Tag Archives: Family

Daughter’s Balloon Message to Dad Brings Message to Her

In a situation defying explanation, a grieving widow and daughter received the most unexpected encouragement and peace on Father’s Day.

Johnny Seibold was only 43 when he died from pancreatic cancer in May, leaving behind wife Sandy and 13-year-old daughter Saige.

“He was an amazing man,” Sandy Seibold told the New York Daily News. “He was a hard worker, and he loved us. He did everything he could to get us everything that we wanted. We had a really good life, and that was hard to lose.”

On Father’s Day, Sandy took her daughter to her father’s grave.  Saige wrote a letter to her dad and attached it to a balloon that read “#1 Dad.”  The letter asked whoever found the letter to contact them.

“We thought the idea of sending balloons to heaven sounded good,” Sandy said.

The mother and daughter then left the cemetery to run errands and returned home 25 miles away from the gravesite.

To find the balloon and the letter hanging on a fence 100 feet from the house…where Saige and her father would often spend time working together.

“What are the chances?” Sandy said. “I think I started crying. It felt like a message from him.”

The two women say that they now have a lot of peace about losing Johnny.

Woman Adopts Dying Friend’s Four Daughters

When single mother Elizabeth Diamond died in April less than a year after being diagnosed with stage 5 brain cancer, she left this life with one less worry thanks for her friend Laura Ruffino.

Ruffino, who had been friends with Diamond since they were in grade school, adopted Diamond’s four daughters to make sure they had a loving, stable, caring home after their mother’s death.

“She said if anything ever happens to me I want you to take my girls and I instantly said ok,” said Ruffino.

“I would always want someone to do that for me. Her kids and I were so close anyway, because she was my best friend. I wanted to give her peace,” Ruffino added to ABC. “I can’t even imagine what she had to be going through.”

The family has not been forced to accommodate four new family members alone.  The community of Orchard Park, New York and surrounding towns have stepped up to provide the family with money and supplies they otherwise could not afford.

For example, someone donated a large refrigerator so that they could store enough food for the now family of 8.

“I’m in awe of the love and generosity we’re getting,” Ruffino told the New York Daily News. “I feel like Liz has her hand in all this and as a family we’re just getting stronger.”

Diamond’s family has been supportive of the adoption by the Ruffino family.

“I think it’s remarkably generous for Laura and her husband to do that,” Patricia Kaminski, Diamond’s aunt, told ABC. “I know Elizabeth’s family is very happy with that family. The rest of the family believe it’s an excellent outcome for the children.”

More Children in Poverty Now Than During Recession

A new report shows that more than one in five American children were living in poverty in 2013, the last year that complete data is available.

The number of children in poverty, 22%, is higher than in September 2010 when the New York Times said the Great Recession had brought poverty rates in the U.S. to their highest level in 15 years and greater than the 18% child poverty rate recorded in 2008.

The report also says that almost one-third of American children in 2013 lived in a home where no parent held a steady, full-time job.

The report says with only a “few exceptions”,  “nearly all of the measures that [it] track[s], African-American, American Indian and Latino children continued to experience negative outcomes at rates that were higher than the national average. Overall unemployment rates have fallen, but the unemployment rate for African-Americans is currently 11 percent — 2.4 percentage points higher than where it was prior to the economic crisis. Nearly 40 percent of African-American children live in poverty, compared to 14 percent of white children.”

“The fact that it’s happening is disturbing on lots of levels,” said Laura Speer, the associate director for policy reform and advocacy at the Casey Foundation, told USA Today. “Those kids often don’t have the access to the things they need to thrive.” The foundation says its mission is to help low-income children in the U.S. by providing grants and advocating for policies that promote economic opportunity.”

Speer added their is hope for 2014 because the decline in the unemployment rate means more children in a home with at least one adult having stable employment.

Officer Buys Diapers, Shoes for Mom of 6 Caught Shoplifting

When Sarah Robinson of Kansas City, Kanasa was caught shoplifting at a Walmart store after running out of diapers for her 2-year-old daughter, she feared going to jail and the loss of her family.

“My heart just dropped. I didn’t know what to say or do. It was horrible. I thought I was going to jail,” said Robinson.

Instead, she ran into an angel wearing a badge.

Officer Mark Engravalle of the Roeland Park Police Department arrived at the Walmart after answering the shoplifting call.  As he spoke to Robinson, the officer noticed that some of her children were not wearing shoes.  It led him to ask about her situation rather than what she was doing inside the store.

“He noticed [what she stole] were necessities like diapers, shoes for the kids, some clothing,” John Demoss, Roeland Park public information officer, told ABC News. “He asked her what the situation was, and she broke down crying.”

Officer Engravalle had to do his job but instead of arresting and taking Robinson to the station, he gave her a citation for misdemeanor threat.  Then he walked back into the Walmart.  He bought diapers, baby wipes and clothes for the children.

“The officer had two children of his own, and he thought of his two kids,” Demoss said. “He thought it was the right thing to do.”

“He couldn’t have been nicer to my girls,” Robinson said. “And then I got a call the next day saying they wanted to help us further and help us get a place to live.”

Two local radio stations then stepped up to raise items for the family.  One station collected over $6,000 in items for the family.

“It’s A Miracle”: Teen Survives Plane Crash, Walks To Safety

Aviation experts and rescue personnel are calling it a “miracle” that 16-year-old Autumn Veatch not only survived the crash of her grandparent’s plane but was able to walk two days through the Washington wilderness until she found a trailhead and a passing motorist.

“It’s a miracle, no question about it, ” Lt. Col. Jeffrey Lustick of the Civil Air Patrol said Monday. “Moments of joy like this can be hard to find.”

Veatch said that her grandparents were killed in the crash according to a transcript of the 911 call made from a Mazama, Washington store where the motorist took the girl.

“So tell me exactly what happened,” the dispatcher told the girl, according to a transcript of the call posted by CNN.

“I was riding from Kalispell, Montana, to Bellingham, Washington, and … well, I don’t know where, but we crashed and I was the only one that made it out,” Veatch said in a low voice.

“Made it out from the collision?”

“From the plane,” she said.

“Or survived?”

“Yeah, the only one that survived.”

“Are you injured at all?”

“Yeah, I have a lot of burns on my hands, and I’m … kind of covered in bruises and scratches and stuff.”

Officials tried to tell the media they didn’t know the condition of the girl’s grandparents until the transcript was released to CNN.

“Autumn said they flew out of the clouds, and then flew into the side of a mountain. She was able to get out, and she spent the night by a river before hiking to the highway, where she was rescued,” Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers said.

“It gets cold up there at night, pretty high elevations, so she survived not only the crash, then going through that. I will just tell you this from all of us here — we are just impressed with her, she’s like a kind of superhero.”

Veatch was being treated for her injuries at Three Rivers Hospital where she was listed in stable condition.  Hospital officials said she was suffering mostly from exposure after spending two days in the wilderness.  Veatch’s father said she was “pretty banged up.”

The hospital added she suffered from rhabdomyolysis, a muscle disorder that was likely caused by an injury from the crash.

Officials are still searching for the crash site.

Mother Who Lost Son to Terrorist Propaganda Fighting Back

A woman whose son died while fighting alongside Islamic terrorists has come out swinging against radicalization of westerners with a new organization called Mothers For Life.

Christianne Boudreau lost her 22-year-old son when Damien became radicalized by Islamist propaganda and then died while fighting with al-Nusrah, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda.  Now she is working to help other parents spot the signs of radicalization in their children.

“If I knew back then what I know now, I may have seen it before my son left,” Boudreau told Fox News. “There are things that only a mother will notice. Maybe your child will disconnect and separate from their social group, or start saving money, whereas they never did before. It is only getting harder, as ISIS is encouraging recruits to hide their religion, so it is really important to pick up on other changes.”

Boudreau said her son was raised Christian but converted to Islam a few years before joining the terrorists.  She said he claimed he had been “wasting his life and had no direction” before the Islamists came along and provided him with a “purpose.”

She says the group is needed because of the stigma that can be placed on families if their children leave for the terrorist groups.

“How can families reach out for help if they are afraid people will come after them?” Boudreau said. “That’s why something like Mothers for Life was needed. To show that parents aren’t always to blame, but that we need to do whatever we can to stop this. We need the politicians to start to listen. We need them to help with outreach and with prevention.”

Boudreau hopes that by going public with other mothers who have lost their sons they can stop another mother from suffering in the way they’ve done in losing their child.

Thank You BoJangles

Matthew 5:4 ESV “Blessed are those, who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

As I’ve said before, I believe dogs are specially created by our Heavenly Father to remind us how much God loves us, even in our darkest times. They truly are God’s Little Helpers. However, like every living creature on this Earth, God recently called one of His helpers home. Continue reading →

Woman Spends Anniversary of Son’s Death With Life He Saved

A Canadian mother decided not to spend the anniversary of her son’s death mourning death but rather celebrating life.

Kim LeBlanc spent the day with the person who received her son’s heart, saving her life.

On May 31, 2012, Kim’s son Tyler was killed in a tragic accident.  He was walking along a street, listening to music on his headphones, and stepped right in the path of a tractor-trailer.  Tyler spent two days on life support but showed no signs of brain activity.

LeBlanc said at that point, donation was a “no-brainer.”  Tyler’s heart, liver, pancreas, kidneys and eyes were donated.

Tyler’s heart went to Dave Allingham, 40-year-old father of three.  Allingham had a genetic heart disease and had about 30 days to live if he had not received the heart.

“I can’t tell you how many times a day I said this over and over to myself, ‘If there is some family out there that is going to give me that unconditional gift of love, I would spend the rest of my life giving back.’ I never forgot that promise,” he told the Spectator.

On the third anniversary of the accident this year, LeBlanc joined Allingham at a cycling event to raise money to battle heart disease.

“It was my first time and a bittersweet day, but the ride itself was great and the emotions were very strong and powerful,” she told the Toronto Sun. “It’s a very good feeling knowing we were able to take a tragedy and to have something good come from it, so that really meant a lot.”

Texas Cop Attends Graduation For Teen Who Lost His Parents

A Texas police officer went the extra mile when he attended the graduation of a senior who recently lost his parents.

Only a few days before Kazzie Portie’s high school graduation, officer Eric Ellison delivered bad news to the 18-year-old: Portie’s parents had been killed in a car accident. Without his parents to attend his upcoming graduation, Portie wasn’t sure if he would walk on stage. However, Ellison stepped in and encouraged the young man.

“I said, ‘You’re going to walk!’ Your mom and dad will have front-row seats looking down from heaven, and I’ll stand in their place. I’ve got your back,” Ellison told BuzzFeed News.

Portie not only received his diploma on Friday, but he also received a hug from Officer Ellison in front of a standing ovation from the audience.

“Seeing Officer Ellison there to congratulate me meant the world to me,” Portie stated to BuzzFeed News. “It was so nice to see that he actually showed a genuine care for me and my family’s situation instead of just being another ‘case.'”

Portie intends on attending college.

“Miracle” Baby Survives Deadly Mudslide

Rescuers working in Salgar, Columbia were stunned to find an 11-month-old baby alive after a landslide that left 78 people, including the baby’s mother, dead.

The infant, Jhosep Diaz, was in a padded crib.  The water and mud slide picked up the baby’s crib which flowed like a raft and traveled more than half a mile.  Doctors who treated the boy say that he was cold but basically unharmed by his adventure.

“He was unconscious and didn’t open his little eyes but was breathing,” Dr Jesus Antonio Guisao told the AP news agency.

The boy’s mother was found dead along with 11 other family members by rescue personnel.  The baby will go to the custody of his grandfather, who said that he lost a total of 16 family members in the disaster.

“Amid so much bad news concerning the death of 16 of our relatives, my grandson’s survival is a miracle,” he said.

Officials say the landslide is the worst natural disaster in Columbia since 1999.  The landslide struck around 3 a.m. local time and stretches 25 miles along the Liboriana River.