Author Archives: DCG

An act of kindness: Hody Childress donated money to pharmacy for those who could not afford medication

A generous man: Hody Childress (center)

God Bless Hody.

From Daily Mail:

“An Alabama farmer spent some of the little money that he had to help members of his community to pay for their medical bills. Not even Hody Childress’s family members knew about his generosity until shortly before his death at the age of 80 on January 1.

The revelation about his acts was first revealed to many at his January 5 funeral, after the town’s pharmacist told family members.

Childress’s daughter Tania Nix told The Washington Post that she didn’t know what prompted her father to go to Geraldine Drugs in Geraldine, Alabama, a town of around 900, each month and give $100 to the pharmacist to help those struggling.

Nix did speculate that when her mother struggled with multiple sclerosis, her medical bills and drugs were expensive. Her mother, Peggy, passed away in 1999. He began his altruistic tradition in 2012.

Nix said that a woman recently wrote to her to tell her that Childress’s money allowed her to afford an EpiPen for her son, while another said that she burst into tears in the store when she was told that there was a fund that would help her to pay for her and her daughter’s prescription.

The pharmacist at the drug store, Brooke Walker said that Childress told her when he first handed over the money: ‘Don’t tell a soul where the money came from – if they ask, just tell them it’s a blessing from the lord.’

Nix said that a woman recently wrote to her to tell her that Childress’s money allowed her to afford an EpiPen for her son, while another said that she burst into tears in the store when she was told that there was a fund that would help her to pay for her and her daughter’s prescription.

The pharmacist at the drug store, Brooke Walker said that Childress told her when he first handed over the money: ‘Don’t tell a soul where the money came from – if they ask, just tell them it’s a blessing from the lord.’

The pharmacist told a family member that she didn’t let Childress’s donation go on painkillers, only antibiotics and life-sustaining medication.

On two occasions she used the money for non-medical reasons, once to help a woman who was in an abusive relationship to get back on her feet and once to help an elderly man who was caring for his special needs son and his wife, who had broken her hip, to pay for a used washer and dryer.

Nix told WaPo that her father told about his donations as he became gravely ill with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease over the holidays.

She said: ‘He told me he’d been carrying a $100 bill to the pharmacist in Geraldine on the first of each month, and he didn’t want to know who she’d helped with it — he just wanted to bless people with it.’

Read the whole story here.

h/t Breitbart

DCG

Happy Friday: A little something to make you smile (and cry)

A cancer patient went to the hairdresser. The stylist then surprised her.

Be sure to watch until the end!

DCG

Marine uses his intel training to track down woman’s abducted Yorkie dog

Oorah!

Yorkie Avery returned home safely!

From Daily Mail:

“A former Marine Corps intelligence operator who helped capture al-Qaeda insurgents in Iraq used his skills to track down a Maryland dognapper after a Yorkie’s sudden disappearance left a family devastated.

Rick Machamer, who lives in Arlington, Virginia, learned Raquel Witherspoon’s beloved pet had been stolen after watching the local TV news and believed he could help.

Witherspoon was sent texts together with a video of her dog, Avery, a Yorkie, locked in a cage together with a ransom demand for $1,200.

Despite filing the case with the police, she was told that it would be a week before officers could even begin looking at the case, so she went to the local media noting how the dog was an emotional support animal for her 12-year-old daughter, Semaj.

Machamer, who owns a Norwegian elkhound and a Pomeranian was troubled by the thought of someone stealing his beloved pets and got in contact with the family. ‘I couldn’t fathom my reaction if someone took one of my dogs, especially if they sent a picture of one in a cage,’ he said to the Washington Post.

The former military man’s skills lay in tracking and gathering information. His skills were such that he was honored for taking part in operations that saw him help  capture al-Qaeda leaders in al-Anbar province in Iraq. Machamer, a United States Marine Corps veteran completed three combat deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Hero Marine Rick Machamer

He offered to help Witherspoon track down her dog and she quickly accepted. Avery was dognapped in June, with Machamer’s involvement in rescuing the pet only coming to light this weekend.

Machamer, who runs a corporate intelligence firm that carries out opposition research for political campaigns, first used his resources to trace the phone number of the dognapper.

He ran the suspect’s phone number through an online database and used software to extract geolocation data from the video of Avery in her cage but it yielded no clues.

He then searched through customer reviews of local salons near Witherspoon’s home, hoping he might find the perpetrator thanks to her distinctive dyed red hair that could be clearly seen on doorcam video. Once again, no useful information could be gleaned.

Machamer then decided to run the dognappers number through his personal Instagram account in an effort to see if any profiles were connected to the number.

Incredibly, Machamer found a lead through the social media platform, which linked him to a body piercing business near Witherspoon’s home and a post that also linked to the owner’s personal Instagram account.

Machamer discovered that the owner had posted about another dog that had gone missing in Witherspoon’s neighborhood before Avery was taken.

A little bit of Googling saw him come up with a social media post about the missing dog.

There was even a picture of the family speaking to police about the dog together with someone that looked distinctly like the dognapper from Witherspoon’s doorbell camera. The photograph even displayed the address of the home.

Four days after Avery went missing, Witherspoon also received a tip that someone in the same house that had just been pinpointed by Machamer was indeed behind the dognapping.

Together the pair gave the information to police and Avery was recovered two days later after a Prince George’s County Police detective went to the home and retrieved the dog.

‘I was like, “They got him back!” said Witherspoon’s daughter, Semaj. ‘I didn’t want to face the reality of not seeing my dog again.

A 16-year-old girl was charged with stealing and admitted to being involved in the theft together with an attempt to extort Witherspoon in return for the pet. She pleaded guilty before trial.”

Read the whole story here.

DCG

Whale watchers witness baby calf birth

How amazing would it be to see something like this?

Read the full story about this whale watching adventure here.

DCG

Baby cow and orphaned piglet become best buddies!

Take a break from all the chaos in DC and enjoy some cuteness!

DCG

Man saves 24 people during Buffalo blizzard

Hero Jay (behind woman in wheelchair) with people he saved.

From Daily Mail:

“A Buffalo man has been praised for his bravery after saving 24 people from a deadly blizzard that ripped through western New York dumping up to 50.3 inches of snow on the region.

Jay Withey, 27, feared he was going to die entombed in his car where he had been forced to sleep with two strangers after his truck got stuck in the brutal snowstorm.

After a series of rejections to seek shelter, Withey returned to his truck which quickly ran out of gas, it was then the unsuspecting hero identified others stranded and decided to break into a nearby school.

Dubbed ‘Merry Christmas Jay’ Withey and his crew, including seven senior citizens, waited out the storm which has so far taken the lives of at least 40 people, that number set to rise.

‘I walked to the houses to see if I could find shelter, any house that had lights on. I had $500 that I was offering, to sleep on their floor,’ Withey told WBEN. ‘It’s the only time in my life I actually thought I was going to die.’

It was around 6am on Christmas Eve that Withey’s truck ran out of gas and the group had no other choice but to break into Pine Hill Primary Center.

‘Off to the left, I could see there was a school about 600-700 feet away from us. I knew the power would be on, there would be heat in there and I was guaranteeing there would be food in there,’ he said.

According to Cheektowaga Police Department, the group respectfully set up what they needed in the main area of the cafeteria, helping themselves to food to survive the treacherous weather system.

As the storm began to break late Christmas Day and everyone was ready to leave, ‘Merry Christmas Jay’ found the school’s snow blower and cleared all the vehicles that belonged to his group.

Withey then fixed the broken window they had used to get into the school using cardboard and duct tape leaving a note behind apologizing for breaking in.

‘To whomever it may concern, I’m terribly sorry about breaking the school window and for breaking in the kitchen,’ the letter states.

‘Got stuck at 8pm Friday and slept in my truck with two strangers just trying not to die. There were seven elderly people also stuck and out of fuel.

‘I had to do it to save everyone and get them shelter and food and a bathroom. Merry Christmas Jay.’

School officials and the police department were notified of the window breaking and after the roads were safe a police officer checked out the school and found the note which led them to view security camera footage.

Authorities posted a tweet thanking Withey for his ‘heroic actions.’

Read the rest of the story here.

Great job, Jay!

DCG

Former US Navy captain and son rescue pilot from icy creek after crash

Great job, guys!

DCG

Have a Merry Christmas!

Wishing all of you a wonderful Christmas!

In case you need a break, enjoy some of these Christmas classics!

DCG

Family Dog Protects 2 Missing Girls Lost in the Woods

Good boy, Artemis!

DCG

Hippo swallows 2-year-old boy then spits him up alive!

What an amazing story!

From Daily Mail:

“A two-year-old boy was swallowed and spat out by a hippo while playing near his home in Uganda.  

Paul Iga was clenched in the mouth of the animal around 800 yards away from the edge of Lake Edward.

The hippo had grabbed the toddler from the head and swallowed half of his body when a local man noticed and started throwing stones at the animal, according to The Daily Telegraph

The hippo seemed taken aback by the attack and vomited up the child — before trudging back to the water. 

‘It took the bravery of one Chrispas Bagonza, who was nearby, to save the victim after he stoned the hippo and scared it, causing it to release the victim from its mouth,’ police added. 

While Paul was injured and taken to a clinic for treatment, he miraculously survived. 

It has been reported that the toddler was transferred to a hospital in Bwera but was sent home after taking a rabies vaccine.

In a statement, Ugandan Police said: ‘This is the first such kind of incident where a hippo strayed out of Lake Edward and attacked a young child.’

Police told residents of Katwe Kabatoro Town Council, which is located within Queen Elizabeth National Park on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to remain vigilant around hippos.”

DCG