Goodable

12-year-old Liam of Eldersburg, MD, is having his wish granted by the NHL’s Washington Capitals. Liam was diagnosed in December with aggressive brain cancer and wished to skate with the Capitals and meet his favorite Caps player, Lars Eller, through Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic. This is the moment he was told he'd be joining the team behind the bench. Want to make the world a better place? Share this video with friends and family!

12-year-old Liam of Eldersburg, MD, is having his wish granted by the NHL’s Washington Capitals. Liam was diagnosed in December with aggressive brain cancer and wished to skate with the Capitals and meet his favorite Caps player, Lars Eller, through Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic. This is the moment he was told he'd be joining the team behind the bench.

Watch: A Special Night For This 12-Year-Old Battling Cancer

GoodGoodGood

For Elliot Caswell, getting dressed has often meant asking for help. Now he is modelling a new adaptive clothing range from Primark, and he says the change has been dramatic.

Living with cerebral palsy, Caswell told the BBC that shopping for clothes that are easy to put on with his disability has often been difficult.

“It’s been a struggle,” Caswell told the BBC. “I would need my parents, friends and family, and my carers to help me out to put clothes on.”

That changed when the United Kingdom-based department store released a clothing line with adaptive features for adults with disabilities.

“It’s life-changing stuff,” he told the BBC.

Caswell is also one of the models for the new line.

“He was fantastic on the campaign shoot,” the collection’s designer, Victoria Jenkins, said. “We’re going to see more and more of Elliot, and I have every intention of sending him down the runway for London Fashion Week.”

The new Primark range includes magnetic zippers and buttons, loops designed to be easy to hold, pants with adjustable zips on the legs, and a pouch for stoma bags.

Jenkins said the design process focused on practical needs that can affect disabled shoppers.

“A lot of it centers around dignity and modesty,” Jenkins added.

She also said she has a number of gastrointestinal conditions herself, which helped shape her thinking about what disabled shoppers might want from their clothes. That included stretchier pieces that are easier to put on or take off when pain or mobility are top concerns.

“Everyone needs choice, everyone dresses differently, and everyone has the right to self expression,” she said. “That’s been denied to far too many of us for too long.”

Jenkins is an award-winning adaptive designer and leads her own adaptive clothing brand, Unhidden. Primark brought her in to help speed up the company’s work in adaptive fashion.

“I didn’t think we’d see adapted fashion on the high street in my lifetime,” Jenkins told The Guardian.

In a statement for the brand, she said Primark’s move could have a broad impact.

“Primark recognizing the needs of disabled and [the] chronic sick community, and acting upon it in such a meaningful way, is going to be life-changing for millions of people,” she added in a statement for the brand.

The clothing line has already had an effect on Caswell, and on the other disabled models wearing the adaptive fashions in Primark storefronts across the UK.

“It doesn’t feel real,” Caswell said. “But I know it’s real when I see the pictures.”

The range is built around features intended to make clothes easier to wear for people with different disabilities and health conditions. Along with magnetic fastenings and adjustable zips, the collection includes design details aimed at making dressing and undressing easier when mobility is limited or pain is a factor.

Jenkins said that kind of access to choice matters.

“Everyone needs choice, everyone dresses differently, and everyone has the right to self expression,” she said.

For Caswell, that has meant access to clothes that work better with his daily life, after years of relying on help from others to get dressed.

“It’s been a struggle,” Caswell told the BBC. “I would need my parents, friends and family, and my carers to help me out to put clothes on.”

Now he is part of the campaign for the line he says has changed that.

“It doesn’t feel real,” Caswell said. “But I know it’s real when I see the pictures.”

📸 credit: Photo courtesy of Primark

This Adaptive Clothing Line is Giving Shoppers and Designers Who are Disabled More Independence

Photo by Frans van Heerden on Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/low-angle-photo-of-brown-bird-perch-on-driftwood-2220122/)

Good News Network

There is some good news at dusk in southern England. One of the country’s most elusive birds, the nightjar, is making a strong return in the South Downs after years of decline.

The nightjar, also called the nighthawk, is active at twilight and is known for its chortling calls and camouflage. Its numbers fell by about 51 percent between the 1970s and 2000s after substantial forest loss.

Now the population is growing again in the UK’s South Downs National Park, which stretches across Hampshire, West Sussex and East Sussex. The park’s lowland heath and forests have become part of what conservationists describe as a remarkable recovery for the species.

A nightjar survey in the park last year counted more than 70 birds. That figure is believed to mark a doubling over the last five years.

The birds migrate 4,000 miles north from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to live in the UK between April and August. At the same time, forest and heathland restoration work has increased the number of good nesting habitats to 109 across Britain.

Because nightjars nest on the ground, conservation work has focused in part on how people use the landscape. Visitors to places such as the South Downs are being encouraged to keep dogs on leashes, stay on marked trails and avoid bushwhacking, so they do not disturb or destroy sensitive nesting areas.

“It’s wonderful to hear the nightjars churring away as dusk falls and we’re looking forward to continuing this incredibly positive conservation work alongside local communities and our partners,” South Downs ranger Kirsty Murray told the BBC.

Murray said good nightjar habitat is “as rare as rainforest” in Britain. She also said it was the best thing in the world that the bird was repopulating the park.

The nightjar is described as an extremely versatile and successful species. It inhabits all continents except Antarctica and can live at virtually any elevation within reason. It avoids extremely arid regions and can migrate long or short distances.

In the South Downs, that adaptability is now being matched by targeted habitat restoration and visitor guidance, with last year’s survey recording more than 70 birds.

Photo by Frans van Heerden on Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/low-angle-photo-of-brown-bird-perch-on-driftwood-2220122/)

New Conservation Efforts are Helping This Elusive Bird Rebound in England

Sunny Skyz

For Vhan McGuire, the outdoors had gone out of reach. Then a group of Tennessee Tech engineering students built something that changed that.

McGuire, a college architecture student, loved hiking, camping and spending time in nature before a motorcycle accident in October 2024 left him paralyzed and sharply limited where he could go.

“A regular wheelchair struggles on any surface that isn’t hard and flat,” McGuire explained.

A friend later introduced him to engineering students at Tennessee Tech who were looking for a challenging project. Braden Hopper, John Avery and Luke White took it on and built a custom all-terrain wheelchair they call “The Chariot.”

The chair is designed to handle outdoor environments McGuire once thought were out of reach. Thanks to their work, he is now able to get back to the activities he loves.

“Now, having a piece of equipment that can go anywhere and that I feel comfortable with is a blessing,” McGuire said. “This gets me back to what I loved doing and how I loved living before my accident.”

He put its impact even more simply.

“It gives me back my legs.”

What started as a class assignment became a life-changing gift for McGuire through a custom-built wheelchair made by Hopper, Avery and White.

📸 Credit: Tennessee Tech University

These Engineering Students Created a Wheelchair That Helped a Paralyzed Classmate Get Back Outdoors

Photo by Maxim Sharypov on Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-person-looking-outside-the-window-5843169/)

Running on empty can start to feel normal, until it doesn’t.

About a decade ago, Dr. Amy Shah was in a near-constant state of exhaustion. She was a working mum with two young children, and colleagues told her feeling drained all the time was “totally normal” for her age and lifestyle. Shah was not willing to accept that.

“It felt disappointing that this was just going to be life,” she says.

That search for more energy led Shah to write I’m So Effing Tired: A Proven Plan to Beat Burnout, Boost Your Energy, and Reclaim Your Life in 2021. Through her research, she found that a full calendar does not have to mean feeling sapped by the end of every day.

Shah, a medical doctor and a specialist in immunology and nutrition, says food and the gut bacteria that process it can shape energy levels. They can support the production of hormones such as serotonin, or create inflammation that drains energy by redirecting fuel to problem areas instead of fully powering physical and mental activity.

Her advice starts with nutrient-dense, high-fibre foods. She says they can support gut health by improving digestion, boosting metabolism and promoting serotonin production. The foods at the top of her list are blueberries, avocados, seeds and nuts, leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables.

She also warns against sugary, caffeinated drinks, calling them the “worst offenders” for energy levels.

“Your blood sugar spikes then drops. Your cortisol spikes. Your inflammation levels rise. And all of that happens so fast,” Shah says.

She says many soft drinks and energy drinks may deliver a quick surge at first, but often leave people feeling even more tired and sluggish once that rush wears off.

Shah also advises people to avoid processed meats. She says they contain ingredients linked to increased inflammation and other health issues, including cancer and high blood pressure.

Her top recommendation is a plant-based diet, which she follows herself. For people who do eat meat, she says lean, organic options such as hormone-free chicken or grass-fed beef may be less problematic for the gut.

Shah also points to the body’s internal clock as a major part of energy. She says that when the circadian rhythm is in sync and running smoothly, increased mood, quicker reaction time and better cognitive performance can follow.

For people who regularly wake up groggy or feel like they could fall asleep at their desk, Shah says it may be time to reset that rhythm.

One of her main suggestions is getting sunlight early in the morning. She says it signals the brain to stop producing sleep-inducing melatonin and tells the body to wake up.

“That’s one of the easiest ways to boost energy,” Shah says.

She also says eating patterns should line up with the body’s biological clock. According to Shah, the gut is programmed to work for 12 hours at a time. Eating for too long across the day, and eating too heavily at night, can interrupt the gut’s rest.

Her advice is to eat during daylight hours, stop eating three hours before bed and leave at least 12 hours between eating periods so the gut can fully rest and digest.

Energy, she says, is not only physical. Mental and emotional habits matter too.

Clinical psychologist Enmanuel Mercedes says many people need a recharge, including the often exhausted parents he counsels. Stress can come from parenting decisions, job hunting, health troubles or world weariness. But he says people who wait until the weekend to recover need a different plan.

“That’s the equivalent of practicing a skill once a month then thinking, ‘Why am I not getting any better?’” Mercedes says. “Every day you’re dealing with stress, so every day you need a recovery process.”

He says people should build daily mental and emotional battery-boosters into their routine. That could be a morning workout, journalling or something as simple as a nightly crossword. Research, he says, has shown that the right restorative ritual could decrease anxiety and help people feel more in control.

Leadership coach Karen Walrond says hobbies can also lift energy, even if that means putting one more thing on the calendar. She says doing something purely for enjoyment can be energising.

Walrond, author of In Defense of Dabbling: The Brilliance of Being a Total Amateur, says her own hobbies have included scuba diving, pottery and piano. She says they encourage a routine of “taking care of myself so I can maintain my energy.”

She also points to research showing hobbies can help people live longer, reduce stress, foster social connections and inspire a child-like sense of wonder and awe.

“Chasing that delight in yourself, that little shot of exhilaration when you learn something new, that’s how we live well, that’s how we age well,” Walrond says. “That, to me, is the secret sauce of living.”

Photo by Maxim Sharypov on Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-person-looking-outside-the-window-5843169/)

Here are 7 Natural Energy Boosters That Fight Fatigue

Science Daily

For a dinosaur famous for sitting over its eggs, one basic question has stayed open. Did oviraptors warm those eggs like birds do, or did they mostly rely on heat from the environment?

A new study in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution says the answer was likely somewhere in between.

Researchers in Taiwan examined oviraptor nesting behaviour and hatching patterns using heat transfer simulations and physical experiments. They also compared the results with modern bird incubation by building a life size model of an oviraptor and a realistic nest to test how heat moved through the eggs.

"We show the difference in oviraptor hatching patterns was induced by the relative position of the incubating adult to the eggs," said senior author Dr. Tzu-Ruei Yang, an associate curator of vertebrate paleontology at Taiwan's National Museum of Natural Science.

"Moreover, we obtained an estimate of the incubation efficiency of oviraptors, which is much lower than that of modern birds," added first author Chun-Yu Su, who attended Washington High School in Taichung when the research was conducted.

The model was based on Heyuannia huangi, an oviraptor species that lived between 70 and 66 million years ago in what is now China. The dinosaur was about 1.5 metres long and weighed around 20 kilograms. It built semi-open nests arranged in multiple rings of eggs.

To recreate the animal, researchers built the torso with polystyrene foam and a wooden frame. They then added cotton, bubble paper and fabric to mimic soft tissues. The eggs were made from casting resin, and in the experiments two clutches were arranged in double rings to match fossil evidence.

"Part of the difficulty lies in reconstructing oviraptor incubation realistically," said Su. "For example, their eggs are unlike those of any living species, so we invented the resin eggs to approximate real oviraptor eggs as best as we could."

The team tested how adult presence and environmental conditions affected egg temperatures and hatching outcomes.

In colder conditions, with a brooding adult present, temperatures in the outer ring of eggs varied by as much as 6 degrees Celsius. The study says differences like that could lead to asynchronous hatching, with eggs in the same nest hatching at different times.

In warmer environments, that variation dropped to about 0.6 degrees Celsius. The findings suggest that in warmer climates, sunlight may have helped even out temperatures and influenced hatching patterns.

"It's unlikely that large dinosaurs sat atop their clutches. Supposedly, they used the heat of the sun or soil to hatch their eggs, like turtles. Since oviraptor clutches are open to the air, heat from the sun likely mattered much more than heat from the soil," Yang explained.

The researchers also compared oviraptor incubation with that of modern birds. Most birds rely on thermoregulatory contact incubation, or TCI, where adults sit directly on their eggs and provide heat. For that to work, the adult must touch all the eggs, act as the main heat source and keep temperatures consistent.

The study says oviraptors likely could not meet those conditions. Their ring-shaped egg arrangement meant the adult could not keep contact with every egg at the same time.

"Oviraptors may not have been able to conduct TCI as modern birds do," said Su.

Instead, the researchers said the dinosaurs and environmental heat likely worked together, making them co-incubators. The study says that method was less efficient than modern bird incubation, but may have suited their nesting style, which appears to have shifted from buried nests to semi-open ones.

"Modern birds aren't 'better' at hatching eggs. Instead, birds living today and oviraptors have a very different way of incubation or, more specifically, brooding," Yang pointed out. "Nothing is better or worse. It just depends on the environment."

The researchers said their results are based on a reconstructed nest and modern environmental conditions, which differ from those of the Late Cretaceous. They said those differences could affect the findings. They also noted that oviraptors likely had longer incubation periods than modern birds.

Even so, the study offers a new look at how oviraptors may have cared for their eggs by combining physical models with simulations.

"It also truly is an encouragement for all students, especially in Taiwan," concluded Yang. "There are no dinosaur fossils in Taiwan, but that does not mean that we cannot do dinosaur studies."

Scientists Recreated A Dinosaur Nest And Solved A 70-Million-Year-Old Mystery

The Guardian

Shoppers in Hobart Airport’s gift shop got an unexpected extra on the shelf on Wednesday morning, a real brushtail possum sitting among the plush toys.

The possum was found in the Lagardère AWPL gift shop, peering out from between toy kangaroos, bilbies, dingoes and Tasmanian devils.

A passenger first spotted the animal while browsing in the plush toy section.

Liam Bloomfield, the retail manager, said staff and customers were delighted by the surprise find.

“A passenger reported it to … one of the staff members on shift who couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing,” Bloomfield said.

“She then called the [airport] management and said: we’ve got a possum in the store.”

An airport spokesperson said the possum stayed calm and was safely escorted out of the terminal without incident.

Bloomfield said staff had started voting on a name for the marsupial.

“We’ll have a little shrine to the possum. There will be a nice little photo; once it gets a name, we will put a nice little post in front of the store to make sure it’s remembered.” Bloomfield said.

Brushtails are one of five species of possum found in Tasmania. They are nocturnal, though they are known to be highly adaptable to a range of natural and human environments.

📸 credit: Melissa Oddie via Storyful

Airport Gift Shop In Tasmania Discovers Possum Nestled Among Plush Toys

Photo by Huy Phan on Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-sitting-on-dock-1409047/)

CNN TRAVEL

If happiness handed out medals, the Nordic countries would have swept the podium again.

According to the latest edition of the World Happiness Report, Finland, Iceland and Denmark are the three happiest countries on Earth. Finland took the top spot for a record ninth year in a row. Iceland ranked second and Denmark third.

The ranking is compiled by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford and included in the annual report on global happiness.

Costa Rica came in at No. 4, the highest ranking ever for a country from Latin America. Sweden and Norway followed in fifth and sixth. The Netherlands ranked seventh, Israel eighth, Luxembourg ninth and Switzerland 10th.

The United States placed 23rd this year. Canada ranked 25th and the United Kingdom 29th. It is the second straight year that none of the native English-speaking countries, the US, New Zealand, Ireland, Australia, Canada or the UK, appeared in the top 10.

To build the ranking, the Gallup World Poll asks people in 147 countries to rate their lives using the image of a ladder, with the best possible life as a 10 and the worst possible as a 0. Each person gives a number on that scale, known as the Cantril Ladder.

Researchers then look at six factors, including GDP per capita, life expectancy, generosity and perceptions of freedom and corruption, to help explain differences among countries. The rankings use a three-year average to smooth out spikes and dips caused by major events such as war or financial downturns.

People in Finland reported an average life satisfaction score of 7.764. In the US, the average was 6.816.

John F. Helliwell, professor emeritus of economics at the University of British Columbia and a founding editor of the World Happiness Report, said Finland’s long run at the top is tied to its culture of cooperation.

“Successful societies cooperate in the face of adversity,” he said. “The Finns know this. And once you have the sense that you are in this together, there’s no end to what you can do.”

The report’s writers have also focused on what they describe as a crisis in youth happiness, first raised in the 2024 ranking.

In the latest edition, the survey found life evaluations among people under 25 in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have fallen by almost one full point on the 0 to 10 scale over the past decade. Gallup World Poll data showed average satisfaction among young people in the rest of the globe increased over the same period.

“That’s a striking drop in youth wellbeing,” Helliwell said. “One of the culprits, especially in the US, is the extent and nature of social media use.”

The survey also said “negative emotions are becoming more common in all global regions.”

Only three of the six English-speaking countries made the top 20, despite being among the wealthiest countries. New Zealand ranked 11th, followed by Ireland at 13th and Australia at 15th.

The survey found internet use is high almost everywhere, including social media use. Researchers said a key factor in the sharp drop in youth happiness is the number of hours young people spend on social media or gaming. They also said some kinds of time online are healthier than others, including communicating with loved ones and learning new skills.

Helliwell said social media use is also high among young people in Latin America, but wellbeing there is strong and growing. He pointed to “the way you use social media,” and said a key question is “if they are really social media or anti-social media.”

He said some internet and social media use was not necessarily harmful. “There seems to be a sweet spot,” he said. “You don’t want to be unconnected but you don’t want to be too connected. With the Internet, too much is a bad thing.”

At the bottom of the ranking, Afghanistan remained last at No. 147. Sierra Leone ranked 146th, Malawi 145th, Zimbabwe 144th and Botswana 143rd.

Helliwell said one simple marker of trust still says a lot about the happiest places.

“Everyone loves to live where they expect to have their wallet returned full,” Helliwell said.

Photo by Huy Phan on Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-sitting-on-dock-1409047/)

Nordic Nation Tops World Happiness Ranking For Ninth Straight Year

When your dog gets a death sentence, you try just about anything.

For Sydney tech entrepreneur Paul Conyngham, that meant taking his eight-year-old dog Rose’s tumour, turning it into data and asking whether artificial intelligence could help do what medicine had not: buy her more time.

Rose, a black staffy-shar pei mix, had terminal cancer when Conyngham decided to try building a custom RNA vaccine tailored to her disease. He worked with the genetics program at the University of New South Wales after sequencing the DNA in her tumour and feeding that information into ChatGPT to help identify what had gone wrong.

“Rose is my best mate and she’s been with me through really tough times,” Conyngham told Today Show Australia. “When she was handed this sentence, I felt I had to do my part for her as well.”

He said he sequenced the DNA in her tumour and “converted it from tissue to data,” then “used that to sort of search for the problem in her DNA.”

With help from ChatGPT and researchers at UNSW, Conyngham said they were able to identify the issue and develop an RNA vaccine aimed at Rose’s specific cancer.

The experiment was expensive, and Conyngham knew it was far from a sure thing.

“The price was $3000, which is probably beyond what most people would spend on this problem, but I thought screw it. It’s worth a shot,” he said in an article published by UNSW.

At first, even some of the scientists involved were not convinced the timeline would work.

Professor Pall Thordarson, director of the RNA Institute at UNSW, told Today Show Australia he was skeptical in the beginning.

“Mainly just I thought this might take too long, and I guess one of the things we learned from this process ... the technology, even though we’ve been working similar MRNA for years, I just didn’t think we could do this this quickly, and it would be in time to really help Rosie,” Thordarson said. “So it’s just been an amazing project for us to be involved in.”

Once the team had the genetic sequence, the process moved fast.

“It was less than two months from that point, till we handed it over to Paul who took it to the vet to help her,” Thordarson said.

The vaccine did not eliminate the cancer completely. But Conyngham said it made a major difference.

“It’s added considerable lifespan and health,” he said.

According to Conyngham, the treatment “pushed back about 75% of the cancer. So, it shrunk it all down. There was just a little bit that didn’t respond.”

He said the change in Rose became visible after about a month.

“At the start of December, her mobility was way down. She started to shut down and be a bit sad,” Conyngham said. “Towards the end of January, she was jumping over a fence to chase a rabbit.”

Researchers say the case could point to broader medical uses for the same approach.

Thordarson said the work may have implications beyond veterinary care.

“We can also use it for other diseases, possibly ... neurological diseases, for instance,” he said.

For now, Rose’s case remains a personal one before it is anything else: a dog owner refusing to give up, a research team moving faster than expected, and one custom-made shot that appears to have given a very good girl more time.

📸 credit: Paul Conyngham on X

Australian Entrepreneur Uses AI To Create Cancer Vaccine For His Dog Rosie

Talker News

A rare monkey at Chester Zoo has had a big few months. Masaya, a critically endangered roloway monkey, gave birth just months after surgeons saved her foot in what the zoo said was a pioneering operation.

Masaya was the first ever roloway monkey to undergo surgery to remove a golf-ball sized mass from her foot. During the procedure at the University of Liverpool's Small Animal Teaching Hospital, the 15-year-old primate had one toe amputated.

Now she is recovering well and has given birth to a daughter, Lagertha, who was born two weeks ago. The baby is Masaya’s third daughter.

Zoe Edwards, primate keeper at Chester Zoo, said: “Masaya is a very experienced mom and she's parenting magnificently.

“Lagertha is only a few weeks old and is very dinky, but already curious about the roloway monkey habitat and inquisitive about us.

“The fact Masaya’s foot has healed so well is a huge relief.

“If she'd had an amputation, we'd have been left with real questions about whether she could hold her offspring or continue with her normal behaviors.”

The zoo said the third successful birth is a landmark moment in protecting the survival of roloway monkeys.

Roloway monkeys at Chester Zoo come from West Africa and are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN.

In the wild, they have been hit by hunters and illegal pet dealers, with their numbers falling by 80 percent. Once common in the rainforests of Ghana and the Ivory Coast, the species now survives only in isolated pockets of old-growth forest.

Edwards said: “Chester Zoo is one of only two places in the UK that roloway monkeys can be found, and Masaya is very important - not just to her family, but to her whole species.

“There are only a few breeding females in zoos in Europe."

Masaya had recurring problems with her foot from the time she arrived at Chester Zoo in 2023. Vets carried out x-rays, ultrasounds and biopsies, but struggled to pin down the cause. They eventually concluded it was likely a persistent abscess, possibly linked to an old thorn injury.

When the swelling got worse in 2025, staff decided to take Masaya to Liverpool for a CT scan.

Charlotte Bentley, Veterinary Officer at the zoo’s Animal Health Centre, said: “It’s not every day you take a monkey to vet school.

“We had to bring everything she might need, from anaesthesia equipment to medications and blankets.

“Following the scan, we decided an operation was the way forward. She's been an absolute trooper all the way through, and I'm just glad we were able to do something for her.”

Rachel Burrow, a vet and lecturer at the University of Liverpool, played a key role in the CT scan and the operation.

She said: “This was the last chance to save Masaya's foot before amputation.

“Working with primates is completely different from my usual patients, who are typically cats and dogs, and it was a real privilege to care for such a rare animal.

"It's great to see the surgery was a success - she's comfortable, active and using the limb well."

📸 credit: Talker News

Endangered Monkey Gives Birth Months After Pioneering Foot Surgery

People

It started with six dads and a simple idea. Now, Forget-Me-Knot FC has grown into a group of about 36 fathers in England who meet regularly to talk, play football and support each other after the loss of a baby or child.

The group is based in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire and was founded in September 2025 by Sean Coleman, a dad who lost his baby and wanted to bring together other fathers who had been through similar experiences.

Member Aaron Way told PEOPLE the club was created to fill a gap many grieving fathers face.

"Losing a child can be incredibly isolating, and many men find it difficult to talk openly about their grief. The idea behind the club was simple: to create a safe space where men could come together, talk honestly, and play football," said Way to PEOPLE, who lost his daughter Willow last August.

"What began as a small initiative has grown into a supportive community where dads who have experienced similar losses can connect and support each other through something familiar - football."

Forget-Me-Knot FC was started with the help of Royal Stoke University Hospital, University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust and the Port Vale Foundation. The dads meet every other Monday evening at the Port Vale Foundation in Burslem, England.

What began with six members has grown to nearly 40, with some attending regularly and others joining when they can.

"Many of the early members found out about the group through word of mouth, the UHNM Charity bereavement team, or local support networks. As more people began sharing the positive impact the club was having, awareness spread through the community and social media, helping more dads discover the group," Way said.

Each session starts with conversation before anyone steps onto the pitch.

"Everyone sits together and shares how their week has been, whether that’s something difficult or something positive. It’s a safe space where people can speak openly without feeling judged," Way said.

"After that, we head onto the pitch for a relaxed game of football. The focus isn’t competition - it’s connection."

The support does not stop at the regular football sessions. Way said the dads also stay connected through community events and social activities.

"We raise awareness about baby loss, take part in community events, and sometimes play matches with similar teams. We also organize social activities throughout the month, such as meals out, snooker or pool nights," he said.

"We aim to make sure everyone feels included, even if they’re unable to play football or attend the regular sessions."

For Way, the strength of the club comes from shared experience.

"At Forget-Me-Knot FC, everyone understands that loss. That shared experience creates a strong sense of trust and openness. Football also plays a big role, giving people a healthy way to release stress, reconnect with others, and find moments of normality again while still honouring the memories of their children," he said.

The group now hopes to keep growing and reach more families across the country.

"We also hope to continue building partnerships with organizations that support bereaved families and to keep raising awareness about baby loss and mental health," Way said.

He said the club also wants to play matches against other teams set up for similar reasons.

Way said the recognition the group has received has been surprising, because the aim was never public attention.

"It was simply about supporting dads through the incredibly difficult journey of losing a baby or child," he said.

"However, the attention it has received has been encouraging because it helps open up conversations about grief, especially for fathers. If that recognition helps even one person feel able to reach out for support, then it’s worthwhile."

As the club keeps going, Way said the message to other grieving parents is simple.

"Grief doesn’t follow a timeline, and everyone processes it differently," he said. "Talking to others who truly understand, whether through a support group, a community, or a team like ours, can make a huge difference. It’s okay to ask for help, and it’s okay to take things one day at a time."

📸credit: Forget me knot FC Facebook

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