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Teachers share their sweetest gifts from students and it's a moving lesson in generosity
Some of the most precious gifts come straight from the heart. A former teacher shared an incredible story of a student's selflessness, generosity and thoughtfulness. Nine years ago, the student didn't have a Christmas gift for her, so he opened up a pack of crayons, gave her the purple one, and said "I hope you love it, I know it's your favorite color." Flex those love muscles; share stories that show you care and recognize heartfelt gestures with admiration đ

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A Century Later, a Forgotten WWI Soldier Finally Gets His Tribute in a French Village
For more than a hundred years, Private Henry Bellamyâs story had been quietly buried along with him in a small French village. This week, that changed. Bellamy, a soldier from Bedminster, Bristol, served in the North Somerset Yeomanry during World War One. He survived the brutality of the Battle of Arras in 1917, only to drown in a river shortly after his unit was moved away from the front lines. There was no battlefield glory, no mention in dispatches â just a simple grave in Nempont-Saint-Fermin, France, with little to mark who he was or how he got there. On Tuesday, that grave finally got the recognition it deserved. Thanks to the efforts of James Clements, an amateur historian from Bradley Stoke, South Gloucestershire, a plaque was unveiled in the village to commemorate Bellamyâs service. It came with a small ceremony, schoolchildren reading poems, and a crowd of around 50 people. âIt was a really wonderful tribute,â said Clements. His quest began not with Bellamy, but with his own great-grandfather, Richard James Dufty, who served in the same regiment. While researching Dufty's wartime journey, Clements stumbled across Bellamyâs name and found his grave â the only UK or Commonwealth war grave in Nempont-Saint-Fermin. Initially, Clements hoped to locate Bellamyâs living relatives. But when no close family could be traced, he decided instead to document and share the soldierâs story. âI researched his journey overseas in 1915, his service with the North Somerset Yeomanry, and ultimately the circumstances of his death,â he said. That research led to a surprising connection: a letter written by Clementsâ great-grandfather described Bellamyâs final moments, offering a firsthand account of a death that might otherwise have remained a mystery. What Clements didnât know was that Bellamyâs grave had caught someone elseâs attention 20 years earlier. In the early 2000s, a traveler visiting France wrote about the grave in the Bristol Evening Post. That article reached Doreen Heal, who recognised the names of Bellamyâs parents. Her great-grandmother had been Bellamyâs aunt. Healâs niece, Chris Price, who was living in France at the time, sent a letter to the village seeking more information â but never got a reply. When Clements visited the grave in September 2023, he left a laminated copy of the diary entry from his great-grandfather on the headstone. It was later discovered by locals and handed to the townâs mayor. In an unexpected turn, the mayor found Priceâs original letter in the village archive. That was the catalyst. The village decided it was time to formally honour Bellamy. A plaque was commissioned, and plans were made for a tribute more than a century in the making. At the ceremony on Tuesday, Price and Clements stood together as the plaque was unveiled. Local children read poems, and a community that had quietly held Bellamyâs memory all these years now honoured him publicly. âItâs a great feeling to know that Henryâs still being remembered more than 100 years later,â said Clements. âWhen I first started researching him I thought nobody had remembered him.â Now, thanks to a mix of family ties, historical curiosity, and a diary entry kept safe for more than a century, one soldier's quiet legacy has become part of something much louder.

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Miniature Therapy Horses are Bringing Big Comfort to Manhattan Seniors
Two tiny horses made a big impression last month when they trotted into a Manhattan senior living facility, bringing calm, comfort, and a few happy tears. On October 21, Long Island-based non-profit HorseAbility visited Sunrise at East 56th on New York Cityâs Upper East Side with two of their miniature therapy horses: 17-year-old Pearl and 15-year-old Aiden. The visit was part of the groupâs Miniature Horse Companion Therapy Visitation Program, designed to improve emotional and social well-being through interactions with horses. The pint-sized ponies arrived in a van full of hay, stepped out onto the busy Manhattan sidewalk, and calmly made their way inside the assisted living facilityâwhere they were met with immediate smiles. âTheir visit brought immense happiness and comfort to residents, many of whom fondly reminisced about their own experiences riding or spending time with horses as children,â HorseAbility said in a statement. âThe experience proved especially meaningful for those coping with anxiety, depression or loneliness.â For some, the moment hit especially deep. One resident was moved to tears. Another, Joann Girsh, told PIX 11, âIt just makes me feel so calm. It makes me feel better. I was just touched by this animal, and I want to cry because it gives me hope that there are good things in this world. I truly love this animal.â Photos from the day show residents petting the horses on a sunny balcony and inside the facility, with both Pearl and Aiden staying calm and composed. Their gentle presence offered a break from the routineâand a powerful emotional lift. âItâs amazing,â said Dani Green, the facilityâs executive director. âIt reduces anxiety, stress. Weâre not just here to do Juilliard concerts every day. Pony therapy is a step above puppy therapy.â HorseAbilityâs miniature horses are chosen for their calm personalities and natural gentleness. According to the organization, their mini horses share many traits with their full-size counterparts, including intelligence and an eagerness to connect with people of all ages and abilities. The group also offers a wide range of equine-assisted services, from recreational riding and education to therapeutic programs involving grooming and handling activities. But on this particular day, it was the simplest of thingsâa quiet visit, a soft nuzzle, a familiar scentâthat sparked joy and offered reassurance to a group of New Yorkers who had seen a lot in their lives. Sometimes, the best therapy comes in a small, hoofed package.

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No More Scraping: Scientists Are Zapping Ice Off Cars With Electricity
Scraping frost off your windshield on a freezing morning could soon be a thing of the pastâthanks to a new âelectric zapâ technique developed by engineers at Virginia Tech. Researchers say theyâve found a smarter, greener way to defrost surfaces that doesnât rely on heat or chemicals. The method, called electrostatic defrosting (EDF), uses electricity to exploit the frostâs own microscopic structure, dislodging it without burning energy or releasing toxins. âThis concept of electric deicing is still in a very early stage,â said Professor Jonathan Boreyko, a mechanical engineer leading the project. âBut we hope EDF will prove to be a cost-effective, chemical-free, and low-energy approach to deicing.â Traditional defrosting methods are either power-hungry, like electric heaters, or environmentally harmful, like chemical sprays. EDF flips that logic on its head by working with frostâs natural properties. Boreykoâs lab has been studying how ice forms and behaves at the molecular level and found a way to turn those quirks into a solution. Hereâs how it works: when water freezes into frost, the molecules line up in an orderly ice lattice. But they donât always fall perfectly into place. Some might carry an extra hydrogen atom (HâOâș), while others might lose one (OHâ»). These slight mismatches create what scientists call âionic defectsââspots of positive or negative charge buried in the frost layer. Boreyko compares it to rushing a jigsaw puzzle and jamming pieces where they donât belong. These defects, while small, can be manipulated. By hovering an electrically charged plate above the frost and applying voltage, the team discovered they could force the ionic defects to moveâpulling the negatively charged parts of the frost upward toward the plate, while pushing the positively charged bits downward. This polarization creates a strong electric attraction between the frost and the plate, enough to fracture and pull off some of the frost crystals. In early trials, the technique worked even without power. A copper plate placed above the frost removed about 15% of the ice just through natural polarization. But once the team added electricity, results improved quickly. At 120 volts, they removed 40% of the frost. At 550 volts, it was 50%. âWe really thought we were onto something here,â said Boreyko. But then came the surprise: when they increased the voltage furtherâto 1,100 volts and then 5,500 voltsâfrost removal actually dropped, down to just 20%. That result caught them off guard. Their models predicted better performance with more power. But the team discovered that at high voltages, the frost started leaking charge into the surface underneathâespecially when that surface was conductive, like copper. When they switched to insulating surfaces, like glass, performance dipped less. And when they upgraded again to a superhydrophobic surfaceâone that traps air and repels waterâthe results soared. Using that air-trapping surface, frost removal at the highest voltage jumped to 75%, making a hidden âVTâ logo on the frosted surface visibly clear after the frost lifted off. Dr. Venkata Yashasvi Lolla, who led the experiments, said the next step is to keep pushing the technology toward full 100% frost removal, and to test EDF on a wide range of materials. The team believes the method could be adapted for cars, planes, industrial equipment, and even everyday consumer goodsâwithout the heavy energy cost or environmental footprint of traditional deicing methods. âThereâs still more to refine,â said Boreyko. âWeâre exploring better electrode placements and ways to reduce charge leakage. But the potential is there.â The research is published in the journal Small Methods.

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Robotic âSpace Trousersâ Could Help Astronauts on the Moonâand People on Earth
A team of British scientists has developed a futuristic pair of robotic trousers designed to help astronauts move more easily in spaceâand the technology could one day assist people with mobility issues here on Earth. The lightweight exosuit, built mostly from fabric, is the first of its kind to be integrated into a full spacesuit and tested in a simulated space environment. It uses soft robotics and artificial muscles to boost strength, reduce fatigue, and maintain natural movementâespecially during physically demanding tasks like walking, climbing, or carrying gear on uneven planetary terrain. Dr. Emanuele Pulvirenti, a research associate at the University of Bristolâs Soft Robotics Lab, led the project and even hand-sewed the exosuit himself. âFortunately, my grandmother worked as a tailor and she was able to give me some advice,â he said. The exosuit is worn under a regular spacesuit and includes air-inflatable artificial muscles built from two layers: a nylon exterior and a thermoplastic inner layer that allows airtight inflation. Anchoring parts, such as the waistband and knee straps, are reinforced with Kevlar to handle the stress and tension of movement in space. The trousers were field-tested during the ADAMA mission, a simulated lunar expedition conducted by the Austrian Space Forum and ICEE.space at the Exterres CRATER facility in Australiaâthe largest fake moon surface in the Southern Hemisphere. It was the first field test of a soft robotic exosuit inside a spacesuit, and part of a massive international collaboration involving 200 scientists from 25 countries. âWe wanted to see how the suit affected comfort, mobility, and biomechanical performance during common surface tasks,â Dr. Pulvirenti said. Tasks included walking, climbing, and carrying loads on loose ground, mimicking conditions astronauts would face on the Moon or Mars. Beyond space applications, the research has potential medical benefits. Pulvirenti and his team are already working on a second version of the suit that can switch between two modes: assistive, which helps boost movement, and resistive, which adds tension to maintain or rebuild muscle strength. The aim is to eventually use this adaptive tech in physical rehabilitation programs for people with limited mobility. âThe hope is that this technology could pave the way for future wearable robotic systems that enhance astronaut performance and reduce fatigue during extra-vehicular surface activities,â Pulvirenti said. âBut itâs exciting that this technology could also potentially benefit people, too.â The teamâs next goal: getting the suit aboard the International Space Station for further testing in orbit.

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Study Reveals Dogs Cry Tears Of Joy Out Of Love For Their Owners
Science just confirmed what dog lovers have always believed: your dog really does miss youâand not just a little. A new study from Japan has found that dogs produce actual tears of joy when they see their owners after time apart. The research comes from Takefumi Kikusui, a professor at Azabu Universityâs Laboratory of Human-Animal Interaction and Reciprocity, who noticed his standard poodle getting misty-eyed while nursing her puppies. That moment sparked a question: Could dogs cry from emotion like humans do? Until now, scientists believed dog tears were purely functionalâjust a way to keep their eyes clean and healthy. But Kikusui suspected there was more to it. So he ran a study using 18 dogs, measuring their tear volume both before and after being reunited with their owners following a separation of 5 to 7 hours. Using something called the Schirmer Tear Testâa common method in both human and veterinary medicine to measure tear productionâKikusui found a noticeable increase in tears after reunions. "The baseline was about 22 mm, and the reunion with the owner increased by 10%," he told CNN. And it turns out the response was exclusive. Dogs didnât shed the same happy tears for just anyone. Follow-up testing showed that only their ownersânot familiar acquaintancesâtriggered the emotional reaction. The researchers then tested whether oxytocin, the so-called "love hormone," played a role. Oxytocin is what humans produce during bonding moments with loved ones, including between parents and children. When researchers administered a solution containing oxytocin into the dogs' eyes, tear production increased significantly, more so than with a neutral control solution. While the study didnât explore whether dogs cry in response to sadness or stress, the results do suggest something remarkable: dogs may not only feel strong emotional bonds with their humans, they might also express that connection physically in a way thatâs visible to us. So the next time your dog greets you at the door like itâs been a year instead of a few hours, they might actually be crying from joy. And if your sibling ever claims your dog loves them more than you, wellâyouâve now got peer-reviewed science on your side.

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Sheâs Saving $300 Million Worth of Prescription Drugsâand Giving Them to the People Who Need Them Most
Kiah Williams isnât trying to fix the American healthcare system overnight. But she is doing something about one of its biggest blind spots: the billions of dollars in perfectly good prescription medications that get thrown away every year. At TEDNext in Atlanta this week, Williams, the co-founder of Sirum, called the U.S. healthcare system âa behemothââbut not one without hope. âI have never met anyone who works in care who doesn't want to help people,â she told Good Good Good. âWhat's happened is we've created this system that is not set up to do it. And so you have people fighting upstream to do that.â Williams and her team at Sirum are taking a different approach. Instead of trying to rebuild the entire system, theyâre rescuing unused, unexpired medicationsâoften flushed or trashedâand rerouting them to people who canât afford them. In the process, theyâre making life-saving drugs accessible for just a couple of dollars. Each year, about $11 billion in prescription meds go to waste in the U.S. Sirumâs goal is to shrink that number as fast as possible. And itâs working. Thanks to support from TEDâs Audacious Project, the group has scaled up dramaticallyâfrom $30 million in medicine saved annually to more than $300 million. Itâs no small feat. Drug donation laws vary wildly between statesâabout 40 have such laws on the books, but each comes with its own rules. âThere are about 40 states that have drug donation laws on their books, and they vary. They vary in who can donate, what they can donate, and where they can donate,â Williams explained. âThose are the big challenges that just exist because every state implemented the policy a little bit differently.â That complexity has become Sirumâs specialty. âPart of the secret sauce for Sirum, and what we do, is we help organizations and individuals know what they can donate,â she said. âWe basically take care of that for them.â Sirumâs expansion is driven by need. The nonprofit responds directly to communities asking for helpâplaces where local advocates are already sounding the alarm. âOftentimes, when we are working in a new community in a new state, it's because someone has asked us to come there. Someone has said, âWe have a need. Can you help?ââ Williams said. âWe like to know that there is an established need that exists.â That need is personal for many of the people Sirum serves. Williams shared the story of a mother of two in Atlanta who struggled to afford her blood pressure medication. âShe had actually called nine or 10 different pharmacies to see if she could get a good price,â Williams said. âShe described it as having a part-time job.â The prices were inconsistent and often unaffordableâuntil she connected with Sirumâs low-cost delivery pharmacy, Good Pill. âShe was able to get her medications for $2 for a month's supply,â Williams said. Those kinds of outcomes are exactly what Williams and her team are fighting for: medication thatâs accessible, affordable, and transparent. But she says the healthcare industry still has a long way to go. âThere's still not transparent information that exists for consumers and for families,â she said. âAnd we don't accept that.â âYou can go online and find out what the gas prices are. You can look at different prices for food,â she added. âWhy are we not doing the same for something as vital as medication?â For now, Sirum will keep doing what it does bestâsaving unused medicine from the landfill and getting it into the hands of people who need it most. Or, as Williams put it: âIf the systemâs not built for equity, build a new lane.â

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This Tiny Implant is Wiping Out Bladder Cancer in 82% of Patients
A new drug delivery system has shown dramatic success in treating a stubborn form of bladder cancer, with 82% of patients seeing their tumors completely disappear in just three months. The system, called TAR-200, is a slow-release implant that gradually delivers chemotherapy directly into the bladder. It was tested in a global Phase 2 clinical trial and is being hailed as one of the most promising treatments to date for high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), especially in patients who failed standard therapies. âTraditionally, these patients have had very limited treatment options,â said Dr. Sia Daneshmand, lead author of the study and director of urologic oncology at Keck Medicine of USC. âThis new therapy is the most effective one reported to date for the most common form of bladder cancer.â The results, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, show that not only did most tumors disappear within weeks, but nearly half of the 85 patients remained cancer-free after one year. A Tiny Device With a Big Impact TAR-200 looks unassuming â itâs a small, pretzel-shaped implant filled with the chemotherapy drug gemcitabine. Doctors insert it into the bladder via catheter, where it slowly releases the medication over a three-week period. That slow release turned out to be key. âTraditionally, gemcitabine has been delivered as a liquid solution that stays in the bladder for just a few hours,â Daneshmand explained. âOur theory was that the longer the medicine sits inside the bladder, the more deeply it would penetrate and destroy cancer cells.â The idea paid off. Over the course of the trial, patients received TAR-200 every three weeks for six months, followed by four maintenance treatments per year for two years. Out of the 85 participants, 70 saw their tumors completely vanish. The treatment was also generally well tolerated, with few side effects. A Safer Alternative to Major Surgery The trial, called SunRISe-1, was conducted across 144 sites globally, including Keck Hospital of USC. All participants had previously received Bacillus Calmette-GuĂ©rin (BCG), an immunotherapy drug thatâs currently the standard of care for NMIBC. But for many, BCG fails, and the cancer returns. Until now, the fallback option was often major surgery â the complete removal of the bladder and surrounding organs. âThat procedure has significant risks and a serious impact on quality of life,â Daneshmand said. TAR-200 offers a much less invasive alternative, especially for patients with limited options. Less Is More Interestingly, researchers also tested a version of the therapy combining TAR-200 with the immunotherapy drug cetrelimab. But that approach turned out to be less effective and caused more side effects than TAR-200 alone. While the trialâs enrollment has ended, participants will continue to be monitored for another year. In the meantime, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted TAR-200 a Priority Review â a fast-track process that signals strong promise. The device is manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, which also funded the study. Daneshmand disclosed he has received research support and consulting payments from the company. Whatâs Next for Cancer Treatment? TAR-200 is part of a growing trend in oncology: slow-release therapies that deliver medication directly at the tumor site. By keeping the drug in contact with cancer cells for longer, these systems aim to improve outcomes while reducing side effects. âWe are at an exciting moment in history,â Daneshmand said. âOur mission is to deliver cancer-fighting medications into the bladder that will offer lasting remission, and it looks like we are well on our way toward that goal.â If the early success holds up through ongoing trials, TAR-200 could soon change the standard of care for one of the most common â and stubborn â forms of bladder cancer.

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Housekeeping Olympics Celebrates 35 Years With Spirited Competitions In Las Vegas
Housekeepers turned into athletes Monday night as the 35th annual Housekeeping Olympics lit up Las Vegas with cheers, laughs, and some serious competition. Held at the Michelob Ultra Arena, the event brought together hospitality workers from across the Las Vegas Valley to celebrate the people who keep hotels running smoothly behind the scenes. Nine teams representing various properties faced off in high-energy events like vacuum races, mop relays, and bed-making battlesâall designed to spotlight the skills and speed required in their day-to-day jobs. The crowd favorite? A vacuum race where competitors rode commercial vacuums like go-karts, clearing the track in record time. âThey are the lifeline,â said Andy Meese, General Manager of Park MGM. âThey bring the guest experience to life every single day. So itâs a great opportunity to take a step back and recognize the employees for all the work that they do.â The competition was fierce but friendly. Teams from Resorts World, Aria, and V-dara consistently landed on the podium across events. In the end, it was Aria and V-dara that took top honors as the overall winners. Now in its 35th year, the Housekeeping Olympics has become more than just a competitionâitâs a way to show appreciation for the workers who often operate behind the curtain. For one night a year, they take center stage.

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Reality Star Triumphs in First 5K Race With Prosthetic Foot After Amputation
Just over a year after surviving a near-fatal car accident and choosing to amputate his right foot, The Challenge alum Nelson Thomas has officially completed his first 5K â and he did it with a prosthetic. On Sunday, Nov. 9, the 37-year-old reality star crossed the finish line in Los Angeles with a wide smile and a leap of joy, surrounded by supporters from Travis Barkerâs Run Travis Run Club. Thomas ran alongside two special people: his mom and fellow Challenge castmate Cory Wharton. âToday was such a beautiful day!â Thomas wrote on Instagram, where he shared video clips of the race and celebratory photos. âNot only did I complete a 5K run with the Run Travis Run Club, but I also got to run alongside my mom and my @corywharton_ig â two people whoâve been by my side since day one. Love yâall!â In his caption, Thomas made it clear this run was bigger than just personal achievement. âThis run wasnât just for me,â he wrote. âIt was for everyone out there pushing to be better. If I can do it, you can do it. Letâs do it together!â The milestone marks a dramatic and inspiring chapter in Thomasâs recovery. On March 5, 2024 â exactly one year after his accident â he made the life-changing decision to amputate his foot. âThe day I cut off my foot, man, I never looked back,â he told PEOPLE earlier this year. âAnd Iâve been the happiest man ever since.â He called the decision the beginning of his âsecond chance.â âI knew what kind of life I wanted to live,â he said. âI knew my journey wasnât done. I knew that God gave me a second chance and that heâs using me as a vessel to inspire others.â Thomas began rehabilitation with the Adaptive Training Foundation, a Texas-based nonprofit that helps amputees and adaptive athletes rebuild their strength and mobility. âI was going there just for the physicality of moving in my prosthetic and being more agile and stronger and making a comeback,â he said. âBut when I walked through those doors, I walked out a whole different man.â Now, heâs running â and jumping â across finish lines. âProud to represent the limb loss community đŠżđ,â he wrote on Instagram, asking followers which race he should take on next. âI feel like Iâm 10 times better,â he added. âItâs been a blessing, and Iâm moving and grooving. Do I have a lot longer way to go? Yeah, we all do. I expect a lot more out of me. Iâm not resting in the middle. Iâll rest at the end.â

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WWI Amputees Walked Across Canada to Challenge Disability Stigma, Nearly 60 Years Before Terry Fox
A century ago, two young Canadian war veterans set out on crutches from Calgary with a goal as ambitious as it was painful: to walk across the country and prove that losing a limb didnât mean losing purpose. The year was 1923. George Hincks and Marshall McDougall, both recent amputees after serving in the First World War, were patients at a Calgary military hospital when they decided to take on a challenge few thought possible â a multi-month, cross-country trek to fight stigma, long before words like âdisability rightsâ were part of the national vocabulary. They didnât make it all the way to Ottawa. Instead, the pair ended their journey in Thunder Bay, Ont., physically exhausted and battered from the road. But what they accomplished in those grueling weeks â walking 30 kilometers a day, on crutches, through prairie heat and Ontario forests â laid early groundwork for a movement that wouldnât take shape for another two generations. âThey endured just immense amounts of pain and suffering,â said historian Eric Story, who uncovered their story while flipping through an old military magazine. âThey had open red sores under their arms from the chafing of their crutches. Itâs truly unfathomable.â Hincks and McDougallâs effort has largely been forgotten, overshadowed by more recent Canadian icons like Terry Fox, whose 1980 Marathon of Hope became a defining moment in the nationâs collective memory. But Fox himself stopped his run just outside Thunder Bay â the same place where Hincks and McDougall had to call it quits nearly 60 years earlier. âThey were trying to show that they had as much grit â even more grit â than other Canadians,â said Story, a postdoctoral researcher at Western University. Both men were members of the Amputations Association of the Great War, which would later evolve into the War Amps. Their mission wasnât just personal endurance â it was advocacy. As they traveled, they spoke with Canadians about the challenges amputees faced and the need for support, particularly for returning veterans. In post-WWI Canada, the country was shifting from a rural economy to one driven by industrial capitalism. That transition left many disabled veterans sidelined, seen as âinefficient workersâ who couldnât keep pace with the demands of factory life. âThese are the ideas Hincks and McDougall were trying to tackle,â said Story. âThey werenât asking for pity. They were confronting societyâs definition of productivity head-on.â Marshall McDougallâs great-grandniece, Lauren McDougall, only recently discovered her familyâs role in this early activism while researching her genealogy. She said sheâs proud to see their story brought to light after so many years in the shadows. âItâs kind of crazy,â she said. âBut itâs a pretty exciting story.â She described her great-granduncle as someone known for his humor and energy, and believes the journey may have started as a challenge between two friends â but quickly grew into something much more profound. âThey brought awareness to communities about what needed to happen for returning soldiers, especially those with amputations,â she said. The War Amps charity, which today serves all amputees in Canada, sees Hincks and McDougall as early examples of the resilience that defines the amputee community. âThey lived by the motto, âItâs whatâs left that counts,ââ said Merrill Loeppky, a regional representative for the organization in Manitoba. While the modern disability rights movement in Canada is often traced to the mid-20th century, Story argues that Hincks and McDougall deserve recognition as pioneers. âThey changed attitudes at the individual level,â he said. âThey reminded Canadians that the responsibility wasnât just on disabled veterans to fit into society â it was also on society to accept and support them.â Even now, a hundred years later, that message still resonates. âItâs still a conversation that is relevant today,â said Lauren McDougall. âThere are still mindsets and biases in place. And itâs important to remember that people were pushing against them even then.â Their trek may have ended short of Ottawa, but Hincks and McDougall made their point loud and clear: disability is not weakness. And dignity doesnât require two legs â just enough courage to stand, and keep moving forward.