by Kevin Burton
Every once in a while I have camped out on the website of the Good News Network as I am doing today, to cheer up Page 7 readers and myself alike.
Maybe I should visit more often.
God bless whoever came up with this idea. You can get any kind of news (or politicized lies) you want in today’s world. So happy this network exists to let us know there are still good things going on.
Two heartwarming stories today. In the first, written, by Andy Corbley, the selflessness of a Canadian woman, when life-saving help was most needed:
“In northern Saskatchewan Province in Canada, a woman has been hailed as a hero for risking death in an icy river to save a child.”
“The boy fell through the ice while playing, and his rushed to the nearby Sucker River Community Store where Elaine Ratt was just clocking in for her shift,” Corbley wrote.
“The member of the Lac La Ronge Band of Indians was probably expecting a normal day on the job, but as soon as she saw the child’s face, she knew something was dreadfully amiss.”
“The fear in [his] eyes scared me,” Ratt said.
Ratt ran to the river and when she arrived at the edge she began calling repeatedly for the boy to keep his head above water, but seconds later she was inching herself along, hearing the cracking of the ice beneath her.
“By the time I was getting toward him, he was already starting to float down underneath the water,” she told CBC News.
“As soon as she was close enough to perhaps help the boy, the worst happened and the ice gave way beneath her, leaving them both treading in the frigid water,” Corbley wrote.
“It wasn’t long until she got him to a patch of solid ice and hoisted him up. Even in his state of shock, he remembered that if one finds themselves in that situation, never try to stand up, but always keep the lowest center of gravity possible to avoid breaking the ice anew. The boy rolled like a seal onto the bank.”
“But Ratt was heavier and every time she tried to pull herself out, the ice kept breaking away. Eventually, in shock, she too escaped.”
“So I carried him, with all my soaking clothes and his soaking clothes. It was more of a reflex. I don’t want to see this little boy down the river or something worse happening to him,” Ratt said. “So I would rather we risk my life than his.”
“At the community store, first responders were there to rush the boy to the hospital where he eventually regained a normal body temperature.”
“Meanwhile, Ratt went home to get a change of clothes. When she returned, the emergency crews were still around,” Corbley wrote.
“When she stepped out of her truck, emergency personnel and onlookers erupted in applause for her heroism, moving the Lac La Ronge member to tears.”
In the second story, credited only to Good News Network, a young girl who doctors said would never walk, defies the odds.
“When she was a baby, Scottie Mae Blair was diagnosed with Angelman syndrome—a rare genetic condition that causes severe physical and learning disabilities. Her parents were told to expect that their daughter would not be able to walk, talk, read, or live independently.”
“However, a year later, they received a call from doctors reporting that Scottie Mae had been misdiagnosed. Then two-years-old, she actually had DUP15q syndrome, a similar but less severe disorder.”
“This meant that Scottie Mae was now more likely to reach these milestones, but medical professionals didn’t expect her to hit them this early.”
A video shows the girl taking her first steps.
“Seeing her take her first steps felt so good—like seeing all the work paying off,” said her mom Logan, from Tucson, Arizona.
“While everyone is screaming and shouting in the video, I was sobbing,” Logan said.
“Her sisters are going crazy, they are her biggest cheerleaders and want to see her succeed.”
“Scottie Mae began having seizures at 10 months, which was the first sign to her parents that something was wrong. Logan recalls the day Scottie Mae had her first seizure.
“We went to the ER… She ended up having more than 100 (seizures) just in that day.”
After all the tests and all the hospital stays, the family is celebrating small victories.
“When first getting a diagnosis, everything seemed dark and I had it stuck in my head that she would not be able to accomplish these milestones,” Logan said. “As time went on, we found our groove, got more comfortable with seizures, and adjusted to Scottie Mae’s life with Angelman syndrome.”
“With the new diagnosis, we know that it is simply going to take more time than a typical developing child.”
“Scottie Mae has attended four different types of therapy every week for the past three years.
“Having a physical therapist who believes in her and knows her potential has made a huge difference,” Logan said.
“The seizures are now no longer as frequent and are controlled by medication.”
“With her walking milestone now accomplished, a whole new world has opened up for Scottie Mae.”
“This changes everything!” said her beaming mother. “We know the day is coming where we can confidently let her walk completely on her own.”
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