Stories

After escaping an abusive marriage, single mom of four, Cara Brookins was ready to do anything she could to piece her family back together.Cara knew what her family really needed was a safe place to call home however she did not have the means to buy one. As a solution, she decided to take matters into her own hands and build a house from the ground up.

We are in difficult times lately. First the coronavirus pandemic and then killing of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police, we are experiencing turbulent days. But among the social unrest, virus fears, and economic upheaval, life goes on. Just ask Dr.Kerry-Anne Perkins and Michael Gordon. They shared their first look at each other as a married couple amid a sea of protesters in Philadelphia.

We've seen a huge national outcry this week in response to the unjust killing of George Floyd. An overwhelming number of citizens have hit the streets to object to the treatment he received as an unarmed black man by four Minneapolis police officers, forcing people to confront racial bias in America's law enforcement. With so much chaos going on this week, we wanted to share some of the uplifting moments that have developed across the states.

In Pennsylvania, 43 petrochemical plant workers went above and beyond their job description role in moving into their workplace for a month. In 28 days they managed to produce a whopping 40 million pounds of polypropylene (PPE,) a necessary material that makes up our hygienic and protective face masks and gloves. But their efforts aren't going unnoticed. Because of their sacrifices, they produced enough PPE materials for 500 million N95 masks, or 1.5 billion surgical masks.

Healthcare workers are some of the people that are most heavily affected people by the virus outbreak. In addition to adhering to social distancing measures, they also face the difficulties and dangers of working with infected patients. But despite all odds and circumstances, Shehun and Michael, two medical residents managed to find a way to tie the knot. We wish them lots of love and we thank them deeply for their important work.

Adam Gorlitsky was not always bound to a wheel chair, growing up he was just an average kid. At the age of 19, Adam was in a car accident, which left him paralyzed from the belly button down. But sometimes when life throws you lemons, you find a way to make the best lemonade that anyone ever tasted. That's exactly what Adam Gorlitsky did.

When Hillary Harris first embarked on her search for her long-lost sister, Dawn Johnson, she thought that she would have to scour the country to find her. As Dawn looked further afield to find her sister, she didn't realize her sister was closer than she would have ever imagined. As fate intervened, let's unravel the journey that eventually brought these two souls together.

If you've ever wondered what the craziest wedding venue could be, we might have just found it. After deciding to tie the knot with her husband at her New Jersey high school, English teacher Kimberly Dickstein has been celebrated by many as one of the most loyal teachers we've ever heard of. It's safe to say, the job is more than just an average 9-5 for this woman!

Some people say that family is all about DNA. But for this adorable five-year-old Michael, family is all about the special people that cross your path. Michael Orlando Clark Jr. had a special milestone coming up. He was about to be adopted by his foster parents, David Eaton and Andrea Melvin. So he couldn't think of a better way to celebrate by inviting all his extended family from his kindergarten class to his adoption party.

This young Iowa native had everything going for him. He was a promising footballer that played for his college team until he suffered an accident that left him paralyzed. After a dark and difficult period, Chris Norton decided to defeat the odds and find it within himself to stand, whatever the cost. His strength of character shone through, seeing him move on to bigger and better things. Now 27 years of age, he found purpose in helping others and changing their lives for the better. At Popular Everything, we're bringing you the details about his extraordinary journey.

Toshiyuki and Yasuko Kuroki were dairy farmers in the Japanese countryside and had been happily married for 3 decades when she suddenly lost her sight due to a diabetes complication. To Mr. Kuroki's sadness, she fell into a depression and isolated herself in their home. In his desire to see her happy again, he came across an ingenious idea that he hoped would work, but wouldn't be easy to execute. At Popular Everything, we're bringing you the fascinating story behind one man's will to put a smile on his wife's face.

At just 20 years old, Nick Ercoline and Bobbi Kelly were two young lovebirds living in New York, working and studying - nothing too out of the ordinary. However, a perfectly-timed image of them embracing at Woodstock festival in August of 1969 would come to symbolize the infamous summer of love. Not only that, their puppy love would blossom into a long and loving marriage, as they now celebrate 50 years of life together since that famed photograph. Read about the fascinating story of Nick and Bobbi, from their hillside hug to their relationship spanning half a century.

Welcome to the incredibly wild and captivating world of Tippi Degré; the little French girl who was raised in the rolling plains of the African Savanna. As you can see, Tippi is just as comfortable riding an ostrich as she is chilling with a five-ton elephant named Abu. Naturally, she also considers Abu her big brother. And her best friend is a leopard. Just like in the Jungle Book, Tippi Degré has often been labeled the real-life Mowgli. Now she is older, she wrote a book about her life. So let's delve into her unique, magical, and magnificent story.

It's 2012, and a Wisconsin man has walked out into Lake Superior with his dog, Schoep, in his arms. Fully clothed, he proceeds to rock Schoep to sleep in the water. Thankfully, his friend was present to capture this tender daily ritual and share it with the world, in a photo that went viral and resulted in huge global interest. One man proved just how unbreakable of a bond a man and his pet could have was when this picture made the rounds on the internet. At Popular Everything, we're bringing you the amazing story of John Unger and his arthritic dog Schoep.

When these two high school sweethearts, Adrian and Vicki, fell for each other in the 1970s, they thought they would live happily ever after. But life has a mysterious way of throwing a few curveballs. As Christmas approached, Vicki handed over her gift to Adrian, but dropped an unexpected bombshell. That day Adrian vowed never to open it, but kept it. After 47 years, Adrian decided to finally unwrap the gift. This lead to a mysterious journey into his past, that triggered an unexpected chain of events.

One man went above and beyond in his unique proposal idea. Edi Okoro devised the perfect way to make girlfriend Cally Reed's proposal special, by proposing in front of her every day for a month without her knowing! He documented the whole month of "secret proposing" while she was none wiser, taking daily pictures of him and his girlfriend in which she is completely clueless to the engagement ring. Take a look at Edi's series of lucky escapes in which he manages not to get caught... just about!

While Hurricane Dorian has been wreaking havoc across the East coast and leaving a trail of destruction; it's also left behind a trail of hope. That hope came in the form of a young seven-year-old from Florida, Jermaine Bell. A few weeks ago, Jermaine caused a media storm when he selflessly announced that he would give up his dream of going on his dream birthday trip to Disney World. Instead he committed an act of kindness. While he was praised for his efforts, he didn't expect that he would be rewarded in the most magical way possible.

What's the greatest thing you've ever given your mom? You're unlikely to have gone as far as Donny Pinto, who won the title for best son of the year in 2018. Witness the touching moment Donny reveals his labor of love to his unsuspecting mom, in a gift that meant so much more than it's market value. Having spent $37,000 and 6 years building Jeanie "Nonni" Pinto her dream Chevrolet, she received the biggest surprise of her life that left her completely speechless. Find out just how far one son went to surprise his mom!

You hear fictional stories about travelers getting lost out at sea all the time, but we've never actually considered it as a real-life possibility, that was until now. Introducing you to the story of Jose Salvador Alvarenga; a fisherman who intended on spending 30 hours out on a fishing mission. A sudden twist of fate not only prolonged the man's journey, but left him stranded in the middle of nowhere for 438 days. Here's how the skilled fisherman overcame his complex past.

During medical procedures and life-saving surgeries, there is no doubt that every second counts. The emergency room can make for a chaotic scene where the pressure is on and there is zero room for error. Unfortunately sometimes avoidable mistakes do happen, especially during some of the more time-sensitive procedures. Throughout his career, Sydney-based anesthetist Dr. Rob Hackett has seen these mistakes happen and has come up with a very simple solution.