Finally, some good news: UPS driver saves woman's life, N.L marathon sees unlikely 4-legged medalist, gene therapy allows father to see newborn
Yahoo Canada editors highlight the most smile-worthy and inspiring stories this week
In a world often dominated by challenging headlines, Yahoo News Canada aims to spotlight uplifting news stories both local and beyond. This week's roundup includes a UPS driver who went above and beyond to save a woman's life and form a heartwarming bond, a woman who couldn't contain tears of joy after being reunited with her cat after 11 years and medical advancement allows a father to see his newborn.
😇'I told him he was an angel': UPS driver helps save woman's life on route
Raheem Cooper was making his regular UPS rounds in Valdosta, Ga., when he noticed a bunch of groceries scattered on the driveway of a home.
As he slowed down, he saw a woman sprawled on the pavement near her car. He pulled over his delivery truck and ran up the driveway to her.
“The woman was lying on her stomach, and she was bleeding from her fall,” said Cooper, 30, in an interview with Washington Post. “Her eyes were open, but she couldn’t speak, and she couldn’t get up.”
Cooper called 911, then grabbed a bottle of cold water from his truck to help cool the woman off in the heat that Aug. 12.
Paramedics took the woman to a hospital and learned that her name was Marie Coble, 78. Nursing staff called Coble’s granddaughter, Kayla Cochran, and told her Coble had suffered a brain bleed when her head hit the pavement.
The doctors said if nobody had helped her, she would have diedMaria Coble's granddaughter
During a hospital visit, Cochran noticed a UPS delivery note in Coble’s belongings. Cooper had written down his name and phone number in case anybody in the family needed to contact him.
Cochran said hospital staff told her that a UPS driver had helped her grandmother, but she didn’t know his name until she found the note. She called Cooper right away to thank him for his quick actions and give him an update on her grandmother’s condition. She was responding well to treatment.
“I told him he was an angel to our family and that he could visit — that my grandmother would like to see him,” she said.
“She remembered him and sat up and gave him a hug,” she said. “She was really happy to see him because she knew he saved her life.”
Cooper said he felt an immediate connection with Coble and asked her if he could continue to visit her during her hospital stay.
He enjoyed visiting her, and the two formed a bond.
Cochran said her grandmother and the rest of the family are grateful for Cooper, and say he’s their friend for life.
“He brings her Twinkies, he sits and talks to her, and you can tell he genuinely cares,” she said. “We call him Angel Raheem Cooper.”
🐈 Watch: Woman is reunited with missing cat after 11 years
🏫 They fell in love at the same residential school. Now they are preserving history
A couple who reconnected, fell in love and got married decades after being at the same residential school are now sharing their stories to make sure the truth of what happened is never lost, according to a report published by CBC News.
It's been more than 30 years since Tony Stevenson and Marcie McArthur-Stevenson were classmates at the Qu'Appelle Indian Residential School (QIRS) in Lebret, Sask. Open from 1884 to 1998, it was one of the longest running residential schools in Canada.
Stevenson went to university, but said the trauma stemming from sexual abuse he suffered at the Lebret school caused him to spiral and he didn't finish.
READ FULL STORY: They fell in love decades after attending the same residential school. Now they're preserving the history
After decades apart, Stevenson and McArthur-Stevenson met again in 2017, when he came to see her father in the hospital to help the older man appeal his residential school settlement claim.
"I was waiting there with dad and [Stevenson] walked in. He just looked at me and he's like, 'Marcy. Little Marcy,' because I was small in school," McArthur-Stevenson said with a laugh.
McArthur-Stevenson said she was struck by how comfortable her dad was talking to Stevenson about his residential school experience, something he never shared with his own children. McArthur-Stevenson said she thought if her dad felt comfortable with Stevenson, so could she.
Their relationship moved past just being old classmates.
"I shared things with him I never talked to anybody about, I think because of what he shared with me," McArthur-Stevenson said.
They were married three years later, on Sept. 10, 2021, and now live together in Brandon.
In 2018, a friend asked the couple to do a presentation on residential schools and their own experiences for some students.
After hearing positive feedback, they decided to continue the work. They now give presentations under the name MJ's Ole Skool Crew.
Stevenson said it was tough at first, but got easier because they know they are doing something positive.
He said its harder for a First Nations man to talk about sexual abuse, especially to the public. He is glad he has a partner who shares his experience and understands.
"Many times I wanted to break down, then I turn around and look at her, and she gives me the mental telepathy and I'm back on track," Stevenson said.
He said their presentation is pure truth and honesty. They try to break negative stereotypes about First Nations people.
"You know, 'the lazy drunk gets everything for free,'" Stevenson said as an example of these falsehoods.
"The idea is not to blame, not to point the finger. It's to create a positive dialogue." said Stevenson. "We're here to teach you the history."
👁️ Watch: Gene therapy saves dad's failing vision just in time for his baby's birth
🐐 Goat hops into N.L. marathon — wins medal
As marathon runners made their way through winding forest pathways and residential roads on Newfoundland's east coast on Sunday, they were joined by a four-legged competitor who has since become a sensation, says one mayor to CBC News.
"They have a resident goat, Mr. Joshua. And when the runners went past the pumpkin patch, the goat decided, 'Well, I'm not staying here, I'm joining them,'" said Mayor Darrin Bent.
READ FULL STORY: This goat hopped into a Newfoundland marathon — and won a medal
Joshua ran alongside the runners for approximately four kilometres before his owners caught up with him, said Bent. His owners walked the last half-kilometre with him to get him over the finish line.
"We very quickly put a medal around his neck and he became quite the star. Most people who actually ran the half marathon wanted their picture with Joshua at the finish line," said Bent.
He recalled he was waiting at the finish line at Topsail Beach when news spread that a goat was running alongside participants.
"We didn't know what quite to make of it. We had just heard that a goat was running along the trail," he said.
🤗 Watch: Powerful moment B.C. mom reunites with missing 6-year-old daughter
Do you have an uplifting moment or story you would like to share with us? Email the Yahoo Canada team: canadatips@yahoonews.com.
