Brodie the German Shepherd Border Collie cross was born in a rescue shelter but was attacked by his mom when he was only 13 days old.
She bit his head leaving him with severe cranial and facial injuries - but the resilient dog survived with a permanently slanted face.
Amanda Richter/SWNS.COM
The poor little pooch's jaw fused together as he grew but one side of his face got stunted which left him partially blind in one eye.
He'd been adopted as a puppy but was returned to the rescue shelter after just five months as the owner complained he was βtoo hyper."
Amanda Richter/SWNS.COM
But Amanda Richter, 30, and boyfriend Brad Ames, 23, spotted the popular pooch Brodie on a posting online but despite his unusual looks, said it was βlove at first sight."
The pair traveled to the Old MacDonald Kennels in Alberta, Canada, in September last year and brought him home the very same day.
Amanda Richter/SWNS.COM
The shelter said they received hundreds of adoption requests for the "wonky" dog, but ultimately Richter and Ames were the perfect fit.
Amanda said she cried a few times after seeing his picture online but hopes the energetic pup can now help people with disabilities after training as a therapy dog.
Amanda Richter/SWNS.COM
She said:
"I looked at his photos every day and even cried a few times. We felt drawn to him for some reason. We met him, took him for a walk and hung out with him for a few hours and ended up bringing him home the same day because the rescue really felt we were a great fit."
"He's definitely hyper but he is so intelligent. His brain is perfectly fine and he learns tricks within 10 minutes usually which tells me he is a smart boy. He just needed patience and someone to be consistent. He gets better every week."
Amanda Richter/SWNS.COM
The brutal attack left Brodie partially blind in one eye and other complications may arise as he grows, but the couple hope this will only make their resilient pooch stronger.
They are hoping to train him as a therapy dog for disabled people while raising awareness for other dogs with disabilities.
Amanda Richter/SWNS.COM
Amanda said:
"There is a chance they as he gets bigger more issues can arise, but for now he is as healthy and happy as ever. It's actually funny because when we go to the dog park everyone notices how he is the happiest pup there and just wants to play and run."
"We hope to train him to be a therapy dog one day so he can help other people with disabilities. We also hope that we can raise awareness for other special needs dogs and show people that just because someone or something looks different, they can be perfectly imperfect in their own unique way."
"Dogs are resilient and he has no idea he looks different so he enjoys his life just the same as any other pup."
Amanda Richter/SWNS.COM
Adam Martin, 41, was βon death's door" after the deadly infection attacked his heart and left him fighting for his life.
He contracted an infection called endocarditis after he struggled to dislodge the piece of popcorn stuck between his teeth.
SWNS
Endocarditis occurs when germs from another part of your body, such as the mouth, spread through the bloodstream and damage areas of the heart.
Doctors quizzed him about a possible cause and the only thing Adam could think might have caused the infection was his constant wiggling and poking at the food lodged in his teeth.
Adam said he stuck everything from a pen lid, tooth pick, a piece of wire, and even a metal nail in his mouth in a desperate attempt to remove the popcorn.
SWNS
The constant playing around with his mouth caused toothache after he damaged his gum, but instead of going to the dentist, he did nothing.
A week later Adam developed night sweats, fatigue, headaches and eventually a heart murmur, which are all signs of the infection.
SWNS
Father-of-three Adam, from Coverack, Cornwall, England, said:
βThe doctors told me if I hadn't gone to the GP when I did then I could have been dead in three days."
βMost people die when they are at 350 on an infection scale and I was at 340. The infection had eaten my heart valves completely."
βIf I had gone to the dentist in the first place then none of this would have happened. At one point it was quite touch and go. It was the worst experience of my life."
βI wasn't far off death's door and I am extremely lucky. The popcorn stuck in my teeth is the only possible cause I can think of. I am never eating popcorn again that's for sure."
SWNS
Adam's life-threatening ordeal started when he shared a bag of popcorn while watching a film with his wife, Helen, 38, at the end of September.
The popcorn stuck in a tooth in the back left of his mouth, drove him crazy for three days, and, no matter how hard he tried, he could not dislodge it.
Adam admits he played around with his gums using random things he found lying around to dislodge it.
A week later Adam developed what appeared to be a cold, which then turned into what was assumed to be flu, and on October 7 he went to his doctor.
SWNS
The doctors diagnosed a mild heart murmur and sent him for blood tests and x-rays, which came back showing nothing more significant than slightly raised inflammation markers.
Adam was sent home with medication to recover under his own steam, but a few days later, he was still experiencing flu-like symptoms.
He also developed a blood blister on his toe - which was later diagnosed as a Janeway lesion, an external indication of infective endocarditis.
SWNS
Endocarditis is an infection of the endocardium, which is the inner lining of the heart chambers and heart valves.
It can lead to bacteria spreading through the bloodstream and damaging areas in the heart. If it's not treated quickly, endocarditis can damage or destroy heart valves.
Worried about his worsening current condition, Adam went to the Royal Cornwall Hospital on October 18.
SWNS
He said:
βI had a feeling there was something seriously wrong. I was sleeping an awful lot and I felt terrible.
βI had aches and pains in my legs and I just did not feel right at all. I was admitted to hospital the same day for tests. By this point I was very worried."
βI felt quite ill and I knew I was not right at all."
The muscle ache in his leg turned out to be an infected clot, wedged in his femoral artery which required a five-hour operation to clear.
SWNS
Adam was being treated with medication to fight the infection, but chest scans revealed his heart had been severely damaged - and would need an urgent operation.
He was transferred to Derriford Hospital on October 21 and had a seven-hour open-heart surgery to replace his aortic valve and repair his mitral valve, damaged by the infection.
Adam said:
βMy heart was not properly working anymore. It was essentially wrecked. The infection had eaten the valves away."
βI should have just gone to the dentist in the first place. I don't want anyone to go through what I have done."
βIt all happened so quickly and it did get sketchy. I won't be going near popcorn again, that's for sure."
βIt's crazy to think all this happened because of that. It was something so trivial."
Adam made a quick recovery following surgery and returned home to his wife, Helen, and three children Megan, 15, Holly, 14 and George, seven, at the end of October.
SWNS
Teaching assistant Helen said:
βAny sign of toothache, bleeding gums, abscessβget it checked out!"
βIt is also well worth noting the date in case you get 'flu like symptoms.' If Adam's infection was caught earlier it could have been treated with antibiotics."
βYour gums are a bacterial highway to your heart."
*A version of this article orginally appeared on SWNS, and was written by Jack Longstaff and Emma Ferguson
Despite now being considered one of the most iconic sci-fi shows of all time, Star Trek was not a bonafide hit when it first aired, lasting just three seasons before being canceled.
Takei explained:
"We were low-rated all three seasons. After they canceled us, the syndicators put us on five nights a week. Not one night a week, but Monday through Friday, and that's when we finally found our audience."
But the show's initial lack of success didn't stop the cast from forming close, lasting bonds.
When asked about his relationship with Nimoy, Takei recalled:
"He was a deep thinker as well as a guy with a great sense of humor. Totally opposite Spock. But he was also someone I enjoyed conversations with on the sets the most, because he was a well-informed, au courant person, and we loved talking politics."
Speaking of politics, Takeiβa vocal critic of President Donald Trumpβdidn't hold back during the interview, saying:
"I think we have an orangutan inhabiting our White House."
But despite the current political divide, Takei remains optimistic that impeachment "will happen."
You can watch the entire interview below:
Takei appeared with his Star Trek castmates in the documentary For the Love of Spock - Special Director's Editionβavailable hereβby Leonard Nimoy's son Adam Nimoy.
Amazon
The heartwarming interaction happened during a matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies after a Dodgers player hit a foul ball into the stands.
The two young Phillies fans both raced up the steps to grab the ball at about the same time. The boy that got there first turned around with the ball in his hand and simply offered it to the boy who got there right behind him.
As the two headed back to their seats, the boy who wound up with the ball gave the other boy a hug to thank him and they went their merry ways.
Luckily for all of us, the sweet moment was caught by TV cameras.
Kid gives foul ball away. hugs it out www.youtube.com
If ever there was a time for this GIF, it's now.
The video quickly went viral, with people praising the two boys for their kindness and maturity.
@buitengebieden_ https://t.co/lI2OMugvhFβ Furious Styles (@Furious Styles) 1563476196
@buitengebieden_ @M_Sallis Itβs the hug after that gets me π. Make this young man go viral in a good way πβ π³ Air, thatβs my name π³ (@π³ Air, thatβs my name π³) 1563483946
@buitengebieden_ This makes our future look bright. What a wonderful young man.β NMHP (@NMHP) 1563481604
@buitengebieden_ Philly. City of Brotherly Love.β Spaceman Eddie (@Spaceman Eddie) 1563488006
Someone clearly raised these two kids right.
@buitengebieden_ Credit to the parents π. They raised some fine young men.β Dennis (@Dennis) 1563477921
@buitengebieden_ Respect to their parents! WTG!!β πΈπΈπΈββπΎππ»πΌππ (@πΈπΈπΈββπΎππ»πΌππ) 1563498372
@buitengebieden_ And mom just continue check the gadget. Like ...thatβs just my son the good hearted boyβ Prabowo B. waskito (@Prabowo B. waskito) 1563503383
We've certainly seen adults act much worse in similar circumstances.
@buitengebieden_ Damn shame it takes kids to show humanity towards one another. Children donβt see race the see chβ¦ https://t.co/6c4eoo2lIJβ Marco Crosby (@Marco Crosby) 1563584189
@buitengebieden_ @RexChapman Meanwhile adults at baseball games are literally trampling kids to get a foul ball.β Ambitious Susan (@Ambitious Susan) 1563495346
@buitengebieden_ Why canβt some adults be like this π©β π―π²Philabadboy π¦ (@π―π²Philabadboy π¦ ) 1563477285
@buitengebieden_ Now if only the rest of our country could follow the example these two little gentlemen have shownβ Tim (@Tim) 1563564712
Once officials became aware of what transpired, both boys ended up going home with game balls.
Which just goes to show:
if you do good things, good things often come your way.
And as the baseball commentator so aptly said:
"It doesn't matter how late or what day it isβit's always nice to be nice to the nice."
Spread the word about kindness with this shirt, available here, in a variety of sizes and colors.
Amazon
So when one woman recently received an unexpected text from an ex of hers, it left her stunned. Especially considering that he sent it to her the day before his wedding.
Alexsa Sanchez Aguilar shared the emotional text exchange that left her "speechless" on Twitter:
i- iβm speechless https://t.co/i2EAiER60zβ ππ’π΅ (@ππ’π΅) 1563598731
It all started innocently enough:
And then her ex laid it all out there:
Not exactly the kind of thing you expect to receive from an ex who you've lost touch with, let alone the day before they're about to tie the knot with another person.
Many people were genuinely impressed with Aguilar's ex.
@_xolexc This has to be the most beautiful thing Ive read. Shout out to both of y'all for being such damn good people.β El Botero (@El Botero) 1563635578
@_xolexc @venusancheta1 m a t u r i t y https://t.co/hwI5MgLRqeβ jossy π (@jossy π) 1563646320
Admit itβyou totally thought this was how the message would go.
@_xolexc @sssotoo I thought it was gonna be those βIβm getting married tomorrow if thereβs any chance of us gettingβ¦ https://t.co/YpW30VIigHβ π€ (@π€) 1563634718
But there were a lot of people who were kinda weirded out by the whole thing.
@_xolexc Bro how do you respond to this message...βof course bro anytime! Congrats on the marriage!β Like what do you say?????β Ciaraπ» (@Ciaraπ») 1563647726
@_xolexc His fiancΓ©e after he sent this text https://t.co/1FsuneaKwlβ King Vag-Eata (@King Vag-Eata) 1563620301
Aguilar explained to one commenter just how close she was with her ex and why his honesty wasn't all that unexpected.
@m9riah @abbysevillaa we were extremely young. we lost our bestfriend to suicide which is why we have so much respect towards eachother.β ππ’π΅ (@ππ’π΅) 1563613663
And for those wondering, Aguilar did respond.
Here's what she said:
In an interview with Buzzfeed, Aguilar revealed why she shared the texts, saying:
"I wanted to show that just because things don't work out with someone, that doesn't mean you should have hate towards them. Regardless of everything, you were meant to be a part of that person's life, and them, yours."
Now that sounds like some solid advice.
The book No Regrets: How Loving Deeply and Living Passionately Can Impact Your Legacy Forever, available here, tells the story of one person's decision to live regret free.
"After facing the possibility of death, Robin Bertram took inventory of her life, and realized she was given a second chance: a chance to choose joy and to live life with no regrets."