A courage that’s beautiful

Here’s another example of rising beyond expectations. If you were a mother whose son got run over, most reactions on your part would be accepted as natural. You would be free to rant, rave and sue. You could expect everyone, friends and strangers alike, to understand.

And yet, here’s a woman who chose to do something different. Her 3-year-old was run over by an 84 year old motorist who thought he had run over a dog. Ryan was in a coma but eventually recovered. She did the exceptional. She realized that “What was a personal experience for me was a much larger social problem.” And the solution was to provide transportation for the elderly.

So she launched the Independent Transportation Network. Launched a decade ago, the Portland, Maine, area's Independent Transportation Network provided 15,200 rides to senior citizens last year with no taxpayer money for operations.

The concept was astonishingly simple: Elderly people trade in their cars and the value is booked into an account from which they can draw to receive rides. Family members and friends also can add to the account by donating cars or cash, or their time as volunteers.

This story warmed my heart. What a way to live: turning your personal tragedy into a triumph for others. Thank you, Katherine Freund. You’ve exemplified courage in a beautiful manner.

Doctors: Baby Noor is doing great

Baby Noor was discovered several weeks ago by U.S. troops from Georgia's 48th Infantry Brigade while raiding a house in Abu Ghraib. The soldiers noticed paralysis in the baby's legs and what appeared to be a tumor on her back.

The apparent tumor was actually the fluid-filled sac, which contained part of the baby's spinal cord. Doctors said she likely would have died without medical intervention.

One of the soldiers e-mailed a friend in Georgia who is a social worker. They enlisted the help of a variety of organizations, and Noor, her grandmother and her father were brought to the United States late last month. Source: CNN.com

If you’re wondering why I’ve quoted news here, it’s because there was a line that grabbed my attention.

It just took one soldier’s thoughtful e-mail to set this rare incident of kindness rolling. The hospital bestowed their services for free. The doctors did the surgery for free. It was because of that one man whose name we might never know. Thank you and God bless, soldier. :-)