Courage in Action  [new]

Former stunt rider Eddie Kidd has completed the London Marathon - nearly two months after he started the race. Mr Kidd, of Seaford, East Sussex, was left brain damaged after an accident in 1996 when he crashed his bike jumping across a drag strip.

He has been walking up to a mile a day since 17 April using a specially-designed walking frame, in aid of the charity Children with Cancer UK.

He crossed the finishing line on the Mall at 1830 BST.Former boxer Michael Watson presented Kidd with his finisher's medal.

Watson, who was in a coma for 40 days after a fight with Chris Eubank in 1991, said: "I am so inspired by Eddie. He is a true champion." Mr Kidd's wife Sami said she thought it was his greatest achievement.

'It's amazing' She said: "It's incredible what he has done.

"I'm overwhelmed, it's amazing.

"If there's anyone out there that is disabled, or injured or sick, get some inspiration from this and don't give up."

During the 50-day marathon, the ex-stuntman was joined at various stages by film star Ray Winston, comics Bobby Davro and Joe Pasquale, and Madness frontman Suggs

Mr Kidd, who spent months training for the event on Brighton seafront, has so far raised more than £72,000.

[BBC news report]

Flying High

Hello, my name is Jessica Cox.  I am an international keynote speaker.  Unlike most people, I was born without arms.  I live a  normal life using my feet the way other people use their hands.  I   drive with my feet.  I was the first person without arms to get a black-belt in the American Tae Kwon-Do Association and the first pilot in aviation history to fly with her feet.
 
I am convinced that how we react has a greater impact on our lives than our physical constraints
I share in my speeches entertaining stories of struggles and success. I provide unique and personal insight on how best to approach a challenge and attempt to redefine   the concept of possibility.

I desire to help people reconnect with their own inner strength and  aptitude. I hope my story, my accomplishments, and my life experiences will captivate and inspire audiences from all walks of life.

The Whale Said "Thank You"
by Arthur Poletti

If you read the front page story of the SF Chronicle, you would have read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth.

A fisherman spotted her just east of the FarraloneIslands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her a very dangerous proposition. One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer.

They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous moves. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed gently around-she thanked them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.

May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude. David, there are many animals in the world that need to be emancipated. Our cause is necessary and worthy. For the sake of all animals. Arthur, A kindness done in the hour of need may itself be small, but in worth it exceeds the whole world.

http://all-creatures.org/index.html

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