The news these days is often depressing at worst and frustrating at best. It’s easy to get caught up in the spin cycle and let it get us down. Never fear… The News Blender has you covered. Once a week we feature Something Good and, in return, all you have to do is tell us something good that has happened to you this week, something you are thankful for, a joke, a cute animal story, an inspiring tale of heroics, a Random Act of Kindness… SOMETHING good.
In honor of Father’s Day, we have a story about a dad who was given another chance at life.
In October 2018 John O’Brien, a 47 year-old motorcyclist from the UK, was in an accident that resulted in terrible injuries. While being treated on the scene, he went into cardiac arrest. The Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service team, led by Dr. Mark Forrest, tried everything but, with no response, the situation was dire and all that could be done was to open his chest while he lay in the middle of the road. Such a procedure is rarely performed outside an operating room and has only the slimmest chance of working but Dr. Forrest wanted to give his patient a chance, no matter how unlikely it was to work.
Dr. Forrest cut open John’s chest as the last option to save his life, managed the internal bleeding and massaged John’s heart until it, remarkably, started beating again. The doctor told BBC that they all stood back in amazement when the desperate treatment actually worked.
John was transported to the hospital and survived. He underwent rehabilitation and one of his therapy goals was to walk his daughter down the aisle. On May 11, John walked his daughter Amy down the aisle.
John was reunited with the doctor and the team who saved his life on May 21. He said, “I can’t thank Dr Forrest and everyone involved enough for helping me that day and for doing everything they could to save my life. I was lucky enough to be able to walk my daughter down the aisle recently and that’s all thanks to them.”
A man’s life saved and a chance to be present at a daughter’s wedding is Something Good to think about as we celebrate Father’s Day today.
On this Father’s Day, The News Blender wants to wish a very Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, and the men who stand in for dads in so many ways, out there. Thank you for everything you do in loving, protecting, and providing for those in your care. For those missing a father, we hope you have warm memories of him to hold on to today.
It’s your turn to share Something Good… As always, you are invited to tell us about something good that happened this week. Feel free to talk about your dad, as well. Share memories or a photo of your dad in the comment section if you would like.
Happy Father’s Day!
