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“A balm for the soul”
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Grandson learned his grandma used to be a pro model. So he surprised her with a photoshoot.

50 years later, she's still got it.

ollie muhl, older fashion models
@olliemuhl/TikTok

Stunning in every era.

We’ve had quite a few stories of older women shattering the glass ceiling of beauty standards, showing us that a few wrinkles and gray hairs do not make a woman inherently less attractive or glamorous.

In fact, the opposite is often true. For with these markers of age comes wisdom, sovereignty, and the kind of confidence that can only be granted through experience. All of these are sexy things.

But women have been made to think otherwise for far too long. And let’s be real, just because there has been progress here, it doesn’t mean that the beauty industry (or how we collectively view beauty in general) has quit becoming a young woman’s game.

Older women still rarely find themselves represented as vibrant, sexy, desirable or aspirational as their younger counterparts. Or as compared to older men…which is a whole ‘nother can of worms.

All this to say, anytime there is a story of an older woman challenging societal norms simply by being their fabulous selves, we think it’s a story worth sharing. And this one certainly fits the bill, with its own special flavor of grandma-grandson wholesomeness.

This is Ollie Muhl—a content creator, and objectively good looking dude.

Of course, perhaps Muhl should credit some of his aesthetic to genes provided by his grandmother, whom he recently discovered was an international model back in the day.

In a video posted to his TikTok, Muhl shared that when her grandmother first told him of her former profession, he “didn't believe her.” But grandma had the receipts, aka a stunning modeling portfolio.



That video quickly went viral. People could not stop talking about how gorgeous Muhl’s grandma was. A few even recognized some of her ads.

“OH MY GOD my grandma has a picture of your grandma on the wall of her small hut in the middle of nowhere in Moldova! This brings so [many] memories. The world is a small village, “ one person wote.

Another gushed, “literally one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. Wow.”

After his initial video went viral, Muhl was inspired to prove that even after 50 years, his grandma still had the “it factor.” So he surprised her with a professional photoshoot.

In a subsequent TikTok video, we see Muhl’s grandma gasp as she’s greeted by a hair, makeup and wardrobe team, who quickly get to work zhuzhing and spritzing.


@olliemuhl I better be the favorite grandchild after this A huge thanks to everybody that helped to make this happen. Truly a special moment for my grandma.💕
♬ original sound - Ollie



Meanwhile, Muhl’s grandpa is also there, and “in need of air” as he watched his wife get glambotted.

“The way grandpa fell in love all over again,” one viewer wrote.

Finally, we see that Muhl’s grandma truly hasn’t missed a beat as she nails every angle and pose, leaving most passersby breathless.

So many commented to say how this woman should get back into modeling asap.

This is right here exactly what should be on the cover of magazines, graceful aging. And when I want that I mean, letting it do what the world is going to do and letting your personality shine through.”

“Brands! You need to book her now!’

She needs to continue modeling. We need our age represented by your beautiful grandmother. Chanel?”

And because we know you’re dying to see, here’s the final product.

Of course Muhl’s grandmother got many, many more compliments, but what really seemed to affect people was this grandson’s sweet gesture.

“A really touching story, great idea to start a shoot. Your grandmother is really very stylish. Great photos, the outfits look like they were made for you. Excellent!,” one person commented.

Another said, “Absolutely terrific set of shots, Ollie. The full story of what you did for your grandma needs to go into a top fashion magazine…It is such a fantastic story and would make brilliant reading!! ⚡️💥💜👌🥇🏆🥇👌❤️💥⚡️”

Indeed, there’s just so much to love about this. Sweet grandsons, glamorous grandmas, gorgeous photos…and a great reminder that beauty has no expiration date.

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Cycle for Survival
Cycle for Survival
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How can riding a bike help beat cancer? Just ask Reid Moritz, 10-year-old survivor and leader of his own “wolfpack”

Every year, Reid and his pack participate in Cycle for Survival to help raise money for the rare cancer research that’s helped him and so many others. You can too.

all photos courtesy of Reid Moritz

Together, let’s help fuel the next big breakthrough in cancer research

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There are many things that ten-year-old Reid Wolf Moritz loves. His family, making watches (yes, really), basketball, cars (especially Ferraris), collecting super, ultra-rare Pokémon cards…and putting the pedal to the medal at Cycle for Survival.

Cycle for Survival is the official rare cancer fundraising program of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). One hundred percent of every dollar raised at Cycle for Survival events supports rare cancer research and lifesaving clinical trials at MSK.

At only two years old, Reid was diagnosed with pilocytic astrocytoma, a rare type of brain tumor.

Pediatric cancer research is severely underfunded. When standard treatments don't work, families rely on breakthrough clinical trials to give their children a real shot at long-term survival.

When Reid’s chemotherapy and brain surgery didn’t work, he was able to participate in one of MSK’s clinical trials, where he’s received some incredible results. “Memorial Sloan Kettering has done so much for me. It's just so nice how they did all this for me. They're just the best hospital ever,” Reid recalls.

And that’s why every year, you’ll find Reid with his team, aptly named Reid's Wolfpack, riding at Cycle for Survival. It’s just Reid’s way of paying it forward so that even more kids can have similar opportunities.

“I love sharing my story to inspire other kids to PERSEVERE, STAY STRONG and NEVER GIVE UP while also raising money for my amazing doctors and researchers to help other kids like me.”

Reid remembers the joy felt bouncing on his father’s shoulder and hearing the crowd cheer during his first Cycle for Survival ride. As he can attest, each fundraising event feels more like a party, with plenty of dancing, singing and celebrating.

Hoping to spread more of that positivity, Reid and his family started the Cycle for Survival team, Reid’s Wolfpack, which has raised close to $750,000 over the past eight years. All that money goes directly to Reid’s Neuro-Oncology team at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

In addition to cheering on participants and raising good vibes at Cycle for Survival events, Reid even designs some pretty epic looking merch—like basketball shorts, jerseys, and hoodies—to help raise money.

If you’re looking to help kids just like Reid, and have a ton of fun doing it, you’re in luck. Cycle for Survival events are held at Equinox locations nationwide, and welcome experienced riders and complete newbies alike. You can even join Reid and his Wolfpack in select cities!

And if cycling in any form isn’t your thing, a little donation really does go a long way.

Together, let’s help fuel the next big breakthrough in cancer research. Find out more information by checking out cycleforsurvival.org or filling out this interest form.

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best of humanity
Joy

They thought their son lived an isolated life. But when he died, friends showed up in droves.

Mats Steen's parents were shocked to learn their severely disabled son had lived a rich, independent life they knew nothing about.

Netflix/YouTube

Mats Steen lived a secret life that his family only discovered after he died.

Mats Steen was only 25 years old when he passed away, his body succumbing to the genetic disease that had slowly taken his mobility since childhood. He'd lived in a wheelchair since his early teens, and by his 20s, his physical abilities had deteriorated to the point of only being able to move his fingers. He could push buttons and use a mouse, and he spent nearly all of his waking hours playing video games in his parents' basement.

His family loved him and cared for him through it all, giving him as much of a normal life as they could. But they also lamented everything they knew he'd missed out on. "Our deepest sorrow lay in the fact that he would never experience friendships, love, or to make a difference in people's lives," Mats' father shares.

Mats left behind the password to a blog he kept. Not knowing if anyone would actually read it, his parents published the news of Mats' passing in a blog post, adding their email address in case anyone wanted to reach out.

Much to their surprise, messages began pouring in from around the world—not just with condolences, but with heartfelt stories from people who called Mats their friend.

The Steens soon discovered that their son had lived a much fuller life than they'd ever imagined—one that included all the things they always wished for him.

As his online life was revealed, the family learned that Mats began his days with a routine 30-minute sprint through the forest. He frequented cafes and pubs, chatting with strangers and flirting with women. He sat by campfires having heart-to-heart conversations. He made friends and enemies. He fought heroic battles. He supported people in times of need. He gave advice that people took. He experienced his first kiss.

And he did it all as "Ibelin," his handsome, muscular avatar in the online game World of Warcraft.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Mats' life is showcased in the documentary, "The Remarkable Life of Ibelin," in which his parents share the story of how they discovered their son's group of friends they didn't know he had.

People who've never played an open world roleplay game like World of Warcraft may wonder how real community can be built through it, but Mats' story proves it's possible. The friends he made through the game have shared the real influence he'd had on their real lives, from helping them with problems they were facing to empowering them to make positive changes in their relationships.

Though he never met them face-to-face, Mats' online friends say he made a significant impact on them.

A young woman Ibelin had connected with as a teenager—the one with whom he'd shared that first virtual kiss—shared that her parents had taken away her computer when they feared gaming was interfering with her studies. When she logged on at a local library, Mats gave her a letter he had written to give to her parents, encouraging them to talk with her about her gaming hobby and to work out a solution together that didn't require her to give it up completely. She printed it and gave it to them. Miraculously, it worked.

Another woman had been having a hard time connecting with her autistic son as a young adult. When she talked with Ibelin about her struggles, he suggested that she and her son start gaming together and connect in that way first. Eventually, that connection via the virtual world led to warmer in-person interactions between them—and a life-changing shift in their relationship.

"I don't think he was aware of the impact that he had done to a lot of people," the mother shared.

Mats interacted with the same online friends as Ibelin for years, going through the kinds of ups and downs all real friendships experience. He kept his physical condition a secret until close to the end of his life, when he finally opened up to another player who convinced him to share his reality with the others. Some traveled from other countries to attend his funeral, with one of them speaking on the group's behalf and a few of them serving as pallbearers. Those who knew Ibelin also held a memorial in-game at his virtual gravesite—a tradition that has spread beyond just his own guild.

Typically, we think of someone escaping the real world and spending hours a day playing video games as unhealthy, but for Mats, it was a lifeline. As Ibelin, Mats was able to have a level of independence and a rich social life that simply wasn't possible for him in the offline world—an uniquely modern phenomenon that technology and human creativity have made possible.

Mats' impact on his online community was real, and 10 years after his passing his impact is spreading even further.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the genetic disease that Mats lived with and ultimately died from, affects 300,000 boys worldwide. It only affects males and it has no cure. But CureDuchenne, a global nonprofit dedicated to funding and finding a cure, has partnered with Blizzard and World of Warcraft in Mats' honor. From now until January 7, 2025, World of Warcraft players can purchase a limited-edition pet fox named Reven ("fox" in Norwegian). The Reven Pack, which includes a transmog backpack and Reven’s Comfy Carrier, costs $20, with 100% of the purchase price being donated to CureDuchenne.

The Reven Pack on World of Warcraft—100% of purchase cost goes to the CureDuchenne foundation.World of Warcraft/CureDuchenne

“Mats Steen lived a life in World of Warcraft that he couldn’t in the real world as he fought Duchenne muscular dystrophy alongside his incredible family, who I’m proud to have met and fallen in love with,”said Holly Longdale, executive producer of World of Warcraft. “Working with CureDuchenne for our Charity Pet Program, in honor of Mats’ memory, allows us to harness the power of our phenomenal global community to bring meaningful impact to so many lives.”

You can learn more about Mats' story in the award-winning documentary, "The Remarkable Life of Ibelin," on Netflix and learn more about the CureDuchenne fundraising initiative with World of Warcraft here.

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Stay-at-home mom shares her life 'without the filters' and parents everywhere can relate

"Let me walk around my house and make you feel better about yours."

via Emily Feret/TikTok

Emily Feret wants to "normalize being normal."

In the age of social media, it’s easy for moms to feel bad about themselves. Given the “positivity bias” of social media, parents are much more likely to share idealized pictures of their families that make everyone else feel like they’re the only ones who don’t have it together. A study published in “Computers in Human Behavior” found that being confronted with “idealized motherhood” can increase anxiety and put unnecessary pressure on your mental health.

“And interestingly, it didn’t matter if the idealized portrayal was from a social media influencer [a “mommy influencer”] or an average Instagram user [an “everyday mom”],” the study’s author Dr. Ciera E. Kirkpatrick writes. “Idealized content from either of these sources had the same negative effect—indicating that anyone putting out idealized motherhood content like this can have harmful effects on new moms. It’s not just a problem with influencers,” Dr. Kirkpatrick continues.

One stay-at-home mom is doing her best to make everyone feel better about the chaos that comes with having children. TikTokker Emily Feret has earned over 1 million followers on the platform because of her videos that aim to "normalize being normal."

In one of her posts, she shows you what a “normal” person's fridge looks like. "You guys love these, I like to normalize being normal, life without the filter. So I'm gonna show you my fridge so you can feel better about yours,” Feret says in the video.

@emilyjeanne333

THE FRIDGE #WorthTheWait #normalizechaos #normalizenormal #messyhouse #fridgetour #normal #nofilter #pinterestmom #hotmessmom

In another video, she takes a walk through her house, "so you can feel better about yours." On her journey, she encounters a washing machine that doesn't work quite right, a bed that isn't made properly and a massive stack of toilet paper she keeps in her hallway.

Feret also provides support for mothers who feel overwhelmed.

“The mess isn’t going to go anywhere. You have young kids. You’re at home all the time. You’re living in your home. It’s going to look lived-in, and that’s okay,” she said. “Your kids are little. Enjoy them. Love them.”

“I want you to know that you’re doing enough by doing exactly what you’re doing right now,” she added.

@emilyjeanne333

#stitch with @marandaarbo I don’t know you but I see you and I love you. Breathe mama #breatheinbreatheout #nornalizechaos #nornalizemess

Feret told Parents what inspired her to share her home life on TikTok.

"I was watching all these videos and seeing all these pictures on social media of these picture-perfect houses and 'filtered lives,' and it was making me feel bad about my life," Feret told Parents. "I was not seeing any houses or moms that looked like me and my life. I wanted to show how my life is not at all like that and that you can be 'normal' and be doing a wonderful job even if your house is a mess and your kids are driving you crazy."

Feret’s videos are clearly resonating with parents because she’s had over 38 million likes on TikTok. She can’t believe the success that she’s had being “normal” but is happy she can help mothers like herself.

“All I have ever wanted to do is to help other people. The response has been overwhelming. I have people sending me gifts and celebrities commenting on my posts. It’s incredibly surreal,” she told Motherly. “I wanted other moms, and really anyone out there, that if their life does not look like an Instagram post it doesn’t mean you aren’t doing well.”


This article originally appeared two years ago.

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Why didn't people smile in old photographs? It wasn't just about the long exposure times.

People blame these serious expressions on how long they had to sit for a photo, but that's not the whole picture.

Public domain images

Photos from the 1800s were so serious.

If you've ever perused photographs from the 19th and early 20th century, you've likely noticed how serious everyone looked. If there's a hint of a smile at all, it's oh-so-slight, but more often than not, our ancestors looked like they were sitting for a sepia-toned mug shot or being held for ransom or something. Why didn't people smile in photographs? Was life just so hard back then that nobody smiled? Were dour, sour expressions just the norm?

Most often, people's serious faces in old photographs are blamed on the long exposure time of early cameras, and that's true. Taking a photo was not an instant event like it is now; people had to sit still for many minutes in the 1800s to have their photo taken.

Ever try holding a smile for only one full minute? It's surprisingly difficult and very quickly becomes unnatural. A smile is a quick reaction, not a constant state of expression. Even people we think of as "smiley" aren't toting around full-toothed smiles for minutes on end. When you had to be still for several minutes to get your photo taken, there was just no way you were going to hold a smile for that long.

But there are other reasons besides long exposure times that people didn't smile in early photographs.

1800s photographsWhy so serious? Public domain

The non-smiling precedent had already been set by centuries of painted portraits

The long exposure times for early photos may have contributed to serious facial expressions, but so did the painted portraits that came before them. Look at all of the portraits of famous people throughout history prior to cameras. Sitting to be painted took hours, so smiling was out of the question. Other than the smallest of lip curls like the Mona Lisa, people didn't smile for painted portraits, so why would people suddenly think it normal to flash their pearly whites (which were not at all pearly white back then) for a photographed one? It simply wasn't how it was done.

A smirk? Sometimes. A full-on smile? Practically never.

"Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci, painted in 1503Public domain

Smiling usually indicated that you were a fool or a drunkard

Our perceptions of smiling have changed dramatically since the 1800s. In explaining why smiling was considered taboo in portraits and early photos, art historian Nicholas Jeeves wrote in Public Domain Review:

"Smiling also has a large number of discrete cultural and historical significances, few of them in line with our modern perceptions of it being a physical signal of warmth, enjoyment, or indeed of happiness. By the 17th century in Europe it was a well-established fact that the only people who smiled broadly, in life and in art, were the poor, the lewd, the drunk, the innocent, and the entertainment […] Showing the teeth was for the upper classes a more-or-less formal breach of etiquette."

"Malle Babbe" by Frans Hals, sometime between 1640 and 1646Public domain

In other words, to the Western sensibility, smiling was seen as undignified. If a painter did put a smile on the subject of a portrait, it was a notable departure from the norm, a deliberate stylistic choice that conveyed something about the artist or the subject.

Even the artists who attempted it had less-than-ideal results. It turns out that smiling is such a lively, fleeting expression that the artistically static nature of painted portraits didn't lend itself well to showcasing it. Paintings that did have subjects smiling made them look weird or disturbing or drunk. Simply put, painting a genuine, natural smile didn't work well in portraits of old.

As a result, the perception that smiling was an indication of lewdness or impropriety stuck for quite a while, even after Kodak created snapshot cameras that didn't have the long exposure time problem. Even happy occasions had people nary a hint of joy in the photographs that documented them.

wedding party photoEven wedding party photos didn't appear to be joyful occasions.Wikimedia Commons

Then along came movies, which may have changed the whole picture

So how did we end up coming around to grinning ear to ear for photos? Interestingly enough, it may have been the advent of motion pictures that pushed us towards smiling being the norm.

Photos could have captured people's natural smiles earlier—we had the technology for taking instant photos—but culturally, smiling wasn't widely favored for photos until the 1920s. One theory about that timing is that the explosion of movies enabled us to see emotions of all kinds playing out on screen, documenting the fleeting expressions that portraits had failed to capture. Culturally, it became normalized to capture, display and see all kind of emotions on people's faces. As we got more used to that, photo portraits began portraying people in a range of expression rather than trying to create a neutral image of a person's face.

Changing our own perceptions of old photo portraits to view them as neutral rather than grumpy or serious can help us remember that people back then were not a bunch of sourpusses, but people who experienced as wide a range of emotion as we do, including joy and mirth. Unfortunately, we just rarely get to see them in that state before the 1920s.

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Joy

The latest weapon against phone scammers has arrived, and it's a sweet 'Granny AI' bot

dAIsy has kept some scammers on the phone for up to 40 minutes.

O2/Youtube

Scammers, meet your match.

You wouldn’t think a story involving AI and phone scams would be a positive one…but life is full of unexpected surprises.

O2, the UK’s largest mobile network operator, recently launched Daisy, technically spelled “dAIsy,” a voice-based AI chatbot who sounds like an elderly woman. And this robot grandma has one mission and one mission only: waste phone scammers time.

As many of us know, phone scammers notoriously target the elderly, hoping they’ll have a perfectly exploitable combination of naivety and a lack of tech savviness. Which makes sweet ol’ dAIsy the perfect scambait.

Little do these fraudsters know, they are in for a mind numbingly meandering, never-ending conversation with dAIsy—a tactic many real life folks have adopted to give scammers their comeuppance. And even if and when dAIsy can’ avoid giving personal information, it’s completely fake.

The video below shows just how effective dAIsy is at her job. At one point we hear a frustrated scammer on the other line shout “IT’S BEEN AN HOUR!” To which dAIsy quips, “oh how time flies.” brilliant. Of course the best part is when she nearly gives someone an aneurysm just by calling them “dear” repeatedly.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Of course, we know that voice-based AI can, and has, been used for nefarious purposes as well. And scammers are quickly learning how to adopt this technology for their own scheme—giving convincing portrayals of distressed grandchildren and overly generous CEOs. But the great thing about dAIsy is that she not only doles out a bit of karmic justice, she also helps O2 discover common scammer tactics, which can, in turn help them create better protections moving forward.

And this is the important takeaway. Ideally we would be able to shut down these fraudulent organizations outright, but they are constantly adapting. Thankfully companies like O2 are making efforts to stay ahead of the game to make that goal more of a reality. Plus, what a fun way to deliver justice.

This is a great example of how AI, for all its inherent flaws, can be used for good. Plus we all love stories about delightful grannies beating the bad guys.

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Wellness

Baby boy meets the woman who risked it all to give him a second chance

Their unforgettable first encounter will make your heart swell.

Courtesy: Katie White

Sandy Flash meets Sonny for the first time.

It takes a special sort of someone to donate a portion of an organ to a person in need. The gift is even more generous if the recipient is someone the giver hasn't ever met. Sandy Flash, a resident of New York, is just such a person, having selflessly donated a portion of her liver without even knowing who the recipient would be. She would later come to learn that her courage and generosity saved the life of a one-year-old boy named Sonny, and the moment they met is melting hearts across the internet.

Facing a rare and life-threatening condition

Sonny was born a healthy baby, but within months, his family faced a devastating diagnosis: biliary atresia. This rare condition blocks bile ducts in the liver, leading to liver damage. Doctors attempted to treat Sonny with the Kasai procedure, a surgery designed to reroute bile flow. But like many children with biliary atresia, Sonny's condition worsened. By his first birthday, he was battling end-stage liver disease, and his family learned he would need a liver transplant to survive.

"When they tell you your child needs a transplant, you start thinking, ‘How are we going to get this organ?’"

— Katie White, Sonny's mom

A stranger's extraordinary decision

Meanwhile, Sandy Flash had already decided to become a living organ donor. Her husband’s own liver transplant at Cleveland Clinic had inspired her to give back in the most profound way. With a trusted team led by Dr. Choon Hyuck David Kwon, Director of Minimally Invasive Liver Surgery at Cleveland Clinic, Sandy underwent a rigorous screening process to ensure her safety and compatibility as a donor.

Sandy’s procedure was performed laparoscopically, a minimally invasive technique that reduced her recovery time and postoperative pain. In May 2023, Sandy learned she would be donating a portion of her liver to Sonny, a child she’d never met but whose life depended on her gift.

"Next to having my own children, this is the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done."

— Sandy Flash

A life-saving transplant

According to the Cleveland Clinic, Sonny’s condition had reached a critical point by the time the transplant was scheduled. He was battling end-stage liver disease, and his other organs were beginning to show signs of strain. The transplant, led by Dr. Koji Hashimoto, Director of Liver Transplantation at Cleveland Clinic, gave Sonny a new chance at life. The small portion of Sandy’s liver transplanted into Sonny’s body will grow as he grows, allowing him to live without the devastating effects of biliary atresia.

The recovery process was not without challenges, but Sonny soon began thriving. He returned home to his family and, over the following months, caught up on milestones he’d missed, becoming a bubbly, active toddler.

"As of today, Sonny’s so happy and bubbly. You wouldn't even know he’s gone through everything he did."

— Katie White

A meeting filled with gratitude

In July 2024, after both Sandy and Sonny had recovered, the two families met for the first time at Cleveland Clinic. Sandy didn’t know much about the child whose life she had saved, and Sonny’s family was eager to thank the stranger who had changed their world. The moment Sonny toddled over to Sandy with a bright smile on his face left everyone in tears.


@clevelandclinic When Sandy Flash first saw Sonny’s bright smile, she knew her decision to become a living organ donor was worth it. Sonny’s mom, Katie White, was overwhelmed to meet the stranger who selflessly donated a portion of her liver to save her son. “Sandy gave a piece of herself to save my baby’s life. Organ donation is truly an unconditional gift,” says Katie. “Next to having my own children, this is the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done,” says Sandy. After Sonny was born, doctors diagnosed him with biliary atresia, which affects liver function. He would ultimately need a transplant. “When they tell you your child needs a transplant, you start thinking, ‘How are we going to get this organ?’ Sonny’s Cleveland Clinic Children’s team mentioned all the potential options, including an anonymous living donor,” says Katie. When becoming a living organ donor, Sandy didn’t know who she’d end up helping but felt called to do it after her husband, Jim, needed a liver transplant. In 2022, Sandy and Jim traveled from where they live in Western New York to our main campus in Cleveland, Ohio, for his transplant. Later, when Sandy ultimately decided to become a living donor, she knew she wanted to come back. She decided to donate a portion of her liver’s left lobe. Up to two-thirds of the liver can be safely removed as long as the tissue is healthy and able to regenerate. The portion of the liver transplanted will grow with the child’s body. In May 2023, Sandy and Sonny were matched and their surgeries were scheduled. Sandy is thankful she underwent her procedure laparoscopically, or minimally invasive, as it cut down on her recovery time. Once 1-year-old Sonny reached a good place in his recovery, they met for the first time. “It was amazing to see this beautiful, energetic boy with a huge smile. When it comes to organ donation, I think many people, like me, don't think about it until it touches you personally. I’m sharing my story to hopefully inspire others to consider becoming a living organ donor,” says Sandy. Katie adds, “This weight lifted off our shoulders when we met. I felt a sense of relief being able to see the person who saved my baby’s life.”
♬ original sound - clevelandclinic


"It was amazing to see this beautiful, energetic boy with a huge smile on his face," Sandy recalled. "I asked what his name was and when Katie said Sonny, I thought, ‘Perfect.’"

The case for living organ donation

Living organ donation provides a unique opportunity to save a life, often with better outcomes than transplants from deceased donors. Organizations like the American Transplant Foundation and Mayo Clinic emphasize the importance of this option, highlighting the shorter wait times and higher success rates it offers.

via GIPHY

For Sandy, the experience was life-changing: "The rewards of the experience, knowing that you helped someone in dire need, are incredibly fulfilling." Sonny’s story serves as a testament to the life-changing power of organ donation, and his family hopes their journey inspires others to consider becoming donors.

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