Goodable

Just days before New Jersey voters head to the polls, Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli received a surprise that brought the campaign trail to a standstill — and left the crowd cheering.

Ciattarelli’s son, Army Captain Jake Ciattarelli, unexpectedly returned home from deployment in Kuwait to surprise his father at a campaign event at Murph’s Tavern in Totowa. The emotional reunion was caught on camera by New Jersey State Rep. Mike Inganamort, who shared the moment on social media.

“BIG SURPRISE GUEST: Jack’s son, Jake, straight from Kuwait! God Bless and thank you for your service. It’s time,” Inganamort wrote in the caption.

The footage shows Ciattarelli visibly moved as his son walks in, drawing applause from supporters gathered at the event.

Ciattarelli later shared the moment on X, writing, “What a crowd and what a surprise at Murph’s Tavern in Totowa today! The energy was absolutely unbeatable – you can feel it everywhere we go.”


The timing couldn’t have been more meaningful. New Jersey’s gubernatorial election is set for November 4, with Ciattarelli facing off against Democratic challenger Mikie Sherrill. As the race tightens, the moment offered a rare pause in the campaign — and a powerful reminder of the personal stakes behind public service.

Just days before New Jersey voters head to the polls, Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli received a surprise that brought the campaign trail to a standstill — and left the crowd cheering.Ciattarelli’s son, Army Captain Jake Ciattarelli, unexpectedly returned home from deployment in Kuwait to surprise his father at a campaign event at Murph’s Tavern in Totowa. The emotional reunion was caught on camera by New Jersey State Rep. Mike Inganamort, who shared the moment on social media.“BIG SURPRISE GUEST: Jack’s son, Jake, straight from Kuwait! God Bless and thank you for your service. It’s time,” Inganamort wrote in the caption.The footage shows Ciattarelli visibly moved as his son walks in, drawing applause from supporters gathered at the event.Ciattarelli later shared the moment on X, writing, “What a crowd and what a surprise at Murph’s Tavern in Totowa today! The energy was absolutely unbeatable – you can feel it everywhere we go.”




The timing couldn’t have been more meaningful. New Jersey’s gubernatorial election is set for November 4, with Ciattarelli facing off against Democratic challenger Mikie Sherrill. As the race tightens, the moment offered a rare pause in the campaign — and a powerful reminder of the personal stakes behind public service.

New Jersey Governor Candidate Gets Surprise Visit from Army Son Ahead of Election

A rescue dog that went missing in Metro Vancouver's North Shore has been found safe after surviving 54 days in the wilderness — a recovery that only happened thanks to persistence, teamwork, and a lot of community support.

Bami, a four-year-old rescue from Korea, slipped away from her leash near Lynn Valley Mall in late November. Her disappearance kicked off a two-month search that spanned forests, trails, and countless near-misses. Her owners, Yohan Kim and Yeni Ji, say they never gave up hope — even when the odds seemed stacked against them.

"She's more than family to me," Ji said. "Just as when she was missing, I felt that a part of me was missing."

The couple brought in Petsearchers, a professional pet rescue team, to help track Bami down. But even they weren’t expecting the hunt to last this long. Parker Mills, who runs the operation, said lost dogs usually fall into a pattern that eventually allows them to be found. That didn’t happen with Bami.

“She kept moving areas,” Mills said in an interview with CBC’s On The Coast. “She would be seen in one spot, and she'd take in a forest, and then she would take a trail.”

What followed was a frustrating series of sightings, drone flights, trap setups, and more sightings — with Bami continuing to elude capture every time. She was spotted all over the North Shore: caught on video by residents, captured on doorbell cameras, even reported on trails near Rice Lake and deep into the Seymour Valley. A WhatsApp group was set up with community members actively reporting leads.

Then, things got more urgent. Bami had been on the move for weeks, and rescuers started noticing her frame was thinning.

“She was covering so much ground still and clearly getting super skinny,” said Mills. “We kind of projected that she had about a week or two left before she ran out of energy.”

On Friday night, there was another tip — this time near Kenneth Gordon Maplewood Elementary School. Mills rushed to the area the next morning. That’s when he finally laid eyes on Bami himself, with the help of a thermal drone. The tiny heat signature showed Bami curled up, asleep in a bush.

He contacted Ji and Kim immediately. When Ji arrived, she approached quietly and called Bami’s name.

“Just like Parker predicted, she came to the direction where I was standing,” Ji said. “I called her. She immediately recognized me and came to me.”

It was the moment they had been hoping for. Bami was safe.

The couple said the rescue couldn’t have happened without the help of Petsearchers and the people of the North Shore.

“This experience reminded us how incredible a dog's survivor instinct can be,” said Kim. “Surviving for two months with very little food in the rainy winter forest feels most miraculous.”

For other pet owners going through the same ordeal, Kim had one message: “Please do not give up. Hold on to the belief that you can find your pet.”

Rescue Dog Found After 54 days in the Wilderness on Vancouver's North Shore

Coal power generation fell in both China and India last year for the first time in more than half a century, a shift analysts say could signal a turning point for the world’s top two coal users.

According to a new analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), coal-fired electricity generation dropped by 1.6 percent in China and 3 percent in India in 2025. Both countries still saw an increase in electricity demand overall — but it was met with record growth in clean energy.

“This is a historic moment,” the report said. “Both countries now have the preconditions in place for peaking coal-fired power.”

It’s the first time since the early 1970s that coal generation has declined in both countries in the same year. Given that China and India together account for more than half the world’s coal-fired power, even small shifts in their energy mix have global implications for emissions and energy markets.

In China, the drop was driven by an extraordinary buildout in renewables. The country added 300 gigawatts (GW) of solar power and 100GW of wind in 2025 — more than five times the UK’s total power generation capacity. Power generation from solar and wind rose by 450 terawatt-hours (TWh), and nuclear output increased by another 35TWh. Meanwhile, hydropower also rebounded after several weak years caused by drought.

Taken together, that growth was enough to exceed the rise in demand and allow coal generation to decline, despite ongoing economic growth.

This represents a break from previous years, when renewable growth couldn’t keep up with surging electricity demand and coal use continued to rise. In 2025, that balance flipped.

India saw a similar trend, though on a smaller scale. It added 35GW of solar, 6GW of wind, and 3.5GW of hydro in the first 11 months of the year. Renewable capacity additions were up 44 percent year-on-year.

That expansion, paired with slightly softer demand growth due to mild weather, meant coal plants didn’t need to run as hard — and total coal output dropped. It was the first time clean energy played a central role in cutting coal-fired generation in India.

However, clean power wasn’t the only reason coal dropped. In both countries, electricity demand grew more slowly than expected. In India, cooler weather reduced the need for air conditioning, and in China, post-pandemic demand gains finally began to taper off.

The CREA analysis, commissioned by the climate news outlet Carbon Brief, warned that the decline in coal generation could be temporary if clean energy growth slows or demand spikes again. But it also said the trend could stick, if governments keep scaling up renewables and new coal construction slows.

In China, despite the dip in coal generation, authorities continued to approve and build new coal-fired plants. The government has framed this as a way to strengthen energy security and ensure backup supply during heatwaves or demand spikes. India, too, moved ahead with new coal projects to meet industrial and seasonal power needs.

As a result, coal capacity in both countries is growing even as generation from coal falls. Plants are running fewer hours each year, raising questions about long-term economic viability.

If all coal projects currently under construction or recently permitted are completed, China’s coal power capacity would rise by 28 percent and India’s by 23 percent. That could lock in carbon emissions for decades — unless those plants are kept as emergency backups rather than primary sources.

“There’s a growing gap between how much coal capacity exists and how much is actually being used,” the report said.

That shift could have major effects beyond Asia. Coal use has already fallen sharply in Europe and the US over the past decade. Growth in China and India has been the main force keeping global demand high. If that growth levels off or reverses, the global coal market could enter a new phase — affecting emissions, investment flows, and exporters like Australia and Indonesia.

CREA’s conclusion is cautious but optimistic: coal has not yet entered permanent decline in China and India, but its role is changing. For the first time in decades, surging electricity demand in both countries didn’t require more coal.

Whether this becomes a turning point will depend on what happens next: continued clean energy growth, stable demand, and — crucially — a slowdown in new coal development.

Coal Power Falls in India and China For the First Time in Decades Amid Record Clean Energy Growth

inspiremore

When 7-year-old Lilly from Connecticut accidentally called 911, her parents made sure it became a learning moment. Thinking the phone was a toy, she dialed emergency services on December 21. But instead of letting it slide, her parents encouraged her to write a letter of apology to the police.

“Sorry for calling 9-1-1 on Des 21 I thot it was a play phone,” she wrote in careful handwriting. “I won’t do it again.”

The North Haven Police Department shared a photo of the handwritten note on Facebook, responding with a gentle message of their own: “Lilly, We got your letter. It’s ok. Things happen…”

That simple exchange quickly struck a chord online. Thousands of people chimed in with praise, not just for Lilly’s sweet apology but also for the compassion shown by police—and the parenting behind it.

“At least she knows what 911 is and now knows it’s not a play thing. Beautiful letter, Lilly!” one person wrote in the comments.

Others applauded her parents for turning a mistake into a teaching moment. “Kudos Lilly for knowing how to reach heroes, and kudos to the parents for teaching her to follow up on an innocent mistake,” someone else added.

The post quickly turned into a shared space for parents to recall their own kids' early misunderstandings of emergency services. “I called 911 when I was like 4 cause our fan wouldn’t turn on and my parents were asleep and I was hot so I called and turns out it wasn’t plugged in,” one person wrote.

Another shared a chaotic but hilarious memory: “My daughter did this when she was at her dad’s for the weekend. I sped right over with a clay face mask on and in a Snuggie. The cops laughed at me and told me go back home and enjoy your night off.”

The North Haven Police’s response wasn’t just good-natured—it was also a thoughtful reminder to parents that kids are always learning. Mistakes are part of growing up, and how adults respond can shape a child’s understanding of responsibility and empathy.

In Lilly’s case, she not only learned that 911 is serious—she also learned that honesty, taking responsibility, and a heartfelt apology can go a long way. And judging by the reactions, she also learned something else: kindness sticks.

Girl Dials 911 By Mistake — Writes Apology Letter That Wins Over Police (and the Internet)

NASA

As NASA eyes longer stays on the Moon and eventual missions to Mars, it’s turning to U.S. industry, academia, and other government agencies to help decide which technologies should be developed first.

Through a new call-out from its Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), NASA is inviting external experts to weigh in on what it calls “technology shortfalls”—the critical gaps that need to be filled to support future science and exploration missions. These include big-picture needs like infrastructure for long-term lunar operations and systems that could eventually support human life on Mars.

“NASA wants to hear directly from the nation’s brightest minds to drive solutions for our greatest technology needs,” said Greg Stover, acting associate administrator for STMD. “Prioritizing NASA’s technology efforts ensures the most efficient and impactful progress for the agency and its stakeholders.”

The feedback window is open until Friday, February 20. During that time, members of the aerospace community can take part in virtual meetings, submit their ideas, and rank the importance of each technology shortfall. The initiative is part of a broader effort to make NASA’s tech development more agile and aligned with emerging needs.

This isn’t the first time NASA has tried to crowdsource its tech priorities. In 2024, the agency conducted a similar ranking exercise across 187 civil space shortfalls. That process helped identify gaps in areas like propulsion, power systems, and autonomous robotics. This time, NASA has narrowed the list down to 32 integrated categories to make it more accessible and easier for participants to provide targeted feedback.

Each category still covers substantial ground. From lunar surface mobility systems to radiation protection for astronauts, the categories represent a cross-section of the challenges NASA and its partners will face as human spaceflight extends beyond low Earth orbit.

Once submissions are in, NASA will analyze the rankings by stakeholder group—industry, academia, government—and make the results public. Those insights will help the agency adjust its current technology portfolios and guide where new investments or partnerships might be needed.

The goal, according to STMD, is not just to build better rockets and landers, but to create a more dynamic and responsive tech pipeline—one that reflects real-world constraints and taps into the full strength of the U.S. space economy.

It’s also part of a larger trend: NASA increasingly sees industry and academic institutions not just as contractors, but as collaborators. The agency is betting that by inviting these groups into its planning process early, it can identify the most promising paths forward and avoid wasting time or money on technologies that don’t match the moment.

The process could also help unlock new commercial opportunities. As NASA’s priorities shift, so do opportunities for startups, research labs, and established aerospace firms looking to contribute. With long-duration lunar missions on the horizon—and Mars in the longer-term plan—the stakes are high.

STMD plans to repeat the shortfall prioritization process every three years, maintaining an ongoing cycle of review, feedback, and recalibration. That continuous loop of engagement is designed to make NASA more nimble and keep it in step with the rapid pace of innovation in the private sector.

To view the full list of 32 technology shortfalls and submit input to NASA’s prioritization process, stakeholders can visit the STMD website.

As NASA pushes further into deep space, it’s clear the agency isn’t going it alone. The future of space exploration—on the Moon, Mars, and beyond—will be built by many hands.

NASA Taps Industry and Academia to Help Shape Tech Priorities for Moon and Mars Missions

BBC News

Zoe Kampf thought she was walking into a normal school day. Instead, she was met with cookies, decorations, and a room full of preschoolers in floral tiaras and bow ties, ready to throw her a surprise bridal shower.

The Texas preschool teacher was caught completely off guard — and that was exactly the plan. Her fiancé, Sean Folloder, had teamed up with her students at Shlenker School to organize the December 12 celebration ahead of their January 2026 wedding.

“When I walked in, I was really surprised,” Kampf told the Jewish Herald-Voice. “They had cookies and decorated the classroom. They gave me a sash and a veil and crown. It was really cute.”

The surprise meant even more given the couple’s long history with the school. Both Kampf and Folloder attended Shlenker together as toddlers. Kampf’s grandfather, Rabbi Samuel Karff, actually founded the school back in 1967.

Folloder’s family has ties to the school, too. His grandmother, Barbie Freedman, is Shlenker’s longest-tenured teacher — now in her 41st year — and played a key role in bringing the couple together.

“I’ve been here a while and I taught Zoe when she was a toddler,” Freedman said. “Then in the summer of 2021, Zoe was working on one side of the building and Sean was volunteering with me on the other.”

As summer camp director, Freedman said she started sending Sean on errands to the other side of the building. “Zoe would need something, and I’d send him,” she recalled. “Then they just started hanging out together.”

It didn’t take long for her to play matchmaker. “I remember Barbie said, ‘You guys should really date,’” Kampf said. “We were like, ‘Okay.’ I guess we took her advice!”

Soon after, Folloder asked Kampf out for sushi. Three years later, the couple got engaged on December 23, 2024.

Now, with their wedding on the horizon, Folloder — a high school geometry teacher and football coach — wanted to do something special. So he turned to the people who see Zoe’s kindness and joy every day: her preschool students.

“It was great to surprise her at school,” Folloder said. “She is such a great teacher and everyone, from her kids to her kids’ parents to the staff, loves her.”

Freedman, who watched them grow up and fall in love, said the entire moment felt full circle. “They are a wonderful couple and really devoted to one another. It has been really fun to watch them grow up and grow together.”

As for whether she’ll still be teaching when the next generation of the family arrives at Shlenker?

“I don’t know about that,” she said with a laugh. “I’m going to be 82 soon. I’ll try and see how things go. Shlenker is such a wonderful school and that would be such an amazing thing.”

Texas Preschool Class Throws Sweet Surprise Bridal Shower for Beloved Teacher

Some friendships are just built to last — even in Hollywood.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon first met as kids in the early 1980s, thanks to their moms introducing them. Four decades later, they’re still inseparable, still working together, and still laughing about their shared past — including the time they opened a joint bank account to fund their acting dreams.

In a recent Netflix interview ahead of their new film The Rip, the longtime friends sat down to interview each other and reflect on a bond that has outlasted awards, fame, and personal setbacks.

Ben joked that their friendship has endured in part because there’s no rivalry. “The weird thing about us is that I don’t remember either of us really contemplating other careers,” he said. “Not because of some like arrogance thinking, ‘Oh, it’s gonna be successful.’ It just was like I felt like we kind of approached it like this is what we’re gonna do.”

Matt added that in the early days, their careers were full of rejection — and that just made them pull for each other even more. “We really rooted hard for each other,” he said.

That shared support would eventually lead to a massive breakthrough. In 1998, they won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting, a film they wrote and starred in together. It launched their careers and cemented their place in film history — but their friendship remained the real constant.

Fans loved seeing the pair reminisce so openly. One viewer wrote, “Ben hasn’t had marriages work but his ‘marriage’ to Matt has ALWAYS been steady and secure. A good friendship goes a long way.”

Both actors have had high-profile ups and downs over the years, but their bond has remained a steady force in both of their lives — and by the looks of it, still full of laughter.

As Damon put it, as long as they could pay their bills, they were happy. Now, decades later, they’ve built a friendship — and a career — that feels almost scripted. Except it’s real.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Reflect on 40 Years of Friendship: “We Rooted Hard For Each Other”

The first time Mesfin Yana Dollar helped with open-heart surgery, he looked down at the patient — a teenage girl from Ethiopia — and saw himself.

She was scared and crying. So he leaned in, spoke to her in Amharic, and told her the truth: “I had the same surgery, and things are going to be just fine.”

Years earlier, he had been in her position. Born in a rural Ethiopian village in 1985 with no electricity or running water, Mesfin was a healthy, happy child — until, at age 10 or 11, his health began to fail. He struggled to breathe, couldn’t run, couldn’t sleep, and eventually couldn’t walk to school. His parents tried traditional medicine and local doctors, but nothing worked.

Eventually, Mesfin made the journey to Addis Ababa on his own, where he found his way to Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. There, he met an American doctor, Rick Hodes — a man who had made it his life’s mission to help sick children in Ethiopia get treatment abroad.

Hodes diagnosed Mesfin with rheumatic heart disease, a life-threatening condition that had been quietly worsening for years. With no option for surgery in Ethiopia, Hodes began searching for a way to send him to the United States.

At age 15, Mesfin flew to Atlanta, Georgia, where cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Jim Kauten repaired his mitral valve at Piedmont Heart Institute. The operation was a success. Mesfin recovered with a host family — a local dentist — and was preparing to return to Ethiopia when an infection in his jaw from wisdom tooth removal triggered endocarditis, a potentially fatal complication.

Once again, Mesfin was rushed to Atlanta. This time, doctors replaced his valve with a mechanical one, meaning he would need lifelong medication and follow-up care. Returning to rural Ethiopia was no longer an option.

That’s when his cardiologist, Dr. Allen Dollar, stepped in. He invited Mesfin to live with his family in Atlanta — and eventually adopted him.

“It kind of reminded me of home because I have 11 brothers and two sisters,” Mesfin said. “This is as large a family as I had back in Ethiopia.”

He quickly caught up in school, mastered English, and graduated from Georgia State University as a respiratory therapist. He met his wife, Iyerusalem, in college, and they now have two sons. Later, he trained to become a cardiac perfusionist — a highly specialized role operating the heart-lung machine during surgery — and now works at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. His wife works there too, as a cardiac sonographer.

Now 40, Mesfin spends his days in the same kind of operating rooms that once saved his life. He runs the heart-lung machine for some of the most complex open-heart procedures in the world.

But he hasn’t forgotten where he came from. With the same surgeon who operated on him decades ago, he returns to Ethiopia through the nonprofit Heart Attack Ethiopia, helping deliver life-saving surgeries to others who need them.

“He has retained this spirit of gratitude,” said Dr. Allen Dollar. “He has never lost sight of what his life could have been and all the people along the way.”

On one of their first mission trips, Dr. Kauten was surprised to see Mesfin show up, ready to join the team. “For him to be able to pay back to his community services that he received in the United States, and he was able to pay it back in Ethiopia — that was especially nice in my mind,” Kauten said.

In addition to assisting in surgeries, Mesfin acts as a translator, mentor, and guide for young Ethiopian students training to become perfusionists like him.

After years apart, he has now helped bring several members of his biological family, including his parents and siblings, to the United States.

“I’m always grateful,” Mesfin said. “It’s a resurrection for me. You know, I was once lost, dead, and I was resurrected and I’m living a new life.”

He Nearly Died From Heart Disease As a Teen — Now, He’s Saving Others in the Same Way He Was Saved

Keanu Reeves just added another reason to the long list of why fans adore him — and once again, it involved no fanfare, no entourage, and no PR team.

While filming The Matrix Resurrections in San Francisco, the actor quietly stopped by House of Nanking, a beloved local restaurant where he’d once taken a photo with a young fan back in 1997. That fan, Kathy Fang, is now the restaurant’s co-owner — and was stunned to see Reeves walk through the door unannounced.

“He dropped in unannounced, surprising owner Kathy Fang, and the two recreated a photo they’d taken years earlier,” Pubity shared on Instagram. “No press, no promo; just Keanu stopping by for the noodles and the memories.”

Back in the late ’90s, Reeves was already a major star when he visited the restaurant and posed for a photo with Fang, who was still a child. Neither of them expected a follow-up moment decades later.

But this time, the moment felt even more meaningful. There were no cameras rolling, no social media stunt. Just a humble return to a favorite spot — and a warm reunion over food and nostalgia.

Fans online couldn’t get enough.

“I love that 20 years later they still look the same,” one person commented. Another added, “Best human in Hollywood (I wish the others would take note).”

“Keanu one of those guys you just can’t hate on at all,” someone else wrote.

Even those who hadn’t been there in person felt the connection. One customer recalled visiting the restaurant during a layover in San Francisco and spotting the original photo on the wall. “We saw the original photo and were buzzing. To see he visited again is amazing. Also your food was top tier,” they wrote.

Reeves’ visit was brief and low-key, just like everything else fans have come to love about him. No spotlight. No show. Just kindness — and maybe some great noodles.

Keanu Reeves Surprises Restaurant Owner, Recreates Iconic Photo 25 Years Later

When Ben Morris was six months old, his parents noticed something wasn’t quite right. Other babies were kicking, crawling, exploring the world — but he was content sitting still, watching it go by.

Concerned, they took him to the GP. At first, the doctor wasn’t alarmed. Then came the test. The doctor sat Ben on the edge of the medical bed and let go. He toppled over without trying to catch himself. That moment changed everything.

On 15 October 2001, Ben was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy type two (SMA2), a rare genetic condition that weakens the muscles, particularly those used for movement and breathing. His parents were told he might not live past his second birthday.

That was 23 years ago.

Today, Ben is 25, a BBC journalist, a university graduate, and living independently in London with the support of personal care assistants. He uses a powered wheelchair and a ventilator at night to help with breathing, but he’s thriving.

“My parents were told I may not live beyond two years old,” he said. “But when we returned for a check-up in early 2002, the neurologist remarked: ‘He’s a survivor.’”

The story resurfaced in the public spotlight this week after singer Jesy Nelson revealed that her twin daughters have been diagnosed with SMA type one — a more severe form of the disease. Ben decided to share his own experience to show what life with SMA can look like.

For Ben, that life has included racing on the track at London Stadium during a test event for the 2012 Olympics, meeting Samantha Cameron and Eddie Redmayne at 10 Downing Street, and earning a journalism degree from the University of Winchester.

He also credits SMA UK — the charity that supported his family — and a network of friends with the condition who help him feel less alone. “We share our common experiences and help each other know we’re not alone,” he said.

Advances in treatment are also changing the outlook for new patients. Ben takes a daily medication called Risdiplam, which helps stabilise his condition. Babies now also have access to a gene therapy called Zolgensma — a one-time infusion that delivers a healthy copy of the missing gene. It's only effective in early infancy, before irreversible damage occurs.

Newborn screening is also improving. Scotland is set to introduce routine SMA testing for babies this spring, and the UK’s National Screening Committee is reviewing whether to roll out the same heel-prick test nationwide.

SMA affects roughly one in 14,000 births worldwide. Around 47 babies were born with the condition in the UK last year — about 60% with type one. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) estimates that between 683 and 1,366 people currently live with SMA in the UK.

Ben’s own journey hasn’t been easy. SMA has affected his spine — surgery for scoliosis prevented him from growing taller — and he faces the everyday challenges of navigating life with a complex condition. But support, planning, and a determination to live fully have carried him through.

His parents played a huge role. His dad, a project manager by trade, approached Ben’s care the same way he would a job — pulling together physios, neurologists, and wheelchair services to work as a team. At school, Ben had a full-time teaching assistant and followed the same curriculum as everyone else.

“My sister Emily doesn’t have SMA, but may be a carrier,” he said. “She’s never treated me any differently — though she does like pointing out she’ll always be taller than me.”

Now, Ben hopes that by speaking up, he can offer a more hopeful narrative — especially for parents like Jesy Nelson, now navigating her twins’ diagnosis.

“There have been many success stories,” he said, naming Paralympian Sally Kidson, Balamory actress Kim Tserkezie, and US YouTuber Shane Burcaw among others.

“Hopefully, as I am showing, it’s possible to live a fulfilled and happy life if you have SMA.”

Doctors Said He Might Not Make His Second Birthday — Now I’m 25, Living With SMA and Thriving

For decades, varsity letters were only awarded to student-athletes. More recently, schools began offering them for theater, robotics, and academic achievements. But one major area was still missing — until two students in Snohomish, Washington, decided to change that.

Elizabeth Bogen and her classmate Remus Fox-Bailey, both students at Snohomish High School, successfully advocated for something never done before in Washington state: the chance to earn a varsity letter in skilled trades.

“I've always really liked working with my hands since I was really little,” said Bogen, who now spends part of her school day welding metal in class. She knew her work was just as demanding and valuable as what happens on the football field — but there was no way to be recognized in the same way.

“I thought it was interesting and something we should be able to do,” she said.

So the two students made their case to education officials. Now, thanks to their effort, Snohomish High has become the first school in the state to award varsity letters in skilled trades — and others are expected to follow.

“It feels really cool to be the person to bring it in and start this for our state and give other people the opportunity to letter,” Bogen said.

The timing couldn’t be better. The U.S. is facing a critical shortage of skilled trade workers. Over the next seven years, the country will need an additional 2 million workers in fields like welding, electrical work, and mechanical maintenance. The ongoing gap is projected to cost American businesses $1 trillion by 2030.

“There is a massive vacuum for anybody going out into skilled trades,” said Matt Johnson, a manufacturing instructor at Snohomish High.

Washington state is already feeling the impact. Nearly 80% of construction firms report trouble finding qualified workers, according to industry data. Even major employers like Boeing, which saw layoffs last year, are still actively hiring mechanics and technicians.

That’s where programs like this can help — not just to build skills, but to recognize the students putting in the work.

“This student should already have a leg up when it comes to work ethic, when it comes to drive, their ability to complete something and complete it on time,” Johnson said. “It’s about trade skills, but it’s also about life skills.”

In Bogen’s case, the benefits are already clear. She’s set to graduate this spring — and she already has a job lined up at Boeing.

“If you do put in the effort, and you put in the work, you can be rewarded for it,” she said.

Now, with a varsity letter in welding stitched to her jacket, Bogen is helping rewrite what success in high school looks like — and lighting the path for others to follow.

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