The "What's Funny Is That It Worked" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Doing some web surfing when I came upon a website titled "upgruv".  How I ever found it, or should I say how it found me, is still a mystery, but as soon as I saw the lead story I had to yell to my wife to take a look at it with me.  

Original sketch the police published on Facebook.

There was the headline that read: "Lancaster cops' 'sketchy' suspect drawing mocked hard."  The description of what was pictured had been posted on my local police Facebook Page and somehow was passed around the world in no time at all.  The Lancaster, Pennsylvania police said they were serious when they released a very crudely drawn illustration of a suspect in a theft from a local market.  

The actual suspect that the police are now searching for.

The drawing was done by a witness to the crime which took place on January 30th at Lancaster's Central Market.  Sure enough, the Lancaster Newspaper published the story about how the police sketch and story had gone viral after someone saw the witness' hand-drawn sketch of the suspect on Facebook.  Police said it wasn't meant to be a joke, but it seems to have turned out that way.  Someone at the market had robbed one of the market booths of $300.  Someone happened to see the suspect and drew a sketch of the criminal.  As soon as it was placed on the police Facebook page, an off-duty policeman saw the sketch and knew exactly who it was.  So, the funny sketch was just what was needed.  The suspect is now in police custody, just as they should be.  In the meantime everyone is having a good time with the sketch.  Some of the comments I read online were:

• I thought it looked like Waldo without his glasses
• Only in Lancaster would this sketch actually result in the guy being caught.....and I thought someone was trying to frame an aging Waldo.
• I'm loving this!  See, nothing is impossible.
• This was on HLN last evening!!!
• That guy does look pretty sketchy.

So, you see that at times even what appears funny to some, still works just the way it is supposed to.  The police finally caught the criminal and arrested him.  Wonder what he said when they showed him how he was caught.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Friends For Life" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Thinking back to perhaps a year ago when this beautiful young sweetheart named Kennedy came into the life of Carol and myself.  The girl with the curly hair and "Why" to everything has stolen our hearts.  

My granddaughter Courtney had
a chance to meet Kennedy.

I have written about her quite a few times, but she is a truly a walking and talking wonder and miracle of modern medicine.  My latest post a short time ago described Kennedy and her family's trip to Disney World through the generous gift of the "Make-A-Wish" foundation.  Today's post is to tell you that Kennedy was featured on the cover of Pediatric INSIGHTS, a physician resource from Children's hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and she will also be named poster child for the Living Donor Recipents in the near future.  The 2016 Pediatric INSIGHTS magazine features a photo of Kennedy on the cover with a blue ribbon in her curly hair, wearing a jeans jacket and sporting her bright red glasses.  The three-page story is titled Friends for Life and tells of the two families who connect to treat a rare disease with a successful living-donor liver transplant.  Story tells how, when Kennedy was 8 months old, she had a seizure which prompted Kennedy's mother, Donya, to take her to the nearby Clinic for Special Children in Lancaster, PA.  

Cover of Pediatric INSIGHTS

They met Dr. Kevin Strauss who finally recommended a liver transplant.  Donya posted on her "Facebook" page … "Okay friends … here it is … the request of a lifetime.  Is there anyone willing to donate 25 percent of their liver to save Kennedy's life?  Trust me, I know its's a lot to ask, I can't even believe I'm posting this, but as a mother, I have to exhaust every option possible".  Soon, a message from a high school classmate, Mike Thompson, from Bethlehem Catholic was posted.  He wanted to help Kennedy!  He wrote: "I'm a firefighter, so I help people every day, but to help somebody like this is just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  It's just the right thing to do."  All tests showed Mike and Kennedy were compatible and the eight hour surgery to remove 25% of Mike's liver and rush it across town to Children's Hospital to Kennedy was a success.  Kennedy improved immediately, astounding the doctors.  That was over a year ago and Kennedy recently went back to the hospital to have the muscles in her chest sewed back together.  Originally they were left apart in case she would have needed more surgery to the liver.  The latest surgery was to keep her in the hospital for a month, with a special staff assembled to combat the pain she would experience.  But, she was up, swinging a hockey stick with her step-dad Josh the second day after surgery.  Went home six days after the operation amazing the doctors once again.  She has been to visit us and you wound never know this child had gone through major surgery a few weeks ago.  She is as sassy as ever!  The article reports that Kennedy's prognosis is good and explains that living-donor transplant increases the number of organs available.  It's a real solution to a real problem.  Kenndey is the living result of this statement.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "You Can Help Save A Little Girl" Story

Kennedy and her mom Donya.  Lancaster Newspaper Photo.

It was an ordinary day.  Ordinary for me, but certainly not so for the young step-daughter of one of my son Tad's best friends, Josh.  Josh and his wife Donya's 3-year-old daughter, Kennedy, is one of eight people in the world with a rare metabolic disorder known as S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase deficiency, or AdoHcy.  The disorder affects Kennedy's brain development, muscles, nervous system and liver.  While many parents see their children as one-in-a-million, Kennedy is literally one-in-a-billion!  Kennedy's body is so different than a normal 3-year-old.  Her diet is very limited resulting in a very underweight frame.  Her feet need orthotics in order for her to walk.  She has learned to say Mommy, Dada, Wawa (Josh), Sissy (her stepsister) and Love You.  Her pain is constant, but she battles through it.  In a Lancaster Newspaper article Donya said that when Kennedy was born prematurely on July 23, 2011 at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital, an MRI revealed that the white matter in her brain hadn't developed properly and one of the staff neurologists said it was "like nothing he'd ever seen before."  Kennedy was then sent to Children's Hospital in Philadelphia for tests.  

Kennedy with her father Nicholas, step-father Josh
and mother Donya.    

Donya sent her daughter's medical records to nearby Strasburg, PA's Clinic for Special Children which is world renown.  It was determined there was only one doctor in the world who could help Kennedy;  Dr. S. Harvey Mudd from Bethesda, MD.  Only problem was that Dr. Mudd had retired 24 years before.  Donya still contacted him and he diagnosed Kennedy in three weeks.  The recessive gene disorder known as AdoHcy had been identified in 2004 by Mudd and other researchers.  Dr. Mudd changed Kennedy's diet, monitored her blood tests and consulted colleagues throughout the world.  Then the bad news struck.  Dr. Mudd had died.  Donya asked to speak at Dr. Mudd's celebration of life service and because of that eventually got to meet Dr. Kevin Strauss.  She pleaded her case to him and he agreed to do his best for Kennedy.  Through a world-wide email chain which included Dr. Strauss,  Dr. Vugrek from Croatia who is a pediatrician and nutritionist, and Vanderbilt University who handled the lab work, Donya was able to feel some relief.  For all Donya's tenacity on behalf of her daughter, she was named 2014 Pennsylvania's Young Mother of the Year by the organization founded by Sara Delano Roosevelt and Mamie Eisenhower.  Donya is also a member of Penn State Hershey's NICU advisory board.  Kennedy is allowed only 20 grams of vegetable or fruit protein a day - no meat or dairy.  She is given two supplements to help with her muscle and brain development.  The fine line between malnutrition and barely enough food is a daily battle for Kennedy as is the accumulation of methionine in the bloodstream.  It was determined that a liver transplant will give her brain and body the best chance to develop.  Kennedy needed a portion of a liver from someone unrelated to her who shared the type O-positive blood.  The search began with sending Kennedy's DNA all over the world.  This brave little girl's life was dependent on a donor being found.  She will be the first in the world to have this treatment for her disease.  Changing the course in medicine and science will be up to Kennedy and her family.  Donya decided to put her plea for the liver on her Facebook Page.  Viola!  Finally a Bethlehem, PA fire fighter's blood type matched and he was willing to give Kennedy part of his liver.  Turns out that the donor, Mike, was a high school classmate of Donya's from Bethlehem Catholic High School.  He said "I was put here on Earth to help people."  But, the journey was detoured slightly when Donya was hospitalized with a kidney infection due to all the stress.  

Members of the Pittsburgh Penguins recently made
a visit to see Kennedy.  Photo by her step-dad Josh.

Well, finally, Kennedy and Mike went to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh recently for the operation and Kennedy and Mike are now both doing well.  Doctors from just about everywhere wanted to be part of the procedure since it was the first in the world.  Kennedy was released to a rehab facility with a good prognosis.  As of this story, Kennedy is back in the hospital, since her body is now rejecting the liver, but doctors have told Donya and Josh that was expected and happens often with liver transplants.  A change in medicine should help overcome the problem.  One of my reasons for writing about this beautiful little girl is to help raise money to make the financial burden less stressful for the family.  Josh sponsored a motorcycle "Ride for Kennedy" last August, but the need for more funds is apparent.  If you could help Kennedy, click on http://www.gofundme.com/SavingKennedy and make a donation. Any amount would be appreciated.  You will be a part of medical history and how many people can lay claim to that.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "I Just Don't Get This Social Networking Stuff" Story

It was an ordinary day. Checking my Facebook page for the first time in a few weeks. I joined, oh, maybe 2 years ago. My friend Bill, from Arizona, was visiting here in Lancaster, and helped me set up my Facebook Page. Seemed like fun and the thing to do at the time. You know, an old guy trying to keep up to date with current technology. Started searching for people to be friends with. For a few months I found all kind of friends. And, that's where I ran into trouble. Mostly relatives and some high school class members. Then friends of my relatives started wanting me to be friends with them. I had no idea who most of them were, but I clicked on their request, and Viola, I was a friend. Then I thought it would be neat to make friends with people who had the same name as me. In no time I had over a dozen of them. Then the problems started. The friends of my relatives started sending me messages about something called "FarmVille". "What's this stuff?" I asked my wife. "Someone wants me to buy some crops or help keep their animals in their barnyard." And ....... it was about all anyone wanted to do on Facebook for a few weeks. Then I found out it was a social game that was played on Facebook. More popular than e-mail. Unbelievable! I started to de-friend them. Then I find out that I'm getting tagged in photos of people I don't even know. Seems like the other LDubs friends are tagging them, and since I have the same name, people think they are my friends. Sound confusing? My wife is looking at my Facebook Page and asks me, "Who's this Bailey Anne and this Laura who have tagged your photo?" "No clue," I tell her. Do you think she believes that? I'm having a hard time even explaining it. Then one of MY friends sends me a message and tells me they agree with my entry about what Ed Shultz called a radio talk show host. What! I hadn't even visited Facebook for a few weeks, let alone commented. OK, time to de-friend the other LDubs. Who's left. Well, if you are in to Facebook and I'm still your friend, I guess I haven't de-friended you yet. Sorry if I do, but ........ Now, I really did make those comments about windmills on Tintamarre and I really am corresponding with Hendy Reese from Barbados, but I swear that's all I've done on Facebook in months. At times I just don't get this social networking stuff. You sit by yourself in front of a computer and send messages to others who sit in front of their computer. How social is that? I'd much rather stop by and sit with them and talk instead of use the computer. Maybe time soon to close my account. Blogging's fun, but this social networking is more than I can handle. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Virtual Coffee Shop" Story

It was an ordinary day. I had just checked my facebook page for activity. I now have 35 friends. Not many I know, but I don't try to accumulate hundreds as some people do. No need to add people I see every day or family members, since I talk to them on the phone regularly. People who I have stored on my cell phone don't need to be my facebook friends either. So why do I have a facebook page? Sometimes, I'm not sure. Seems my childhood friend, Bill H., thought I should have a page when he visited me at Christmas in '08. Helped me set it up. Then when he came for a visit the following year he asked about it and I told him I didn't do anything with it. Well, we pulled it up again and I had forgotten the password. Had to redo the password and now I am in business again. Thanks, Bill. I have added trip photos and photos of my stained glass window panels in case anyone may want to buy one, but I haven't "talked" with facebook friends all that much. One day I typed in my name on the "Find Friends" link and viola! I instantly had over 180 new friends named Larry Woods. Started searching and picked out some who looked my age and wrote a note to them and requested they be my friend. Now we're getting somewhere. Friends started to pour in. LW#1 was from Stockton MO and enjoyed gospel music and reading the Bible. Is 69 and tells me that getting older isn't what it's cracked up to be! LW#2 is from Arlington , VA and is 30 and a member of the University of Virginia Black Alumni. Really guessed wrong on his age! LW3# doesn't list where he's from, but lists 58 as his age. LW#4 is from Tennessee and is 70 and a member of the Saudis Baptist Church.LW#5 is from Sydney, Australia and invited me to come visit. How about that! Says we should have a reunion of all the LWs in the world. He says he's a crisis catholic? Only goes to church if there is a crisis. Also tells me that Aussies shorten many names and words like: Lazza orLaz. Hey.! "$%.^&*. What the h**l is that? LW#6 was 70 on March 29thand lives in Arizona. Keeps telling me how nice the weather is out there. He does web site development. LW#7 is from Glens Falls, NY and is 51 and enjoys sports and Bruce Springsteen. Coaches Little League baseball and HS sports. LW#8 is from Wakemani, OH and enjoys reality shows and country music. Is 53 years old. LW#9 is 71 and a born again Christian who lives in State College, PA. Retired from: Univ. of Iowa as the Information Systems Director, Univ. of ND as the Library Director,Purdue Univ. as the Head of Research and Development and Dartmouth as Chief Librarian of Automation. I should add some of this kind of stuff in my write-up. LW#10 is from Edmon, OK and worked for the Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Co. He is 71 and told me his mother was born in Lancaster in 1918. LW#11 is 65 and from San Luis Obispo, CA. He is President/Owner of Westcoast Broadcasting, Inc. Big time Republican who likes Rush and Sean. LW#12 is from Loomis, CA and is 62. Big basketball fan and says that "We must be a great bunch of guys, right?" And ..... the list goes on. At some point on my blog I must tell you about the TWO other LWs from Lancaster my hometown. Story that is both entertaining and tragic, and I must find the right way to tell the story. Until then, I'll keep in touch with my couple of friends on facebook and enjoy what they are doing. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Pixs from top are: My friend Bill from AZ, LW#5 from Australia with wife and son, LW#9 from State College, and LW#10 with wife.