Blind couple ‘sees’ life through their son’s eyes

Touch, hear, smell and taste. These are the four senses that used to guide blind couple Eva and Jocelino. However, five years ago things began to change. After seven years of trying, Eva became pregnant with a boy. Her sight obviously did not return after giving birth to young Pedro – but it did in a way.

Pedro helps his parents to cross a street (Photo: Rodrigo Pazinato / Campo Grande News)

Being a parent is one of the hardest tasks in life – but a truly daunting mountain to climb when you are blind.

Eva Aparecida, a 40-year-old teacher from Brazil, was born without sight and today is a living proof that maternity can be something natural, even if both parents happen to be blind:

“You obviously need help, everyone does. My mother did help me for the first weeks, and I had attended a course that taught me a few tricks. I learnt that to give medicines, for instance, we have to first pour it in a glass and pay attention to the sound”, she explained. “Also, every time he cried I could tell whether it was cramps or something else, just like any other parent do with their newborns”.

Husband Jocelino, 41, agrees. He says their son Pedro is a gift from God, who has given a new meaning and sense to life. And by sense, he means it literally.

Pedro has grown to become mom and dad’s eyes – he is the one who guides them through the streets of their city, in the western part of Brazil. He quickly grasped the fact that his parents could not see, and naturally plays his part in the family. To Pedro the fact that his parents are blind is totally normal.

Eva and Jocelino said they always try and be careful not to let their “limitations to turn into a burden for the boy” but, as any of his peers, Pedro has to follow all the rules set by his parents. They are in charge.

For this couple, the opportunity of being a parent was more than a dream come true. It was their chance to experience feelings beyond the sight. And more than that, they showed that being disabled does not mean being incapable of having a child on their own. They might not know what their own son looks like visually – but having him in their lives have taught them to ‘see’ the world in a different light.

“The first real visual contact I have ever had was through him. It was fascinating. Only then could I realise how important it is to be able to see”, said Eva.

“He fills up this empty space we used to have in our life”, concluded Jocenildo.

Source: www.deficienteciente.com.br

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Stand up to the Bullies – Teen Suicide’s Plea

Another teenager has died as a result of the pernicious social virus of our age – bullying. Every time it happens it feels as if there’s no light at the end of the tunnel of person-on-person cruelty. The Columbine High School case and many others that got attention worldwide have failed to make the bullies understand that every person deserves to be respected regardless of who they are.

Amanda Todd died one month before her 16th birthday

This latest victim of bullying was 15-year-old Amanda Todd from Canada. Just weeks before taking her own life just over a week ago, Amanda posted a heartfelt video on Youtube entitled ‘My Story: Struggling, bullying, suicide and self harm’, where she disclosed all her personal pain at the hands of school bullies.

Watch the full video where Amanda Todd tells her story in her own words:

“My Story: Struggling, Bullying, Suicide, Self Harm”

Amanda’s agony started when she was only 12 years old after an unidentified man led her to expose her breasts via webcam. After she refused to comply with his demands to “put on a show”, the man sent photos of her breasts everywhere – reaching her classmates, teachers, friends and family.

She moved from place to place, switching schools several times but the nightmare always found a way to haunt her no matter where she went. Crucially the bullying never stopped and Amanda was laid low by anxiety, depression and eventually turned to alcohol and drugs.

“I then got really sick. My anxiety got worse… I couldn’t go out,” as she admitted on the video. “Everyday I think why I am still here? I have nobody. I need someone”

In The Vancouver Sun, her father Norm commented on the video: “She was very courageous and I really love that she made that video. She told me why she made it – she wanted to send out a message so that it wouldn’t happen to someone else – so no one would have to go through what she went through.”

Amanda was found hanged in her home in British Columbia, Canada, one month before her 16th birthday.

Kindness as a weapon to fight bullying

As family and friends still struggle to come to terms with the suicide of Amanda Todd, a campaign has been launched to raise awareness about the consequences of bullying in an aim to curb this worrying trend.

Amanda’s heartbreaking story has touched people all over the world. Many thousands have posted personal online tributes to the girl in a campaign to stop bullying and promote kindness instead. On Youtube, more than five thousand videos were uploaded with people sharing their experience and posting stories about what happened. Even First Minister of British Columbia, Christy Clark, posted a video offering her condolences and condemning bullying.

The Facebook memorial page ‘R.I.P. Amanda Todd’ has already received nearly one million likes is its first week. Thousands of people share thoughts of kindness in Amanda’s memory.

Facebook page in Amanda’s memory attracts thousand of people from all over the world to pay tribute to the 15-year-old girl

Carol, Amanda’s mother, believes it is important to share experiences to draw attention to the dangers of online bullying.

“Amanda wanted to tell her story to help other kids. I want to tell my story to help parents, so they can be aware, so they can teach their kids what is right and wrong and how to be safe online,” she said. “Kids have iPads, they have smartphones, technology is much more accessible than it was even five years ago – that is the dangerous factor.”

The local Parliament is already discussing the creation of a special committee as part of a national anti-bullying strategy. Lawmaker Candice Bergen responded positively to the call but she pointed out it is important to add more acts of kindness and respect to the process.

“Each school and local community really knows what their kids may be vulnerable to and they’re the best ones to come up with programs and formulate plans,” said Bergen to a local newspaper. “The most effective way to stop bullying is at home where parents teach and model kindness, and show compassion to their children.”

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Alan Fonteles – An exclusive interview with the boy from Brazil who stunned the world

The Paralympic Games are over but its legacy lives on thanks to the amazing achievements of the 2012 champions – especially the ‘Boy from Brazil’.

Alan racing to the victory (Photo: The Guardian)

This was the expression chosen by the international news media when talking about Alan Fonteles after his stunning victory on the night of 2nd September. In just a few seconds Alan became a star by beating all-time favourite Oscar Pistorius in the T44 200 metres.

He went from being an unknown athlete – even to most people in his own country – to become an Olympic gold medalist.

“My biggest dream has always been to be remembered for achieving something in the Paralympics… And I believe it is already happening,” he said.

“The time I crossed that finishing line, I knew I had written my name in history by beating the man who made it to the Olympics. Though my starting wasn’t that good, I made it through to win the race. I was ready and went there to do my best, always aiming for the podium”.

Pistorius – known as the ‘blade runner’ – had never lost in the 200 metres and the South-African did not take Alan’s victory very well. After the race, he accused him of “bending the rules,” claiming Alan had used longer prosthetics than should be allowed in the competition.

“Not taking away from Alan’s performance – he’s a great athlete – but these guys are a lot taller and you can’t compete (with their) stride length,” said Pistorius in a broadcast interview. “You saw how far he came back. We aren’t racing a fair race. I gave it my best. The IPC (International Paralympic Committee) have their regulations. The regulations (allow) that athletes can make themselves unbelievably high.”

Alan was very disappointed to hear this accusation: “He is a really great idol, and to listen to that coming from a great athlete is really difficult.”

Paralympic leaders backed the Brazilian and Pistorius later apologised for his outburst. The incident was not enough to take away the magnitude of Alan’s victory.

Rough Path

Alan Fonteles began racing when
he was only 8 years old (Photo: Terra)

Alan was born in Marabá – a city in the Northern State of Pará, in Brazil – with a cognitive disease that blocked the full development of his legs. At only 21 days of life, both his legs were amputated after an intestinal infection caused septicaemia. He got his first prosthetics when he was nine months old and, by the age of three, had already learnt how to walk.

His career in athletics started aged eight when Alan started competing with wooden prosthetics – which he used until he was 13 years old.

“It was really hard for him,” said Alan’s first coach Suzete Montalvão in interview to the BBC. “Imagine yourself running in wooden stilts. We worked with what we had, not allowing it to take his motivation down. He used to bleed during practice but would never give up. It broke my heart to see him in that condition, but I guess paralympic athletes have the great gift of learning to work through the pain.”

Alan life was turned round in 2006 when he met Brazilian tri-athlete Rivaldo Martins, who had had part of his left leg amputated after a bus crash in 1996. After seeing that 13-year-old boy running with his unconventional prosthetics, Rivaldo decided to help.

Rivaldo contacted Challenged Athletes Foundation, in USA, and together they funded Alan’s first real prosthetics. After that, he was launched on to the winning path in the athletics,including the World Championship, the Beijing and London Paralympics.

This successful route is far to be over. Although Alan does not intend to follow on Pistorius’ footsteps competing in the Olympics, he is keen to take on able-bodied athletes in the ‘Troféu Brasil Triathlon’: “It is not a matter of proving anything to anyone. It is the only dream I’ve had since I was a child,” he told KissBank.com.

No one doubts he will make it. This summer Alan Fonteles de Oliveira, the double-amputee boy from Brazil, joined the rare elite that will forever redefine the word ‘superhuman’ – Paralympic champion 2012.

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“Changing the Mental Map”: Lady Gaga awarded Peace Prize

The controversial pop star has received the LennonOno Grant For Peace award from Yoko Ono in recognition to her commitment to campaigning for gay, lesbian and transgender rights

On Twitter, Gaga wrote: “Thank you @yokoono now i can do more, because of you. Today was the happiest day i’ve ever had. Here’s me with my LennonOno Peace Prize. Yoko says, it’s a piece of the sky”. (Photo: Twitter @ladygaga)

Every Beatle fan knows that 9 October marks the birthdays of both John Lennon and his son Sean. And, as a way to make this day even more memorable, Yoko Ono established a biennial peace grant to honour activists that have developed relevant works around the world.

“Lady Gaga is one of the biggest living artists of our time”, declared peace activist Ono when explaining the reasons for choosing the American star.

“She is not only an artist, she is also an activist, using her Art to bring better communication to the world. She is being acknowledged for her activism – and how her album ‘Born This Way’ has widely changed the mental map of the world. It has made us deal with the future world, which happens to be here already”.

The Grammy-winning singer accepted the award in person, and decided to make a donation to the Elton John AIDS Foundation to support their work combating HIV among disadvantaged youth in the US.

“I’m supremely honoured to accept this grant and award today on behalf of youth empowerment around the world”, said Gaga during the ceremony award in Reykjavic, Iceland. “I will be donating this grant to the Elton John Aids Foundation and I will be working closely with them to ensure that the money goes specifically to those orphans and disadvantaged youth in America born with HIV or Aids”.

Gaga took the opportunity to send a message to the world, asking everyone to “Breathe Compassion”.

“We share the same dreams of peace and the same planet. We share the same potential to succeed. So my gift to you is this message. John and Yoko taught me long ago to keep it simple so everyone can understand, so world, breathe compassion”, said Gaga. She also recalled spending some of her childhood just a few blocks from Lennon and Ono in New York and said she found inspiration from the famous family.

While in London for the launch of her new fragrance ‘The Fame’, Lady Gaga paid a surprise visit to Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, who is holed up at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, trying to avoid extradition for facing rape and sexual assault allegations in Sweden.

The 26-year-old star has been praised for visiting Assange, and for making a statement in support of freedom of speech. If ends up in Sweden to face trial Assange fears onward extradition to America for publishing confidential and sensitive State documents on his Wikileaks website.

Yoko Ono awarded also awarded the prize to the members of Russian feminist punk band ‘Pussy Riot’ at a separate event in New York City. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich have been imprisoned over an anti-Kremlin protest.

According to SKY News, Tolokonnikova’s husband accepted the grant on behalf of the three women, who were handed two-year jail sentences for staging a “punk prayer” in Moscow’s main cathedral. Samutsevich’s jail term for hooliganism and offending religious believers has now been suspended following an appeal.

This year’s winners of the prize also included peace activist Rachel Corrie, killed on the Gaza strip in 2003, ‘Confessions of an Economic Hit Man’ author John Perkins and the late journalist, Christopher Hitchens.

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Chain reaction: how far a little kindness can go

After being hit with the sudden loss of his 17-year-old daughter, Darrell Scott decided to speak up and draw attention to the need of a kinder and more compassionate nation. Rachel Joy Scott was the first person killed in the Columbine High School tragedy on 20 April 1999, where 12 students and one teacher were murdered

Rachel Scott’s family chose to keep her memory alive by creating a chain reaction to spread kindness

Each day hundreds of thousand of students around the world avoid going to school out of fear of being bullied, teased and harassed. Bullying can leave a permanent mark in the victim’s heart, and sometimes the consequences of it are irreversible. The Columbine tragedy is a clear example of how this mental aggression can lead to school violence. The kids responsible for the shooting had allegedly been victims of bullying for four years. And their reaction to it resulted in the devastation of many families.

Despite this, one father from Colorado (US) was determined to turn the story of tragic deaths into a mission for change. That is how Rachel’s Challenge was created. Together with wife Sandy Scott – Rachel’s stepmom – Darrell realised Rachel’s personal writings and drawings not only had an impact on her friends and classmates but also resonated with students around the world.

Although Rachel was a typical teenager who even wrote about her “ups and downs,” she had a passion and conviction that she would someday change the world. The Scott family knew her story and passion had to be told to inspire others to make the world a better place.

“Rachel left a legacy of reaching out to those who were different, who were picked on by others, or who were new at her school. Shortly before her death she wrote in her diary: ‘I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same. People will never know how far a little kindness can go’,” says Darrell.

Rachel’s Challenge has the mission to inspire, equip and empower every person to create a permanent positive culture change in their school, business and community by starting a chain reaction of kindness and compassion.

“The tragedy at Columbine is an important part of Rachel’s story but we choose to focus on her life more than her death. We want the world to know that positive things have sprung from this event as well. Now more than ever, it is important for people to know that hope can come out of challenge and adversity. There are many circumstances in this world over which we have no control. Rachel’s Challenge is something we can all do – help change the world by starting a chain reaction of kindness. It’s free, it’s easy and it’s empowering to realize that one person can make a difference.”

Darrell also points out that Rachel’s Challenge honours every family impacted by the events of Columbine.

The chain reaction by Rachel’s Challenge

At School:

  • Provide students with social/emotional education that is both colour blind and culturally relevant.
  • Train adults to inspire, equip and empower students to affect permanent positive change.
  • Create a safe learning environment for all students by re-establishing civility and delivering proactive anecdotes to school violence and bullying.
  • Improve academic achievement by engaging students’ hearts, heads and hands in the learning process.

At Work:

  • Create an environment of kindness and compassion within the business setting.
  • Empower and equip individuals through training with the ability to make a difference in their place of work.
  • Inspire and motivate individuals to start a chain reaction of kindness and compassion.
  • Impact the corporation’s bottom-line results (people, profits and revenue).
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100-year-old Hero sets new cycling record

Robert Marchand set the 100km speed record for the over-100 age group (Photo: The Telegraph)

There is no age limit to exercise, and this is not news to anyone. But, apparently, now there is no age limit to break records as well, since French centenarian Robert Marchand cycled 100 km (62 miles) in 4 hours 17 minutes at the outdoor Tete-d’Or Velodrome track in Lyon to make his way into the records book as the fastest 100-year-old ever to cover the route.

The former fireman and boxing enthusiast, who turns 101 on November 26, said to have walked thousands of kilometres throughout his life. For this challenge in particular he has trained every day for months in hopes of crossing the finish line in less than five hours.

Earlier this year, he even broke world speed record for his age group.

Marchand’s longevity and vitality are so surprising that a group of scientists at the Inserm public research institute, in Switzerland, have invited him to take part in a research project. Every three months he undergoes tests to help studies on the science of long life. He was quick to reveal some of them:

“They told me I had the constitution of a 55-year-old man, they think it’s genetic,” he said, laughing. “I have never deprived myself of anything: not wine, not food, not women, but always with moderation.”

And this Parisian athlete is not near his retirement, as he is doing everything possible to keep himself in the game for much longer: “For the last five years I have decided not to go for rides of more than 100km. There is no point going overboard. I want to keep cycling for some time yet,” revealed.

Before the race, the Telegraph asked if he planned to get any performance-enhancing help for his race, and Marchand was emphatic: “The only doping for me is water with a spoonful of honey that I put in my canteen – and that’s it.”

“If I was doping, though, maybe I could hit 35 km/h.”

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Twenty year old Sam Nagy is the youngest ever altruistic kidney donor

Sam Nagy

Kidney donor Sam Nagy
Picture courtesy of Lorne Campbell,
Huddersfield Examiner


Some people show kindness by donating money to charity, others by donating time to help someone in need, but not many would undertake a life threatening operation. This, however, is exactly what twenty year old Sam Nagy from Huddersfield did when he donated one of his kidneys to a complete stranger.

After encountering such abject suffering during a volunteering trip to Kenya, Sam felt the need to make a difference somehow, which in turn led to his decision to donate his kidney. In a recent blog entry called “Altruistic Donation, My journey to save a life”, he says that “he’s just an average person, no amazing talents, no special abilities, just a motive to help.”

Indeed many people have questioned his motives, disbelieving that it was for anything else but for financial gain, to this he told the Huddersfield Examiner that “No, and given the facts and figures about kidney failure, the waiting times and risks to donors, I’m sure many more people would actively donate”.

Regarding those figures, in his blog Sam writes that more than 10,000 people per year will be in need of an organ transplant and almost 1000 of those people will die waiting. This makes for grim reading and without the help from Sam and the other 160 donors who have been authorised by the Human Tissue Association since 2007, the death rate would be higher.

Although Sam has taken quite a considerable risk by having the operation, he has successfully been able to go on to have a full and active life without fear of repercussions of any kidney problems. Sam is also the youngest ever altruistic organ donor and through this very brave and selfless act of saving the life of someone he has never met, he is an inspiration to us all.

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Kindness kept Nation’s Paralympic hopes alive

The Paralympic Games in London came to end leaving a legacy of memories and life stories that depict the real meaning of kindness.

Paralympic athletes Nikiema Kadidia and Gasbeogo Lassane, from Burkina Faso, trained at Brentwood School.
Photo: Brentwood School

Take the trajectory of two cyclists from Burkina Faso, a West African nation: Lassane Gasbeogo and Kadidiam Nikiema (photo). The pair came to England with the mission to represent a whole nation, and they were vey proud of it.

However, it all went downhill after their government failed to pay for training facilities.

After less than a month in London, they had nowhere to go, and ended up – together with other three people from the delegation – ‘camping’ on the floor of Heathrow airport. The dream had become a nightmare.

But luckily enough, as police questioned them, someone stepped forward to rescue their paralympic dream. Liam Conlon, a 24-year-old from Essex, volunteered to take the Burkina Faso team home with him.

“That was the only thing I could think of,” Liam told The Guardian. “Never occurred to me to do anything other than help them out.”

And he did everything he could by going out of his way to try and help them rebuild a nation’s dream. Liam even got to persuade a local school in Brentwood to let the athletes use their facilities for training.

The two cyclists quickly became the talk of the town.

“They basically cause a storm wherever they go, but they are absolutely loving it”, he said. “In Burkina Farso you have people with absolutely nothing, yet they are willing to give you everything they have got.”

Liam’s gesture inspired other people to take part and act to help the team. As it emerged that one of the bikes did not meet Paralympic specifications, a local supplier stepped in to provide a replacement at cost price, meeting the outstanding balance for shipping out of his own pocket.

“You get emotionally involved in finding solutions to people’s disabilities so its an extension of that, and to just be part of the Paralympics in some way is fantastic,” said local businessman Rob Henshaw.

At the end, the athletes went back home without winning a single medal for Burkina Farso. However, they got more than that with the support and kindness of a whole town, which have certainly played a big role in helping them achieve their mission to honour their 18 million compatriots. They did it, but it would not be possible without Liam, to whom they will be always grateful.

“It has been a fabulous experience, that we didn’t expect at all. Without this help, we just wouldn’t be here“, said Burkina Faso’s Chef the Mission Florentine Ouedraogo to the journalists before their last race. “If any of these people come to Burkina Faso, they will be welcomed as though they were our family.

And Liam would not hesitate to do it all over again: “It really changed how I thought about things, so helping them didn’t in any way feel like a hardship. This is the way people should behave, it was the right thing to do.”

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The Cameron Effect: When tragedy becomes ‘7 Acts of Kindness’

Since 2001, 11 September is remembered as a day of destruction due to a series of terrorist attacks that killed thousands of innocent people. Even though the pain is unlikely to ever go away for completely, one family – in Lincoln, US State of Nebraska – is trying to use this tragic day to start something positive, which they call ‘The Cameron Effect.’

The Freeman’s family is using Cameron’s death to spread kindness and create more compassion in the world

Cameron Freeman was 22 years old when a drunk driver killed him, in November 2010. With the aim of transforming the grief into hope, family members are asking everyone to commit seven random acts of compassion between 11 September and 7 December –Pearl Harbor Day and also Cameron’s birthday.

Shelley Freeman, Cameron’s mother, explains the idea started in response to the anger and vengeance expressed about the crash:

“Instead of the negativity, we ask people to do what we think Cameron would have preferred – 7 acts of compassion.  They can be simple, even thoughts of forgiveness count.  And for a real challenge, try being compassionate towards someone you dislike.  Try forgiveness, too.  Then think about how doing each deed makes YOU feel.”

People can register their good deeds on cards as a sign of kindness, compassion and understanding. In December, the cards will be collected and made into Kindness Quilts.

“It doesn’t have to be anything big that involves money,” said Shelley in interview to a local paper. “It does have to involve the heart. We want people to do it out of passion, documenting what they did and how it changed them.”

Detective Jay Armbrister, who investigated the crash, were touched by the initiative.

“We see tragic wrecks and situations, but this one had more of a deeper feeling and it kept me a little closer because I could have pictures myself in either of these young men’s situations, so it just made me think is there something I could do to get this message out.”

His first of the seven acts of kindness was a presentation to college students about making good decisions when drinking.

“My thought was this could be one of my first acts of kindness, is trying to put this thing together. There’s always something that comes from tragedies, but I’ve never seen anything with a pair of legs like this.”

For Cameron’s mother, the most important is to make people aware of the dangers of drunk driving. She admits Cameron himself, like many people, was also capable of getting behind the wheel after drinking. Thus, anyone has the potential to kill.

For more information on the Cameron Effect, click here

No matter where you are, there are always a way to take part. Here’s two simple tips that suit everyone willing to join in the kindness movement:

  1. Be Kind: it could be anything from smiling at someone during your daily trip to work, holding a door, or buying lunch to a person in need.
  2. Spread the word: share your kindness story with your friends, family, and on the social media, saying how it made you feel? By sharing, you might encourage others to do the same.
    (Give us a shout on twitter or facebook. We’d love to hear from you).
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Paralympian Karen Darke makes the ultimate sacrifice at London 2012

The road-racing medallists
welcome Karen Darke on to the podium
Photo courtesy of Yahoo Sport

As we say goodbye to the Olympics, Paralympics and a summer of sport like no other, many tales have arisen of kindness, courage and triumph over adversity. One such story is a bittersweet tale, that will in the some respects warm your heart and show us that winning isn’t always everything.

This is the story of Karen Darke, hand cycling road racer at the Paralympics. Darke a former gold medallist at the Beijing Paralympics was on form to take her second Team GB medal of London 2012, due to achieving the silver in the time trials, when she found herself neck and neck with her good friend and team mate Rachel Morris.

What Karen did next was an example of pure selflessness and one that would ultimately cost her the bronze medal, as fifty metres from the finish-line she took Rachel by the hand and they completed the race together in a photo finish.

Rachel who had previously battled for months with injuries, after being hit by a car during a road race went on to take the bronze – proudly she told Yahoo news that “Winning a bronze was better than gold!”

Darke who had helped her friend train during that particularly testing time, jubilantly said that “she had received a medal the other day, so they both had something to celebrate” and that “Karen deserved it more.”

Undeniably for Karen this is a tale of sacrifice, but also one of great sportsmanship and real friendship. Indeed she may not have won a medal, but through her kind actions she is a true champion and that is better than winning any medal.

 

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