9 good things that happened around the world this week

Every time we try to catch up on the news, negative stories constantly seem to dominate the headlines. There’s a reason why we say some things “restore our faith in humanity” – it’s because we rarely get exposed to the wealth of good things happening around us everyday.

That’s why each Wednesday, we will be bringing you a roundup of some of the biggest news stories about good things that happened around the world to help brighten your day. Here’s 9 positive things that happened last week that you should know about (in no particular order):

April 30 to May 6, 2015

1. Missing sled dog recovered in high Arctic rescue search

Researchers Marc Cornelissen and Philip de Roo were on a journey in Nunavut, when they went missing. Accompanying them on their trip was an Inuit sled dog named Kimnik. Cornelissen and de Roo suddenly went missing and the search for them was called off on Thursday as police determined that the two men had drowned. Rescuers also assumed that Kimnik had drowned as well. However, against all odds, Kimnik has been found. A helicopter team located the dog after four days and Kimnik is now recovering and doing well. The search continues to recover the bodies of the researchers. Read more

2. Man leaves $3,000 tip for waitress to help her pay for her rent

A New York City waitress received a huge surprise after a restaurant patron left her a 7,000 per cent tip. The customer identified only was “Mike” was billed $43.50 for his meal and tipped his waitress $3,000. Mike left behind a note to the waitress explaining a pay-it-forward movement started by his eighth-grade teacher inspired him to do something nice. Mike knew that the waitress was struggling with her rent, as he is a regular at the restaurant. “This woman had been serving us for almost a year now. She’s a lovely individual, and she talked about how she was served an eviction notice last month,” he told Good Morning America. Read more

3. Mother gives birth to baby boy six weeks after she was declared brain dead

Karla Perez suffered a fatal stroke just seven weeks before she was supposed to give birth. The 22-year-old was brain dead after the stroke but doctors were able to keep her on life support long enough for her baby to be delivered. The medical team knew the move was extremely risky, as only 15 other babies have ever been delivered this way. Baby Angel was born at 30 weeks into Karla’s pregnancy and he weighed only 2 lbs. The infant is now in stable condition, but sadly his mother passed away after giving birth. Karla’s legacy lives on through Angel and she also gave four other people the gift of life as her organs were donated to patients needing transplants. Read more

4. Young boy with no friends at school receives hundreds of birthday cards from online supporters

Roman Povey was excited to turn 11. He desperately wanted his classmates to celebrate with him. Unfortunately Roman’s peers were not keen on being his friend. Povey’s mother, Molly, was extremely upset that students were making her son feel like an outcast and turned to Facebook to ask people to wish her son a happy birthday. “Roman doesn’t have any friends and often cries himself to sleep because of this. I cannot express how heart-breaking these past few years have been seeing my beautiful boy so upset, so often,” she wrote on Facebook. The post went viral and cards from around the world began to show up at the Povey house for Roman. “It’s been amazing, I’m overwhelmed with people’s kindness,” Molly told reporters. Read more

5. Lonely dog found living inside a tree trunk is rescued and learns how to trust again

A small, frightened dog living in a hollow tree has been has been rescued and is slowly regaining her trust with humans. Rescuers believe the dog, named Boo, was abandoned by her cruel owners. “She was probably just dumped out in the area, far from any houses. We see a lot of pets abandoned like that,” said Shirley Zindler, an animal control officer who helped rescue Boo. It is not known how long Boo was living in the tree and rescuers had a hard time coaxing her out of her hiding place. Boo was scared and wary of the animal control officers. Now Boo, who is living in a shelter, is making progress with socialization and she is learning how to trust humans more. “She’ll make someone a good companion if we can find the right match. I will foster her until the right match is made. It’s going to take someone very patient. She’s going to learn to bond with people, but it might take some time,” Zindler explained. Read more

6. Vancouver man with cancer offers to pay for random strangers’ dental work

A local Vancouver man is making a big difference in the lives of random strangers. Brice Royer, posted on Facebook that he was willing to pay for the removal of anyone’s dental amalgams (or silver fillings). Some people feel the fillings (composed of different metals) have negative impacts on their health and look for alternative options, which can be pricey. He is offering to pay for the removal of the fillings, which can cost up to $200 per tooth. He has already helped several random strangers by paying for all of their dental work. In his Facebook post he explains that having cancer has taught him to, “love your neighbour as yourself” and that is one of the reasons he is paying it forward. Read more

7. Church receives heartwarming donation from homeless man

Firth United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina received a heartwarming donation from a homeless man during last week’s Sunday service. After the service was over, church volunteers were counting donations and there was one that was particularly touching. In a small envelope was a dime and three cents enclosed with a note that read, “Please don’t be mad. I don’t have much. I’m homeless. God Bless.”

It is believed that the donation came from a homeless man who came to the church for a breakfast that is served weekly to those in the community living on the streets. “It warmed our hearts because proportionally that gift could be an average middle class person giving $1,000. I feel like he gave everything he had that morning and it’s a touching example of someone” who has so little to give,” Patrick Hamrick, a pastor at the church, told reporters. Read more

8. Thief with a guilty conscience returns what he stole from a 100-year-old tourist

William White was sightseeing on his recent trip to England, when when a thief stole $2,000 from his fanny pack. White, who is 100 years old, was on the trip with his son. The two were trying to get off a bus when White’s walker got stuck, causing him to fall. A crowd gathered around White to help him up, and during all the commotion, someone managed to get a hold of his fanny pack and the money inside of it. Luckily, the thief let his guilty conscience get the best of him and the money was returned to the senior. White is not revealing who took the money because he wants to protect the thief’s identity. “The money did turn up. I believe whenever anything is taken and returned, that person should be completely anonymous,” White told reporters. Read more

9. Infant trapped for 22 hours in Nepal Earthquake rubble is found alive

Amongst all the chaos and heartbreak from last week’s earthquake in Nepal, there have been some miracles. A four-month-old infant was recovered from the rubble after being trapped for more than 22 hours after the earthquake. Sonit Awal’s small body somehow avoided the impact of the damage and rescuers were amazed to see that the baby boy only suffered a small cut above his eyebrow. His nine-year-old sister also managed to survive the deadly earthquake. Read more