How One Young Girl Inspired Schools Across Canada to Start Girls' Softball Teams

Avery Inkster's determination to create a girls' softball team at A.B. Lucas Secondary School has paid off in a big way. Not only did she successfully assemble a full 20-member team, but her efforts inspired 13 other high schools in London, Ontario to establish their own teams. Despite facing challenges, such as lack of formal recognition and funding, these resilient girls took matters into their own hands, organizing fundraisers and tournaments. Their unwavering commitment has created a supportive community for young female athletes.

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Chopstick Robot Kit Brings Joy To Underfunded STEM Classes Worldwide

In a small Singapore workshop, a pair of self-proclaimed tinkerers have created a global educational hit using one of Asia’s most common dining tools: the humble chopstick. Their invention, called Stick ‘Em, is a robotics and STEAM toy set designed for children—especially those from low-income communities—to learn through play. Built around simple materials like chopsticks, geometric connectors, and basic electronics, the kits let kids build robots and other creations that can be powered using any old tablet, phone, or school computer, no matter how outdated. The concept is simple, but the impact has been massive. “We started Stick ‘Em because we saw that traditional STEAM education wasn’t developing true problem-solvers and was inaccessible to many students worldwide,” said founders Adam Huh Dam and Chong Ing Kai in a press release. “With backgrounds in robotics and STEAM education, we created Stick ‘Em to provide a simple, low-cost solution that empowers students to learn through play and creativity, regardless of their background.” The project began in 2020, when Kai was trying to design a robotics kit that any family could afford. As he searched for affordable parts, he found inspiration in his own kitchen: a drawer full of unused takeaway chopsticks. “What if we use chopsticks to build robots?” Kai told The Straits Times. “These are everywhere, and they’re strong, and easy to cut and shape.” Photos of early prototypes—quirky little robots built out of chopsticks and colorful connectors—began circulating on social media. That’s how Adam Dam discovered the project and quickly joined forces with Kai. Since then, Stick ‘Em has grown from a two-person side project into a 14-person team with support from Singapore’s leading institutions, including the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and the National University of Singapore. Today, Stick ‘Em kits are used in classrooms across 90 schools in 11 countries, including underserved areas of Southeast Asia and Africa. About 12,000 children have had access to the kits so far, with some of the most inspiring stories coming from children learning in floating schools in Malaysia’s Sabah region, orphanages in Cambodia, and schools along the military-controlled Thailand-Myanmar border. The goal isn't just to get kids interested in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. It's to build something deeper. “Whatever jobs exist in 20 years, the ability to think creatively, to problem-solve, and to adapt will always matter,” said the founders. And it’s those skills—resilience, creativity, and curiosity—that Stick ‘Em aims to build. That mission earned global attention this year when Stick ‘Em won the prestigious Hult Prize for educational innovation, beating out more than 15,000 applicants. “When our name was announced, we were in shock,” Kai and Dam said in their statement. “But we immediately thought about how this prize could help us reach more schools, empower more teachers, and provide STEAM education to more children worldwide.” The $1 million prize is already being used to scale their reach, improve awareness, and support teachers with training and community-building resources. “We’re excited to scale our impact,” the founders said. “This win is just the beginning.” Stick ‘Em isn’t just a toy set—it’s a movement. One that’s putting hands-on creativity back in classrooms, one chopstick robot at a time.

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A 9-Year-Old Boy Helped Firefighters Save Lives by Clearing Snow from a Hydrant

When firefighters in Fort Dodge, Iowa, raced to put out a structure fire earlier this month, their job was made easier thanks to a 9-year-old boy with a snow shovel and a big heart. Colton Holmes had recently taken part in a community challenge posted by the Fort Dodge Fire Department after heavy snow blanketed the area. The department asked residents to help clear snow from around fire hydrants — three feet on each side — so crews could access them quickly in an emergency. As an incentive, families who shared photos of themselves doing the work were entered into a draw for a fire truck ride to school. Colton didn’t need the prize to get involved. He just wanted to help. "I wanted to help people out and be a hero," he told local news outlet KCCI. The very next day, the hydrant Colton cleared was the one firefighters used to battle a structure fire. “Given the situation, the heavy snowfall recently, time was of the essence,” Lt. Devon Schuster of the Fort Dodge Fire Department told KCCI. “Fire actually doubles in size every minute, so the fact that we didn’t have to dig out a fire hydrant saved us an immense amount of time.” Nobody was injured in the fire, but several people and pets were displaced, according to Fox 10. As a thank-you, the department gave Colton a challenge coin and a special patch to recognize his efforts — as well as that promised ride to school in a fire truck. While it may have started as a community contest, Colton’s decision to pitch in ended up having a real impact. And for the firefighters of Fort Dodge, it was a reminder of how something as simple as shoveling snow can help save lives.

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Paralyzed Teen Finds Joy And Confidence With Innovative Dancing Wheelchair

Desa Kaiser, an 11-year-old from Pennsylvania, is back to doing what she loves best: dancing. Despite being paralyzed from the waist down following a car accident, Desa has found her rhythm again with the help of a specially modified wheelchair. Last Thanksgiving was spent in a hospital for Desa after the crash left her with life-altering injuries. But now, thanks to some ingenuity and modifications to an older piece of technology, she's spinning around on the dance floor once more. Her new "dancing wheelchair" lets her move freely just like she did in ballet, jazz, and funk classes before her injury. "It's cool to be different from other people and more unique in different ways," Desa said in an interview with CBS News 3 Philadelphia. "It’s an amazing chair that’s different from others because you can be more free in it and you can express a lot more in it." After the accident, Desa received treatment at Shriners Children’s Hospital. She continues physical therapy there to strengthen her trunk and arms—essential for maneuvering the chair to music's beat. Maggie Reilly, a physical therapist at Shriners, expressed their goal clearly: "We wanted to bring her a chair that would allow her to dance and do what she loves." Reilly emphasized that helping children achieve their goals is a priority at Shriners. Desa's parents are feeling grateful this year compared to last Thanksgiving. They see their daughter thriving and embracing her individuality through dance once again. The resilient young dancer’s story illustrates how determination and creativity can overcome challenges. Her journey back to movement highlights not only personal strength but also the support systems that help individuals reach their aspirations. Desa's story aired on CBS News, capturing how adversity has transformed into opportunity for expression and joy through dance.

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“This Is Your Trophy Too”: Mendoza Honors Mom in Tearful Heisman Speech

Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza capped off a remarkable season by winning the 2025 Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, becoming the first player from the Hoosiers to take home college football’s most prestigious individual award. Mendoza, 22, accepted the trophy during a nationally televised ceremony at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room in New York City. ESPN’s Chris Fowler hosted the event, with appearances by former winners Tim Tebow, Andre Ware, and Desmond Howard, along with reporters Holly Rowe and Marty Smith. Fighting back tears, Mendoza used his acceptance speech to thank his mother, Elsa, who he called his biggest inspiration. “Mommy, this is your trophy as much as it is mine,” he said, visibly emotional. “You’ve always been my biggest fan. You’re my light, you’re my why, you’re my biggest supporter. Your sacrifices, courage and love, those have been my first playbook and the playbook I’m going to carry by my side throughout my entire life.” He added, “You taught me that toughness doesn’t need to be loud, it can be quiet and strong. It’s choosing hope. It’s believing in yourself when the world doesn’t give you much reason to. Together, you and I are rewriting what people think is possible.” Mendoza’s rise has been one of the biggest stories in college football this season. He led Indiana to a surprise Big Ten championship win, and his heartfelt post-game interview quickly went viral. Speaking to PEOPLE ahead of the Heisman ceremony, Mendoza reflected on that moment. “It was just genuine raw motion,” he said. “Maybe it was a little too much.” Still, he said he wanted to avoid sounding rehearsed. “I didn’t wanna say anything cliché, you know, like ‘everything is possible.’ So I just wanted to keep it down and keep it authentic and just give the world my real self.” The other Heisman finalists included Jeremiyah Love from Notre Dame, Diego Pavia from Vanderbilt, and Julian Sayin from Ohio State. The 2025 ceremony marked the 91st awarding of the Heisman Trophy, which has long been considered the ultimate prize in college football. Mendoza’s win adds a historic chapter for Indiana, a school not typically associated with the sport’s elite. In a touching moment later in the evening, Colorado alum Travis Hunter—last year’s Heisman winner—took the stage to present the award and shared an emotional message of his own. Hunter, now a Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver after being drafted second overall earlier this year, was joined by his former college coach Deion Sanders and his wife Leanna Lenee. “I want to say something to my father,” Hunter said. “He’s not here. But I know you’re watching on TV. Dad, I love you. All the stuff you went through, man. Now, look at your oldest son. I did it for you, man.” He recalled how his father only made it to a couple of his high school games. “From probably two games in high school to seeing me on TV every weekend and coming to see me, man, that means so much to me.” While Hunter passed the torch, Mendoza now takes his place in Heisman history—carrying the hopes of a university and the gratitude of a son who never forgot who helped get him there.

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MacKenzie Scott Donates $7.17 Billion to 225 Organizations in 2025

MacKenzie Scott gave away $7.17 billion this year. That’s the headline, at least. But if you ask her, that number barely scratches the surface of what really matters. In a personal blog post published Tuesday, the billionaire philanthropist shared her 2025 donation total — gifts to about 225 organizations — and used the announcement to spotlight the everyday acts of generosity happening across the country, far from the headlines. “This dollar total will likely be reported in the news,” she wrote, “but any dollar amount is a vanishingly tiny fraction of the personal expressions of care being shared into communities this year.” The latest round of donations brings her total giving since 2019 to $26.3 billion, making her one of the most prolific living philanthropists, behind only Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, according to Forbes. The publication currently estimates Scott’s net worth at $29.9 billion. She became one of the world’s richest women following her 2019 divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. This year’s donations include funding for historically Black colleges and universities, and organizations working on poverty, racial injustice, and climate change. But true to her approach, Scott didn’t release a full list or breakdown of the recipients. That, too, is deliberate. Since she began giving away her fortune, Scott has consistently avoided the top-down, high-profile playbook used by many wealthy philanthropists. Her donations are typically unrestricted — meaning nonprofits can use the money however they want — and often come as a surprise. In a 2021 post, she explained why: “People struggling against inequities deserve center stage in stories about change they are creating. This is equally — perhaps especially — true when their work is funded by wealth.” She reiterated that philosophy again this week, writing that her role is not to make herself the center of the story, but to “cede focus to others.” Following her divorce, Scott signed the Giving Pledge, a public promise by some of the world’s richest people to give away the majority of their wealth during their lifetimes. She has since assembled a team of advisors to help identify high-impact organizations, particularly those “operating in communities facing high projected food insecurity, high measures of racial inequity, high local poverty rates and low access to philanthropic capital.” In her latest blog post, Scott pointed to data from Giving USA, which reported more than $590 billion in total charitable giving across the United States in 2024. She emphasized that most of it came from ordinary people, not billionaires. “Over 70% of Americans reported giving both labor and money to people they know, and half reported doing the same for strangers,” she wrote. “It’s easy to focus on the methods of civic participation that make news, and hard to imagine the importance of the things we do each day with our own minds and hearts.” Scott also reflected on the support she received before she became wealthy, including a college roommate at Princeton who once lent her $1,000 so she wouldn’t have to drop out. That roommate, Jeannie Ringo Tarkenton, later went on to found Funding U, a student loan provider focused on helping low-income students who don’t have access to co-signers. There was also the dentist who fixed a broken tooth for free after noticing Scott trying to secure it with denture glue. “I never forgot those gestures,” Scott wrote. Rather than focus solely on financial contributions, she urged readers to consider civic participation in its broader forms — empathy, understanding, and forgiveness. “All of these are meaningful contributions to others,” she said. Scott didn’t disclose how she selected this year’s recipients. But the core message of her post had little to do with dollars and more to do with values. Her philanthropy, she suggested, is just one part of a much larger, less visible story — one written every day by people helping each other in quiet, unrecognized ways.

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Santas Sprint Through Streets In Charity Fun Run

More than 900 people dressed as Santa Claus ran through Gloucester on Saturday, turning the city’s streets red and white and setting a record for the annual Christmas fun run. Organisers offered two distances, a 1km route and a 5km route, with runners taking part to raise money for local groups and charities. The event brought in more than £7,000, the biggest total since the Rotary Club of Gloucester launched the run in 2017. Matt Cass, who founded Gloucester’s Fun Run as part of the Rotary Club, said the turnout and fundraising showed what the city can do when it pulls together. “This is Gloucester community, helping Gloucester community,” Cass said. He also pointed to the costumes as part of the appeal, with participants going beyond the standard Santa suit. “How can you not like dressing up like this? There’s a woman round here dressed as an inflatable turkey – how brilliant is that?” he said. All profits from the run go to the Rotary Club of Gloucester’s Charities and the Community Awards, which support local causes. Among the runners was Lauren Drury, from Gloucester, who arrived in an inflatable turkey costume for her first fun run. She told the BBC she bought the outfit for a hen do and decided to use it again. Her children joined in too, dressed as the Grinch and Santa. For some participants, the event was also a chance to raise money tied to personal struggles. Anthony Cox, from Abbeydale, told the BBC he and his running group were fundraising for the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association. Cox said his wife has MND and he cares for her “on a 24/7 basis”. “[I am] raising money for all the fabulous work they do for myself and my wife who has MND, that I care for on a 24/7 basis,” he said. “They do so much for us emotionally – a shoulder just to listen and talk things through. That you don’t feel on your own,” Cox added. Jamie Campbell, who ran in an inflatable elf costume, said he was persuaded into joining by friends, and he expected at least one more costume surprise before the day was done. “I was peer-pressured into this, to tell you the truth,” Campbell said. “I’m just waiting for him to turn up in his outfit – gingerbread man,” he added. The Rotary Club’s Cass said the run was built around keeping the money in the community and supporting local organisations through the club’s charitable work and award programmes. This year’s record turnout and fundraising total will boost that pot, as Gloucester heads deeper into the Christmas season with a new high point for the run’s short history.

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Comedy Icon Dick Van Dyke Celebrates Turning 100: "I Still Try To Dance"

Dick Van Dyke turned 100 on Saturday, marking a milestone for one of the most recognisable performers in American entertainment, a comic actor and dancer whose career has stretched across nearly eight decades. The celebrations come with a new documentary, “Dick Van Dyke: 100th Celebration,” which is set to screen in theatres across the United States this weekend, offering a fresh look back at a life that has moved between television, film and stage, and across multiple generations of audiences. Van Dyke became a household name in the early 1960s as the star of “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” the CBS sitcom that ran for five years and helped shape the rhythm of modern TV comedy. The series, built around his character Rob Petrie, mixed physical comedy with sharp timing, and it paired him with Mary Tyler Moore in a dynamic that became one of television’s defining partnerships. That early success opened the door to the kind of family-friendly film career Van Dyke once said he wanted. “Early in his career, Van Dyke was quoted as saying he wanted to make films his children could watch,” the source material notes, and one of the biggest turns of his life came when Walt Disney cast him in “Mary Poppins,” opposite Julie Andrews. The film’s songs and choreography turned Van Dyke’s chimney sweep character, Bert, into a cultural fixture, even as his cockney accent became a frequent punchline, including from Van Dyke himself. He later appeared in another child-focused musical hit, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” Van Dyke has always seemed comfortable poking fun at his own legend. In a 2023 interview, he told CBS Sunday Morning that he once received an unexpected offer to step into one of cinema’s most famous roles, and he said he shut it down with a joke at his own expense. “Yeah, I could have been James Bond. When Sean Connery left, the producer said, 'Would you like to be the next Bond?' I said, 'Have you heard my British accent?' Click! That's a true story!” Van Dyke told CBS Sunday Morning in 2023. The achievements on his resume stack up in a way that is rare even for Hollywood’s most durable stars. During his career, Van Dyke won four Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award and a Grammy Award. He also entered the Television Hall of Fame in 1995. In the past year, he added another first to his record. The source material says Van Dyke became the oldest winner of a Daytime Emmy in 2024, taking the award for a guest role on the long-running soap “Days of Our Lives.” Speaking to Entertainment Tonight before the win, he framed the moment with the same mix of pride and self-deprecation that has followed him for decades. “I'll be darned. I think I'm the last of my generation. I'm 98. I have — almost — all my marbles. I can't remember what I had for breakfast,” he told Entertainment Tonight before his win. Even at 100, Van Dyke still sits just short of another Hollywood benchmark. The source material describes him as “just an Oscar shy of the elusive EGOT title,” and it says he would still like a shot at the Academy Award. He joked about it, too, leaning into the fact that time, not talent, is the obstacle. “I hope it's not posthumous,” he joked. Behind the public success, Van Dyke has also spoken openly about personal struggle. The source material notes that in the 1970s, he found sobriety after battling alcoholism, a chapter he now describes as part of a longer life that has kept expanding in ways he did not expect. In that same 2023 CBS Sunday Morning interview, Van Dyke talked about the strange experience of being rediscovered again and again by new audiences, including children who were not born until decades after his biggest film roles. “I'm on my third generation,” he told CBS Sunday Morning in 2023. “I'm getting letters from little kids, and that is what I love, that they watch the movies over and over. I'm getting so much more mail today than I did during the heyday of my career.” With the 100th birthday approaching, Van Dyke has also tried to puncture the gloom that people sometimes project onto extreme old age. He told ABC News he had gained perspective after years of playing older men on screen, often leaning into the stereotype of bitterness. “You know, I played old men a lot, and I always played them as angry and cantankerous,” he told ABC News ahead of his milestone birthday. “It's not really that way. I don't know any other 100-year-olds, but I can speak for myself.” He has long credited his wife, Arlene Silver, a makeup artist and producer, with keeping him active. The source material notes their age difference, calling her “54-year-old,” and it says Van Dyke points to her as a reason he still keeps a schedule that many younger people would struggle to maintain. “As I've said, if I had known I was gonna live this long, I would've taken better care of myself!” Van Dyke told CBS Sunday Morning. “Yeah, 'cause I went through that whole period of alcoholism. But my wife, God bless her, makes sure that I go to the gym three days a week and do a full workout.” Van Dyke was born in West Plains, Missouri, in 1925, and grew up in Danville, Illinois, where he was known as “the class clown,” admiring and imitating silent film comedians. That early obsession with physical comedy never left him, and it became part of his signature, from TV pratfalls to big musical numbers on film. Five years ago, while celebrating receiving a Kennedy Center Honor, Van Dyke told CBS Mornings he had his eyes on this birthday, and he name-checked another performer who made it to 100 as a kind of target. “George Burns made it, and I'm gonna do it too,” he said. Now that he has reached 100, he has also been frank about the limits that come with it. In the same ABC News interview, he said he still feels lucky to be here, while acknowledging that his body does not always cooperate with the spirit that made him famous. “I miss movement,” he told the outlet. “I've got one game leg from I don't know what.” “I still try to dance,” he said with a laugh.

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Lack of Loo No More: This Historic Church Installed Their First Toilet After 1,000 Years

After standing for over a millennium, a Saxon church in the English village of Daglingworth is finally getting its first toilet. Holy Rood Church, which dates back to the 11th century and features rare Saxon carvings and a 15th-century tower, has received a £35,000 grant from the National Churches Trust and a further £5,000 from the Headley Foundation to install an accessible toilet and kitchen servery. The new facilities will be built into the base of the church’s bell tower and north aisle. The move comes after dwindling attendance raised concerns about the church’s accessibility — especially for older parishioners, families with young children, and those with mobility issues. “The lack of a toilet had made the church inaccessible for many people and had deterred attendance,” the church said. With modern plumbing finally on the way, church leaders hope to breathe new life into the historic building by making it more welcoming for community events, including plans for a mother and toddler group and safe refreshment services after Sunday worship. Steve Brady, churchwarden at Holy Rood, called the improvements a “community-wide effort” to keep the church “at the very centre of village life.” “These two incredibly generous grants ensure that we can make vital changes, and necessary restoration works to the church,” he said. “Creating and preserving the church as a space for all members of the parish to benefit from and enjoy — from the youngest to the oldest — is at the centre of our mission and work here.” The upgrades mark a new chapter for a building that has already withstood centuries of history, including plagues, wars, and the Reformation. Claire Walker, chief executive of the National Churches Trust, said the group was “delighted” to support the effort. “Not only will this protect this important heritage, but it will help to keep the church building open and serving local people.” Construction of the new facilities is expected to begin soon, bringing Holy Rood Church into the modern age — and, at long last, giving its congregation some much-needed relief.

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Fedex Delivers 325K Free Christmas Trees To Military Families In Annual 'Trees For Troops' Program

Every December for the past 21 years, thousands of military families across the United States have received a simple but powerful gift: a fresh Christmas tree delivered right to their base. It’s all thanks to a nonprofit initiative called Trees for Troops, run by the Christmas Spirit Foundation. Since launching in 2005, the program has delivered more than 326,000 free Christmas trees to active-duty service members and their families. “That first year, we were able to do 4,300 trees to five different bases,” executive director Rick Dungey told Fox Weather. “I remember at the time, people thought it was just a crazy idea that wouldn’t catch on, but it did. And now we’re doing our 21st consecutive year.” What started as a modest idea has become a massive, coordinated effort involving over 340 farms in 28 states. In 2025 alone, Dungey estimates the group will donate more than 19,000 trees to 94 bases across the country — all within a tight 10-day window. “Those [trees] have to be gathered together in 56 locations — farms and garden centers — and FedEx picks them up,” Dungey explained. FedEx has supported the project from day one. “For 21 years, FedEx Freight has been honored to carry more than just cargo alongside the Christmas Spirit Foundation — we carry a piece of home to the doorsteps of our nation’s military families,” spokesperson Shannon Davis told Military.com. The effort is personal and deeply local. At every step, community members help make the experience special — from harvesting the trees to hand-writing cards and crafting homemade ornaments. At New York’s Ellms Family Farm, which has supported the program since its beginning, local National Guard members helped load trees this year. “Most of them say the same thing, how this reminded them of home and family,” said farm owner Garth Ellms. “To help our troops enjoy that moment or memory is why we continue to do this.” And at Richardson Farms in Illinois, Wendy Richardson says the program’s impact never gets old. “Nothing says ‘Merry Christmas’ or starts the holidays more than a real tree,” she said. “The smell, the memories of getting a tree — whether it’s at a tree farm or when it’s delivered to the base — it’s a very warm feeling for us to see people appreciating that tree.” The trees are especially meaningful this year, as many military families continue to feel the pinch from rising living costs. According to the Military Family Advisory Network, one in four active-duty military families in the U.S. faces food insecurity — a far higher rate than the national average. For many families, removing the cost of a Christmas tree from their budget means being able to celebrate the holidays more fully. And while the trees themselves are temporary, the memories — and the message — last a lot longer.

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A Cold Could Have Killed Her — Until Gene Therapy Rewrote the Rules

Cora Oakley was born with no immune system. A simple infection, even the common cold, could have ended her life. Diagnosed with severe combined immunodeficiency, or SCID — sometimes called “bubble boy disease” — Cora was among roughly 100 babies in the U.S. each year born with this rare and often fatal genetic condition. Without treatment, most infants with SCID don’t survive past their first birthday. Cora had ADA-SCID, one of the few subtypes for which a promising new gene therapy was being tested. Her mother, Chelsea Ferrier, calls her a “miracle” child — her firstborn after years of miscarriages. When a clinical trial opened in 2017, Cora got the last spot. “I would have sold my organs to get into that trial,” Ferrier said. A Quiet Revolution in Treatment Until recently, the only real option for children with SCID was a bone-marrow transplant — a complex procedure that often requires a perfectly matched sibling donor. For those without a match, the risks are far greater: chemotherapy, immunosuppression, and complications like graft-versus-host disease. “You’re suppressing their immunity when you want their immune system to grow,” said Dr. Donald Kohn, a pediatric immunologist at UCLA Health and lead author of a recent gene therapy study. Gene therapy offers a different path. Doctors collect a child’s own stem cells, correct the faulty gene using a harmless version of HIV as a delivery tool, and then reintroduce the repaired cells. Because the cells are the child’s own, there’s no risk of rejection and only a minimal dose of chemotherapy is needed. In a study of 62 babies with ADA-SCID, every single one is still alive nearly eight years later. About 95% — including Cora — had fully restored immune systems. “This was a fairy tale 20 years ago,” said Dr. Frank Staal, a stem cell researcher in the Netherlands. “Now it’s a reality.” Two Daughters, Two Very Different Journeys Hailey Barlow, from Utah, knows that reality firsthand. Her eldest daughter, Jaylee, received a traditional bone-marrow transplant in 2010 and spent nearly a year in the hospital battling complications. Her younger daughter, Hazel, received gene therapy in 2023 and was home in just over a month. “You really couldn’t even tell Hazel had been sick,” Barlow said. “The difference between the two treatments was honestly mind-boggling.” Still, even with gene therapy, life with SCID is a constant exercise in caution. Families often live in isolation for months to avoid germs while their child’s immune system recovers. “Parents of SCID patients are permanently anxious,” Kohn said. “One infection can take their child from them.” Nicole Haggard, whose family has lost multiple children to SCID, said her son Dezar’s successful gene therapy changed everything — but didn’t erase the fear. Visitors had to change clothes before entering the house. Playgrounds were off-limits. Even now, a simple fever brings panic. “Normal people say, ‘My kid’s sick,’” she said. “We’re always anticipating it to be something bigger.” Hope With Caveats Gene therapy has already changed lives, but it still faces major hurdles. Unlike bone-marrow transplants, which are widely available, gene therapy is only accessible through clinical trials — expensive, complex, and often limited to certain states or hospitals. And while early results are overwhelmingly positive, researchers can’t yet say how the repaired immune systems will hold up decades from now. “There’s no pharmaceutical company behind it yet,” said Dr. Susan Prockop, a pediatric oncologist at Boston Children’s Hospital. “These trials won’t last forever.” Still, for families like the Oakleys, the impact is undeniable. Cora is now a healthy, energetic 8-year-old who loves animals and wants to help others. She volunteers with kittens and insists on stopping to meet every dog she sees. “I don’t ever want to think about what it would’ve meant,” her mother said, “if Cora didn’t have this opportunity.”

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