelously."

Staples called his friend "Captain Courageous." [emphasis mine]

> Read more about what happened here.

Watch a video recap:



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Toddler Caught by Two Men After 40-Foot Fall from Window

Talk about being in the right place at the right time...and having the courage to do something wonderful:

Two men were being hailed as heroes by police on Monday for catching a toddler who fell 40 feet from a home's third-story window.

Robert Lemire told the North-Andover (Mass.) Eagle-Tribune newspaper that he was talking on his cell phone Sunday evening outside a pizza shop in Lawrence, about 25 miles north of Boston, when he saw the toddler dangling from a window across the street.

The 45-year-old father of two bolted across a busy street, where he met 23-year-old Alex Day, who had been inside the home at a Bible study meeting. Together, they caught the 18-month-old before she hit the ground.

> Read more at MSBNC

Watch the video recap:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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*Thanks to happytweets for the tip on this great story!

Fireman Dresses as Spider-Man to Rescue Boy

This was already posted in one of my favorite blogs, Operation Nice, yesterday, but it's such a great story that I couldn't resist sharing here. The fact that I used to be (used to? wink, wink..) such a big comic book nerd makes this story even better for me:

A Thai firefighter dressed as Spider-Man to rescue an autistic boy who climbed onto a third-floor balcony and dangled his legs over the side because he was nervous on his first day of school.

Firefighter Somchai Yoosabai was called in after the 11-year-old boy's teachers and mother failed to coax him off the ledge on Monday, he said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

"He was nervous about the first day at school, and he was asking for his mother," Somchai said. "He cried and refused to let any of us get close to him."

Overhearing a conversation between the boy's mother and his teachers about his love for comics and superheroes, Somchai rushed back to the fire station to change into a Spider-Man costume before swinging into action.

"I told him Spider-Man is here to save you. No monster will hurt you now," Somchai said. "Then I told him to walk slowly toward me. I was very nervous that he might have slipped if he got too excited and ran."

Somchai, who keeps costume of Spider-Man and a Japanese superhero Ultraman to liven up fire drills at schools, said the teary-eyed boy broke into a smile and started walking into his arms. (from MSNBC)

Dog Saves 9 People

Another great rescue story about a very special canine.

A pet's barks and cries alerted the occupants of a Western Slope [Colorado] home to a carbon-monoxide buildup this weekend and saved their lives, a family says.

Kenai, a 14-year-old Bernese mountain dog mix, started "whining and barking" at 4 a.m. Sunday, waking one of three adults sleeping in the basement of the New Castle home, said Kirstin Kraig of Arvada.

"We're sure glad she was there," Kraig said of Kenai, a friend's dog. "I truly believe that if it weren't for Kenai, we wouldn't all be here today."

Kraig and her husband, their two children, five other adults and four dogs were all using the home during a family-and-friends getaway weekend, Kraig said.

> Read the rest of the story here at the Denver Post

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* Hat tip to AmericanHumane on Twitter for the tip

Girl, Age 7, Had 6 Organs Taken out to Remove Tumor

All I can say is, if this story doesn't just break your heart and make you feel so happy and proud for the McNamara family, I don't know what to say. I want to give them all a hug:

Little Heather McNamara still has her priorities, even after having six organs removed so doctors could cut out a tennis ball-size tumor others had declared hopelessly "inoperable."

With a smile, the Long Island 7-year-old said all she wanted to do was "play with my dog ... and play with my sister."

Heather underwent 23 hours of groundbreaking surgery last month to remove the abdominal mass wrapped around crucial blood vessels and eating away at several vital organs.

Chemotherapy didn't work, and her parents, Tina and Joseph McNamara of Islip Terrace, were told by other surgeons that there was nothing left to do.... "We came here with no hope, and they gave us hope," said Tina McNamara.

"It's a miracle, it's the best day ever," she declared. (NY Daily News)

> Read more about Heather's Amazing Story

Amish Aid Neighbors in Storm

Here is a great story about being a good neighbor, even when your neighbor is a little "different."

When ice storms recently pummeled large portions of Kentucky, hundreds of thousands of people were left helpless and without power. But their Amish neighbors, who have lived all their lives without the benefits of electricity, came to their rescue. Amish families lent out kerosene lamps, cooked meals on wood-burning stoves, and provided advice about making do without modern appliances. “Best neigh­­bors we’ve ever had,” said 76-year-old James Hutchins of Mayfield, who was without power for almost a week, “and we’ve been around a few places.” (from The Week)

It's too bad that it takes an ice storm to bring people together right? It's always important to get to know your neighbors and get involved in your community.

> Read the Full Story from the AP

Also, that Amish coffee sounds really, really good.