7 Good News Stories: How It Feels To Be 107; ‘The Ultimate Do More’

ACROSS AMERICA — Vera Punke offers words to live by:

“If you walk around with a long face, you’ll make everyone unhappy. I always think that you get old by not doing anything. You’ll never get old if you stay busy.”

Her life philosophy was summed up in a proclamation by officials in Arlington County, Virginia, a couple of years ago when she turned 105. The COVID-19 pandemic meant she couldn’t have a big party at the time, and that made the party for her 107th birthday Wednesday all the more special.

“Many times, people ask me how I feel at 107,” Punke said. “Well, I don’t know. How am I supposed to feel?”

We can all hope to feel as Punke does at 107. The key to longevity, said the still spry, high heel-wearing centenarian who has outlived four husbands, is to keep moving forward without wasting time looking back. » By Mark Hand for Arlington (Virginia) Patch

Celebrate This ‘Medical Miracle,’ Too

Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman got together in Newark, New Jersey, the other day to fete another “superhero,” 6-year-old Lannae-Elizabeth Lowe, in a scheme of the sweetest kind organized by officers in the city’s 2nd Precinct (top photo). She’s a “medical miracle,” police said in a Facebook post, a “micro-preemie … so tiny and frail that her 1 pound and 10-ounce body fit easily in her dad’s hand from the tip of his fingers to the base of his palm.” The little girl worked her way into the hearts of police officers after one of them learned of her determined and gritty fight for survival from her dad, who he was assisting on a police matter. » By Eric Kiefer for Newark (New Jersey) Patch

‘The Ultimate Do More’

It was an easy decision for 35-year-old Tinley Park, Illinois, resident Chris Staehlin to give part of his liver to 52-year-old Dan Droszcz, who lives in the same town. Doctors told Droszcz that a living donor was his best chance of prolonging his life after he was diagnosed with stage 4 liver terminal cancer. The father of two, Staehlin told Patch the fact Droszcz is also a dad played heavily as he and his wife, Sarah, talked about what to do. “We really felt like if we were in their position, we would want someone to do it for us,” Sarah said. “So that was a big motivator. We’ll often say to ourselves, we don’t have 'big problems,' we have little annoyances, and we should really do more. This was the ultimate ‘do more.’ ” » By Lauren Traut for Tinley Park (Illinois) Patch

‘Our Ukrainian Doppelgängers’

Liza Burlaka and her 13-year-old twin daughters are settling into life in Somerset County, New Jersey, after fleeing their home in Ukraine 7 miles from the border with Russia. They left their husband and father behind to fight in the ongoing war, and are staying with Justin and Christy Bitner. They have twin sons in the same grade in high school as the Burlaka twins, but that isn’t all they have in common with the family — “our Ukrainian doppelgängers,” Justin Bitner told Patch. The families connected through a federal program that gives Ukrainian citizens a pathway to the United States if an American family agrees to financially sponsor them. » By Michelle Rotuno-Johnson for Bridgewater (New Jersey) Patch

Helping Ukrainian Family A Proud Moment

George Oliphant says helping a Ukrainian family resettle in Montclair, New Jersey, is one of the proudest moments in his career. And that’s something coming from the star of the hit home renovation series “George to the Rescue.” The work will be featured in a special 150th episode of the series later this month. “I’m especially proud of the work we did to help a local family welcome their displaced Ukrainian relatives into their home,” Oliphant said. “We’re always motivated and ready to roll up our sleeves to uplift the lives of those in our community, but this project felt even more significant.” » By Eric Kiefer for Montclair (New Jersey) Patch

Meet Teen Behind COVID Saliva Test

Bellmore, New York, teen Christopher Prainito recognized early last summer that not everyone in the world had equal access to tests to detect the virus that causes COVID-19, so he went to work creating an affordable saliva test. His test, which hasn’t gone to market yet, isn’t intended to replace PCR tests, which remain the “gold standard,” he told Patch. He was recognized with a $25,000 David Institute Fellows Scholarship, which he plans to use at Harvard University, where he plans to mechanical engineering and astrophysics. » By Jerry Barmash for Bellmore (New York) Patch

Not Just Any Gold Medal

The gold medal Philip Snyder of Audubon, New Jersey, picked in the Transplant Games of America in San Diego wasn’t just a trinket to be tucked in a drawer. The 67-year-old liver transplant recipient said getting back into a sport he loves was an important step in getting on with his life and making the most of his second chance. “It was important to me to prove that I could do this, and not only did transplantation save my life, but once again I was a whole and healthy human being,” he told Patch. » By Janel Miller for Gloucester Township (New Jersey) Patch

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Life Through ‘Lens Of Grown Men’

Jalee “JaRich” Ritchwood-Jordan, whose work as a teacher and mentor earned him a guest spot on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” pulled one last good deed out of his sleeve before leaving Newark, New Jersey, for a job in Dallas by putting everything in place for the upcoming “Genesis Explosion,” a live worship and community prayer event to kick off the school year. He’s leaving a big part of himself behind, especially with the Boys to Men program for Black and Brown teens. “This group allowed young men to take off the masks of hiding themselves and the constraints of peer pressure and to see things from the lens of grown men who look like them, but who have also walked in their shoes at some point or the other,” he told Patch. » By Eric Kiefer for Newark (New Jersey) Patch

Quick Thinking Saved A Life

Santa Rosa, California, police Officer Irfaan Jaleel received a special condemnation for his lifesaving efforts the day a 6-year-old girl didn’t surface while playing with her family at her neighborhood swimming pool. Family members were close by and the child was pulled from the water. Jaleel wasn’t assigned the call, but he was in the area, got to the pool in less than a minute and started performing CPR. Police said his “quick thinking” saved the girl’s life. » By Maggie Fusek for Petaluma (California) Patch