After their three-year-old son’s diagnosis, a family from Texas built a backyard playground for him to enjoy. Colton Costa has the rare Hurler syndrome, also known as MPS 1. It affects many different organs and tissues in the body causing heart disease, cognitive impairment, respiratory issues, skeletal abnormalities, among many other symptoms. There’s no cure...
Bruce Willis, 68, retired from acting after his diagnosis with aphasia. This condition impacts the brain’s ability to communicate. It can occur after a head injury, stroke, or from other diseases; the cause is unclear in Willis’ case. It can cause difficulty speaking and understanding other people’s dialogue, which can negatively affect a patient’s job,...
Many Americans have probably never heard of Vegemite, a sandwich spread commonly used in Australia. If they have tried it, they may not have liked it. In America, common sandwich spreads are sweet, like Nutella, marshmallow fluff, or peanut butter that contains added sugars. Meanwhile, Vegemite is a black and salty mixture made of concentrated...
Secret, long-lost family members are a staple in soap operas and thrillers. But in real-life, family secrets are shocking, maybe devastating. People trust that their parents would reveal important information, so uncovering their secrets later in life can shatter a person’s sense of reality. Sarah Leibov, a writer and Feldenkrais practitioner, had her world shaken...
Warrick Dunn is famous for his professional football career, which spanned 12 seasons in the NFL, but he deserves more acclaim for his philanthropy. Ever since his rookie season in 1997, Dunn has supported single-parents and underprivileged families with his Homes for the Holidays program. He started the organization to honor his mother’s memory, since...
A school in Spain decided to combat gender inequality by educating their male students about the basics of household chores, and they went viral. Housework is equally unloved by both men and women, and yet women do the bulk of it. According to the 8,500 heterosexual couples who were interviewed for the UK Household Longitudinal Study,...
Missy Gillenwater has always struggled with maintaining a healthy weight. The 50-year-old stay-at-home wife faced the same issue many people face when exercising and eating healthily: motivation. As a result, her weight fluctuated over the years, and she could not stay healthy for an extended period. But as her acid reflux symptoms got worse, she...
Mayim Bialik is an American actress known for her titular role in Blossom as well as her award-winning performance as Amy Farrah Fowler on Big Bang Theory. Bialik has a doctorate in neuroscience and has become the co-host of Jeopardy alongside Ken Jennings. She has also written several books, including Beyond the Sling with co-author...
Parker Grelecki was born with hydrocephalus, a condition that causes a buildup of fluids in the brain. He was only two days old when doctors placed a shunt in his brain, the first of many procedures to drain the excess fluid and reshape his skull. His parents had no idea how much the condition might...
A Secret Life of Mom Highlight Story: Sometimes there are stories that can help raise and maintain awareness of important subjects. That’s why we scour the archives and bring some of them back to help keep parents in the know. They may be touching, and even make you shed a tear, but they are meant...
Life is not easy when you get old. In fact, many older adults face so much pain and loss as they outlive their loved ones, one by one. Then there are the many health ailments that accompany old age. One widower already faced his share of troubles after losing his wife and fishing partner, but...
An Australian woman named Kayla wrote to lawyers and sisters Alison Barrett and Jillian Barrett with a troubling query. Kayla explains that her friend uses a “self-checkout trick”. Essentially, she “regularly puts through more expensive veg — such as avocados — as brown onions”. As in, she purposely underpays for her groceries. But Kayla’s friend...
