9 Good News Stories: Father’s Day Gratitude; 'Butt,' It Was Funny

ACROSS AMERICA — Matt Detmer is grateful for so many things this Father’s Day weekend.

An unlikely candidate for a heart attack, the 40-year-old Groton, Connecticut, man is grateful he’s here to celebrate. He’s grateful his 14-year-old son, Nathan, had taken a CPR class. He’s grateful that early in the morning on May 1, Nathan had stayed up late to play video games and heard his mother’s scream.

Jennifer Detmer had awoken to a funny noise her husband made and discovered he wasn’t breathing. “‘Matt, wake up,’ I screamed,” she recalled to Patch’s Ellyn Santiago. “The noise he was making sounded like choking. I screamed. Nathan came in.”

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Nathan knew just what to do. He remained composed and did everything just right. Together, Jennifer and Nathan performed CPR — she unsure if she was doing it correctly and he guiding her with every compression. This was no mild cardiac event. The doctors at Yale New Haven Hospital made a very big deal about it. The city of Groton and the state of Connecticut plan to do the same later this month.

Dad, though, made the biggest deal of all.

After surgery, he fully understood how precarious his situation had been and how he owes his life to his wife and son. “I was shocked,” he said. “I’m alive.” » A Patch Exclusive by Ellyn Santiago for Groton Patch

This Dad Is Grateful, Too

In the years and months Charles Upshaw waited for a new heart had a recurring thought: Would he make it to his son’s wedding? The now 67-year-old retired Newark, New Jersey, cop is happy to say that he did. He underwent a heart transplant in February, and 23 days later he was able to see his son get married. With Father’s Day approaching, he is grateful for the chance to have more experiences that looked far off during the months of waiting. “When I look around, I feel so fortunate that the gift of life was donated to me,” Upshaw said. “I urge everyone to consider organ donation because you never know when someone in your family might need a transplant.” (Click the link to see the video.) » By Eric Kiefer for Newark Patch

This. This Right Here.

When 16-year-old Mariano Schwartz sits in front of the piano, he is helping disabled veterans walk again with every note. The musically gifted and accomplished Farmingdale, New York, teen donates every cent he gets in tips to the Bronx Veterans Medical Research ReWalk program. Since Jan. 7, he’s raised $10,000, and he plans to raise even more. “I’m in a good position right now,” he told Patch’s Michael DeSantis. “I’m not poor or in need of any extra cash. I feel instead of hoarding this money to myself … I can give it to someone or some organization that definitely needs every cent they can get.” » A Patch Exclusive by Michael DeSantis for Farmingdale Patch

A Summer Of ’72 Rewind

Jim Keelen can’t believe he has his high school graduation ring back after all these years — 51, to be exact. He didn’t get to wear it long before losing it on the Jersey Shore the summer right after he graduated from Watchung Hills Regional High School in Warren, New Jersey, with the class of 1972. “I figured if it was lost on the beach, it was toast,” he told Patch’s Alexis Tarrazi. “I considered it was gone all these years.” And then, a fellow by the name of Anthony Dimaria-Sadorski caught a glimpse of something shiny on the beach as he was taking sunset photos. “I thought, 'Wow, that's weird, and lo and behold, it was the ring.” » A Patch Exclusive by Alexis Tarrazi for Bridgewater Patch

‘Find The Joy’

Kristin Vollero, the 47-year-old principal at Pond Hill Elementary School in Wallingford, Connecticut, may not have known the full extent of influence she had on the lives of others. After her death from cancer on Christmas Eve, music teacher Tim Kansler put the principal’s own words, “find the joy,” to music (top photo). “This is a message that resonated with the entire staff, and she reminded us of it often,” Kansler told Patch’s Vincent Salzo. “Not only did I want to honor her with a song that she had inspired, but I feel her message is so important that I wanted to create a song that could be shared with many people, and hopefully inspire them to always find the joy in every situation.” (Click the link to hear the song.) » A Patch Exclusive by Vincent Salzo for Wallingford Patch

‘You Can Do This’

The dog tags hanging from the rearview mirror of Katie Regalia’s car weren’t worth much money, which is why she wonders why anyone bothered to break in and steal them. They were issued to her great-uncle, Ambrose Regalia, who was killed in World War II, and she has had them since she was 12. More than a good luck charm, they were a source of motivation. “I had them pretty much for every game, every interview, everything I’d ever been on, and I had them in my car as a reminder to work hard and accomplish the things he wasn’t able to do,” she told Patch’s Michael Wittner. “It gave me that little reminder that he’s with you. He’s been through hard times, too, You can do this. Just keep working.” » A Patch Exclusive by Michael Wittner for Pleasanton Patch

‘It’s Just A Butt’

Alyssa Konkel is holding up just fine after millions of people viewed a video showing her losing her footing — and her pants — on a treadmill. Security video caught the whole thing, and the Streamwood, Illinois, woman willingly shared it on her Instagram account to give viewers a pick-me-up and make them laugh. “I feel like it’s just a funny thing, and it’s just a butt,” Konkel told Patch’s Jeff Arnold. “A lot of people haven’t been famous because of their butt, and so I guess I’m the first.”(Click the link to see the video.) » By Jeff Arnold for Arlington Heights Patch

‘He Makes Us Proud’

Does often leave their newborns in a safe place while they forage for food. Near a swimming pool in St. James, New York, fell short, but a 12-year-old boy and his father happened along just in time to save the fawn when it slipped into the water. Anthony Masaitis is internet famous now after his dad posted an 83-second clip of the rescue. “I am very proud of my son Anthony, not just for his quick response here but for everything he does and who he is,” dad Gregory told Patch’s Michael DeSantis. “He makes us proud every day!” Mom came back her fawn, by the way. (Click the link to see the video.) » A Patch Exclusive by Michael DeSantis for Smithtown Patch

A ‘Swift’ Save

Grace Farrell, like legions of Taylor Swift fans around the country, was looking forward to the big Eras Tour concert. The 17-year-old Frankfort, Illinois, teen had a special dress for the pop star’s final concert at Soldier Field in Chicago. Hours before the concert, her family’s home caught fire. But thanks to the two firefighters who went back inside the home after it had been extinguished,mshe was able to wear the dress. “It felt good to be in the dress,” Farrell told Patch’s Jeff Arnold. “It had extra special meaning behind it.” » By Jeff Arnold for Frankfort Patch

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