“I live with over 1,000 spiders – I help people overcome their fears of creepy crawlies”
Meet the man who lives with over 1,000 tarantulas – and travels up and down the country helping people overcome their fears of creepy crawlies.
Aaron Phoenix, 37, began accumulating them in the summer of 2021 to help with his mental health and believes he was “born to save spiders.”
He keeps the spiders across two locations – his “tarantula cave” in his house and a separate premises used for breeding – and says the biggest is the size of a dinner plate.
After hitting the papers last year for his incredible collection, Aaron has added a further 300 of the arachnids to his spider home.
Thanks to the exposure, Aaron has now travelled the country helping people who may have previously been scared of the animals take an interest in them.
Aaron, a house removals specialist, from Yate, South Glos., said: “It’s easily over 1000 now.
“It sounds like a lot but in the spider-world, it’s not.
“When you’re breeding spiders they can have anything from 20 babies to a few thousand.
“I rescued well over 200 spiders last year – I get messages all the time from people who’ve had large collections who want to downsize or fallen out of love with the hobby.”
Aaron first started collecting when doctors told him a hobby could help his mental health following a bipolar diagnosis.
The inspiration came from a pet tarantula he had as a teen but tragically had to give up.
His collection quickly grew – and now he rescues abandoned arachnids from around the country, as well as working towards being able to sell the animals to other collectors and spider-lovers.
Aaron said helping people overcome their spider fears has been “rewarding.”
He added: “After the last story went out I had so many people message me showing interest in the different colours and species and a lot of people asked me to help them get over their fears.
“So I’ve been travelling around to people more or less all over the country.
“It’s quite a fun one to do.
“A lot of people are fascinated with spiders so helping someone get from the point being petrified to then holding a spider in their hand is amazing.
“9/10 times I’ve got to them to the point where they can hold one.
“It’s so rewarding helping people get over their fears – though the majority of my family are petrified of spiders still!”
Aaron also hosts children’s birthday parties and is focused on getting his breeding facility up and running.
In terms of space needed to store 1,000 spiders, Aaron says he doesn’t need as much as people might think.
He said: “Believe or not they’re mostly just in one room.
“I have my facility that I’m setting up for breeding and I also have a separate room in my house.
“They don’t actually need a lot of space, unlike snakes.
“A lot of the babies/spiderlings are kept in these vial pots when they’re young.
“I believe I was born to save spiders, rescue them and help people get over their fears.
“When it comes to feeding and rehousing I take precautions so that they don’t escape.”
Meet the disabled West End dancer – who performs every night on crutches
A disabled dancer who performs on the West End using her crutches is fed up of trolls saying she “looks silly”.
Sophia Adzoa-Moore, 25, has used crutches full time since 2013, after waking up one morning unable to walk.
She was diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) in July 2024, which causes severe pain in her hips and joints, as well as fatigue and dizziness.
At the age of 18, she nearly quit performing to study backstage theatre production – as she didn’t think she’d be able to dance on crutches.
But she decided to start applying to dance colleges throughout 2020 and 2021 – and after being accepted to the Performance Preparation Academy (PPA) in Guildford, Surrey, Sophia “hasn’t looked back”.
Sophia, a musical theatre performer, from Tower Hamlets, London, said: “I walk into the room and feel the attention on me like: ‘Why is she in this dance class?’ – but I’m good at what I do.
“Yes, sometimes me being different will get me in the room – but that means I’m giving disability representation.
“I do have talent – at the end of the day, I’ve got a musical theatre degree.
“But I’m learning that no matter what gets me in the room, I’m getting to do what I’ve dreamed of doing.”
Sophia began taking dance classes from the age of three – at 10, she got to star in the West End Production of Billy Elliot.
She knew, even from a young age, how much she wanted to grow up to be a professional dancer – and her hope was to attend a performing arts college at 18.
But Sophia says her plans were almost scuppered when at 13, she woke up one day unable to walk – due to severe pain in her left hip.
“I woke up one day when I was 13 and stopped being able to walk,” she said.
“My mum took me to the GP immediately – but it took a while to convince them that my problem wasn’t hormonal or psychological.
“My left hip was painful, it felt really heavy, and I couldn’t do anything.”
After months of back and forth, Sophia’s GP finally referred her for an arthrotomy – a surgical procedure that involves making an incision into the joint to examine or repair it.
She underwent the operation on September 5, 2013, at Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, – and for the first eight to 10 months was able to walk normally again.
But the pain in her joints and hip relapsed, leaving her back on crutches.
For the next six years, Sophia underwent five further arthrotomies and had five more relapses.
“It got to about 19 – I’d missed out on lots of school,” she said.
“I saw a doctor about my hips, who referred me for a periacetabular osteotomy – which realigns the hip socket.
“It didn’t work long-term – and it got to the point where it looks like nothing was working.”
By the time Sophia reached university age, she’d realised she was likely to need crutches for the rest of her life.
She initially enrolled to study backstage production at the Guildford School of Acting (GSA) – giving up on her life-long dream.
But just three weeks in, she dropped out – knowing it wasn’t what she wanted to do.
Sophie said: “I didn’t want to be backstage – I wanted to be on stage.
“The pandemic hit, and I started taking lots of online dance classes – I started to realise: ‘Who’s going to tell me I can’t dance on crutches?’
“I thought I’d give it a go, and started sending audition tapes to these dance universities.
“I got accepted into the PPA, and I just graduated in July 2024.”
Despite getting accepted into her dream dance school, Sophia says she kept having to fight “imposter syndrome” as a disabled dancer.
She felt rejected by others as soon as she walked into a room – and worried people would think she was accepted into the school just because of her disability.
Even now, with multiple West End shows under her belt, Sophia has to say daily affirmations in order to keep her confidence high.
“In October, I performed in an ensemble cast at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane,” Sophia said.
“I had the time of my life – and I was so lucky to be surrounded by such amazing people.
“But I worried I was only there because I was disabled – that’s how I went in and felt.”
In spite of her fears, Sophia says she’s gone on to prove herself wrong and now feels the “sky is the limit”.
Now she’s conquered the West End, the dancer says she’d like to go on to do longer UK tours, movie musicals – and even become a back-up dancer for Beyoncé.
“Trolls tell me I’m only half a dancer – that I look silly,” she said.
“But, I can move really fast on my crutches.
“I feel like the sky is the limit – I’d love to do a movie musical, like ‘Wicked’ – or dance back-up for a huge singer like Beyoncé.
“Or if Broadway wants me, I’ll take that.”
Weightlifter with Down Syndrome set for his first competition
A competitive weightlifter with Down Syndrome says he was inspired by “hero” World’s Strongest Man Tom Stoltman – and is set for this first competition.
Richard Sutherland, from Inverness, Scotland, is currently training for his first ever contest later this summer.
The 50-year-old, who trains with Inverness Olympic Weightlifting Club, will be taking part at the Northern District Championship in June.
Sutherland, who lives at Oak Ridge Residential Home, will be taking part in an adaptive weightlifting competition, which will also be taking place at Inverness Olympic Weightlifting Club’s premises in Merkinch.
Sutherland was inspired to get involved into weightlifting after watching Invergordon athlete Tom Stoltman’s success in the World Strongest Man competition.
Sutherland also had the opportunity to meet Stoltman at Inverness Olympic Weightlifting Club where he had the chance to train alongside him and get some tips on how to improve his strength and conditioning.
He said what Stoltman has achieved during his career was a major reason why he decided to get into weightlifting in the first place. He hopes that he can have as much success in competition as he has had.
Sutherland said: “Tom Stoltman is my hero.
“He came down to the gym to meet me here and also gave me a talk on how to train for competition and I learned a lot.”
He has been encouraged to take part in the competition by his coach Jordan Bowie, who runs Inverness Olympic Weightlifting Club, which he established in 2023.
Bowie, who also takes part in weightlifting competitions as well as running the club, first saw an adaptive weightlifting competition while he was competing at an event in England last year.
After seeing adaptive weightlifting in action for himself, he thought that Sutherland was ready to take part in competition after progressing well in weightlifting since becoming a member at the club.
Bowie said: “When I went down to compete at the British Open in Devon, I also saw that there was an adaptive weightlifting competition taking place at the same time.
“After watching the adaptive weightlifting event, I thought it was a great idea. When I got back to Inverness, I approached Richard about the possibility of him getting involved and taking part in competition.
“He has been really keen to take part and we have been training for it ever since.
“He will now be competing at the Northern District Championships at the club in June and it is the biggest weightlifting competition in the north.
“It is a competition which I think he could do really well in.”
Sutherland says he is taking his preparation seriously for the competition as he trains at least twice a week with the guidance of his coach.
As well as training at Inverness Olympic Weightlifting Club on Tuesday mornings, he also heads with Bowie to Forge Gym on Carsegate Road on Friday as he is continually looking to improve his technique.
During sessions, Sutherland says that he likes to train along with playing music from his favourite musician, Elvis Presley. He also likes to play music from the film soundtrack of Rocky during training and he also does boxing as part of his training regime.
Sutherland says that he has become fitter and stronger since he started weightlifting, which was his original aim when he first decided to take up the sport.
Happy with the progress that he has made since taking up weightlifting, he feels he is ready to make the next step and compete in competition.
Sutherland said: “I feel like I have got into better shape and have become fitter since I decided to take up weightlifting.
“That is why I do it.
“My favourite lift is the deadlift as it involves lifting the weight straight from the floor and includes snatches and clean jerk which I have become good at.”
Bowie says Sutherland’s dedication to weightlifting is showing as his results are improving as he continues to train. His personal best in the deadlift is 130kg and is on target to lift even more this year.
He said: “We started Richard off with strength exercises and then we progressed into deadlifts.
“A deadlift is picking up a weighted bar from the floor and hinging your hips backwards.
“After that we then moved into snatch and clean jerk.
“Since Richard first started, he has come on fantastically well in weightlifting. He is a good listener and is willing to improve his skills and has improved massively as a weightlifter.
“We have been doing lots of weightlifts, including deadlifts and we have moved on to Olympic training in the last month.
“He trains twice a week at Inverness Olympic Weightlifting Club and Forge Gym and we have developed a good training regime for him.”
The Northern District Championship takes place at Inverness Olympic Weightlifting Club in June and it will be the first time that the club is hosting a Scottish Weightlifting competition.
Looking forward to making his debut in competitive weightlifting, Sutherland says that he is looking to make a big impact and come out on top in his category.
He said: “I am looking to get a trophy at the competition.”
“We flew to Cyprus to afford £9k IVF – now we’re expecting triplets”
A couple who are constantly mistaken for mother and son flew to Cyprus so they could afford IVF – and are now expecting triplets.
Lauren Kaye, 31, and her wife, Hannah, 29, knew they wanted to start a family but were shocked after being quoted £21k for fertility treatment in the UK.
Instead they looked at going abroad but had to tie the knot first so Hannah, a specialist engineer, wouldn’t have to adopt her own baby.
The couple planned their wedding in just six weeks and got married in August 2024 before jetting off to Cyprus the following month for treatment – costing £9k.
Lauren had Hannah’s fertilised eggs implanted in her womb and found out she was pregnant three days later.
The pair – who often get mistaken for mother and son due to Hannah’s youthful appearance – were shocked to discover they were expecting triplet girls.
Now they are raising money to put towards items they will need for the triplets – such as clothes and bottles – after Hannah was unexpectedly made redundant.
Lauren, who works in medical tourism, from Kingston, Surrey, said: “I get called a nonce and a paedophile.
“People think Hannah is a 10-year-old boy.
“We get it everywhere we go.
“It does happen a lot – like when we go food shopping.
“People try to talk over Hannah.
“Just because she looks young doesn’t mean she’s not entitled to be loved.”
Lauren and Hannah have been together for two-and-a-half years and wanted to start a family together.
They looked into reciprocal IVF in the UK – which involves taking the eggs from one woman, fertilising them with donor sperm and putting them into the womb of another – but were shocked by the cost.
Lauren said: “We went and got quoted in the UK and with everything it was £21,000.
“It’s ridiculous.”
Lauren works with a health company in Turkey called Prime Health Concept – and managed to work with them to create an IVF package for same sex couples for £9k – including all the treatments and flights.
Lauren – who has two children, aged 10 and nine, from a previous relationship – chose to carry the baby so they could be Hannah’s biological kids.
Lauren said: “That way we could both be involved and she didn’t want to carry.”
But before going abroad, the couple rushed to get married in August 2024.
Lauren said: “Me and Hannah had to be married prior to conception.
“Otherwise Hannah would have had to adopt her own baby.
“We did the wedding in six weeks.”
The couple flew to Northern Cyprus in September 2024 and had their embryo transfer on September 18.
The couple had chosen a donor from the international sperm bank who looked similar to Lauren.
Lauren said: “There was a 75 per cent chance one would stick.
“I got my first positive three days later.”
The couple say twins do run in the family but they were not expecting the news at their six-week scan.
Lauren said: “They could see two and needed to do an internal scan.
“They did the internal scan and could see viable babies.
“Hannah’s face dropped.
“We’re very excited.”
But the couple are now raising money to fund items for their triplet girls after Hannah was unexpectedly made redundant in January 2025.
The pair hope to raise £3k for baby items and for their travel and accommodation when the triplets arrive.
The triplets are due in June but Lauren will have a scheduled c-section at around 34 weeks as it is a high risk pregnancy.
But the couple are fearful they could come even earlier and are saving up as much as they can.
Lauren said: “We’ve had to move back to Hannah’s parents – until we can save for a deposit or for private rent.
“We’ll need four to five bedrooms.”
On top of their financial worries, the pair have to deal with trolls online and in person mistaking Hannah for a young boy.
Lauren said: “We went to Boots last week.
“The lady asked if I had a Boots card and said it would be worth getting one.
“I said she [Hannah] has one.
“She said ‘but your little boy can’t be with you all the time’.
“I said ‘it’s my wife’.”
You can support the couple and their triplets here – https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-kaye-triplets
Chaotic scenes as hundreds of sheep run through village
This incredible video captures the chaotic scenes as more than 200 sheep brought traffic in a small town in the Yorkshire Dales to a standstill.
Wayne Hutchinson recorded the incredible sight of the flock of Swaledale Ewes storming through the narrow streets of Hawes, North Yorks.
The sheep can be seen being herded from their farm to moorland above the village, a common practice during winter months.
They are followed by a farmer on a quad bike and his border collie, who keeps the sheep in line as they pause to chew on grass.
Wayne said: “These ewes are ‘hefted’ to this ground, meaning they know and live on this open moor, on their own particular patch, not held in by fence.
“Many generations of sheep from this flock will have made this journey, with lambs learning the route from their mothers, who learnt it from their mothers, an unbroken modern ‘migration’ pattern for this flock.
“A farmer goes on ahead to warn oncoming traffic, but the sheep know their way to the high wild moorland, where they call home.
“These sheep will stay up on the moors until early spring when they are brought down again for lambing in April.”
A video shared by Wayne on social media has been viewed more than one million times.
One user commented: “There is nothing in the world more satisfying than watching a good sheep dog at work.”
Another said: “I love the ‘ooh look, there’s grass’ moment on the corner and the dog coming in saying ‘oh no you don’t! On you go ladies’. Fabulous.”
A third added: “Brilliant drone footage and brilliant farmer and sheep dog.”
A fourth said: “Is there any more magnificent sight than a farmer and collie in perfect harmony herding sheep?
“Also love the way the sheep stop off at the green for a quick nibble of grass.”
Wayne Hutchinson recorded the incredible sight of the flock of Swaledale Ewes storming through the narrow streets of Hawes, North Yorks.
SWNS
“We booked $70k five-month cruise around the world for our entire family”
Meet parents who have splashed out $70k on a five-month cruise around the world for their entire family.
Mark Baker, 40, and his wife, Tiffany, 39, decided to pull their daughters – Giuletta, 10, Penelope, eight, and Delia, seven – out of school and embark on the adventure of a lifetime.
The cruise ship will call at 52 ports in 21 countries – including South Africa, Madagascar and Argentina – across five different continents.
The pair are homeschooling their children and working remotely while they are onboard the ship – which set off from Marseilles, France, on January 6.
They have been on the cruise for 16 days but have already travelled to Spain, Morocco, and Cape Verde. They are currently in South America visiting Brazil.
Tiffany and Mark have spent a whopping $70k for two bedrooms on the ship – and say the cost includes activities on board, food and drink – and they’ve also given themselves a $10k spending allowance.
Mark says the family are in the “honeymoon period” of the cruise and they are already looking at booking another trip in 2026.
Mark, a real estate investor and remote travel advisor, from Terre Haute, Indiana, US, said: “We are loving it so much already.
“It is four months, you don’t have to clean, do laundry, or do a food shop.
“We have a roof over our head and we are travelling to all these incredible destinations on this beautiful ship.”
“Our family is not on vacation, we have moved onto a cruise ship,” Tiffany, a real estate investor and remote travel advisor, added.
“It’s not like everyone is partying for one week – we are living on a cruise ship for four months.
“It is important, as a family unit, to have this family time for our family – this is not a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
“I hope this is the first of many.”
On December 30, 2024, the family travelled to Marseilles, France, where the cruise set off from on January 6, 2025.
They have been on the cruise for 11 days but have been to Spain, Morocco and Cape Verde and are on their way across the Atlantic.
Tiffany said: “Once we left Spain we realised every country until Cape Town will be new to our family.
“It is so exciting that we get to do this as a family, all together, from this point forward we are exploring together.”
Mark and Tiffany said their daughters are enjoying life on the cruise and as a family, they are focusing on “interest-based learning”.
Mark said: “They are loving it, another cost we don’t have to worry about is childcare.
“There is a kids club on the ship that allows them to connect with other kids on board.
“As we were gearing to pull our daughters out of school, we spoke to a lot of families about their approach.
“They spoke about interest-based learning, finding what our daughters enjoy and leaning into that and supporting them.
“That is what we have been doing.”
While they are on the cruise, Tiffany and Mark have a property manager looking after their property portfolio.
Tiffany says she’s sick of the words “work-life balance” and wants to focus on having a life balance.
She said: “I just want to live life, I want a balanced life – that is my main focus.
“Togetherness is our main goal on the cruise, we play games all the time, we are reading books and spending lots of quality time together.”
The family are on social media at @atimerichfamily
List of destinations that the family are travelling to:
- France
- Spain
- Morocco
- Cape Verde
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Falkland Islands
- Chile
- Pitcairn
- French Polynesia
- Cook Islands
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Maldives
- Seychelles
- Madagascar
- South Africa
- Namibia
- Senegal
- Italy
“I’m a professional snake catcher despite being allergic to venom”
Meet the professional snake catcher – who is allergic to snake venom.
Siouxsie Gillett, 49, was worked with animals all her life – supplying animals to major films including Harry Potter, Ridley Scott’s Exodus, and Esio Trot.
But being bitten countless times by venomous snakes and spat at by spitting cobras over the years has caused her to develop anaphylaxis – a severe allergic reaction which could be fatal if she is bitten again.
It’s so severe that now even if she is near a cobra she finds her throat swell up and her eyes become red and swollen and is left with an irritating cough for a week.
But despite the real danger of death, she still works as a snake catcher rescuing, handling, and educating people about some of the world’s most feared reptiles.
In a bid to stay alive if she is bitten, she carries an EpiPen and ensures she is surrounded by people who are trained to rapidly treat snake bites and know how to give CPR in the event she gets bitten again.
Despite all that, when she is filming she will still handle snakes daily.
Siouxsie, from, Boston, Lincolnshire, said: “I’ve had close calls, I have been been bitten by snakes, I have been spat by at cobras, and have had close calls with Racoons and dogs – I was even bitten by a meerkat.
“It’s easier to say what I haven’t been bitten by than what I have – But I absolutely love my job!
“I’ve had close calls, but it doesn’t put me off. I love educating people about snakes and dispelling the negative myths surrounding them.”
Her fascination with misunderstood animals like snakes began during her time as a zookeeper.
“My work in the film industry even got me on camera, eventually landing me my own show called Snake City on Nat Geo Wild,” she said.
While based in the UK, Siouxsie travels extensively during snake seasons.
Her work has taken her to South Africa, where she’s renowned for removing venomous snakes, including the infamous black mamba.
She’s also spent time in India, another hotspot for dangerous reptiles such as the infamous King Cobra.
Siouxsie said: “I only go to places like South Africa for the snake-catching season,” Siouxsie explains.
“It’s not about the money – it’s about the passion.”
The last time she had exposure to venom was during a spitting cobra capture in South Africa.
The cobra spat at her and Siouxsie found that she could not breathe and her throat began swelling up.
After that incident every time she went near a cobra her symptoms would come on – and has been told by doctors that a bite would be potentially fatal.
Siouxsie said: “I rescued a dog that had been bitten by a snake – the dog was covered in venom – and I could feel my throat closing up.
“When I used to be exposed in the past I had no real symptoms so it’s definitely over exposure.
“I do try to avoid getting bitten – but it is just one of those things you have to think about.”
Aside from snake bites she has been spat at by a spitting cobra several times and has had at least three scorpion stings and several tarantula bites.
“The various bites and attacks have happened so many times I can’t remember the exact number!”
However the thing she fears most is being bitten by a black mamba – which caused an old friend to lose their life in just 80 seconds after he was unable to administer himself with an EpiPen.
“If I were bitten by a black mamba, most people would have about 45 minutes before they see symptoms – for me, it’s much quicker,” she said.
“It’s always at the back of my mind,” she said.
Despite the dangers, she said she has never been deterred from doing what she loves. .
For Siouxsie, working with animals has always been about love and passion rather than financial gain.
“Whether it’s working for zoos, doing film work, or rescuing animals, it’s not about money,” she explains. “Especially when you’re doing rescues – it’s a labor of love,” she said.
When she’s not catching snakes, Siouxsie stays busy with her TV show, film work, and educational outreach.
She says part of her mission is to defend creatures that most people fear or dislike.
Siouxsie said: “I’ve always considered them to be misunderstood – I feel sorry for them.
“There’s no deep psychological reason – I just want to dispel the negative myths people have about these incredible animals.
“My passion is so strong – I don’t think about death.”
“I earn $12k a MONTH – by buying and reselling clothes on eBay and Depop”
A woman makes $12k a month on average by buying and reselling clothes on eBay and Poshmark.
Kelsey Mikula, 27, started buying and reselling clothes in 2020 while she was studying zoology at Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia, US.
She buys clothes from charity shops like Salvation Army, Goodwill and local thrift stores and sells them on sites like eBay, Mercari and Poshmark.
Kelsey will also collect unwanted clothes from people’s homes and sell them at auction on Whatnot.
In March 2023, Kelsey was able to successfully pay off her $80k student loan and now runs her business full-time.
On average, Kelsey sells $15k of clothes a month – but spends $2.8k a month on the items she resells – making $12k a month.
Kelsey, a reseller and content creator, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, said: “It has been crazy how much things have grown since I went full-time.
“Working for myself I have a lot more free time, it is good for my mental health doing something that I really want to do.
“That being said, you need to be productive if you want to see the money coming in.
“Reselling is a performance-based job, if I work my butt off for the whole month my numbers go up.
“I have also streamlined my business in a way that some weeks when I am not working full time I am still earning a full-time income.”
Kelsey started reselling items while she was studying zoology at University to get some extra cash.
After graduating, she would then resell on the side of her full-time job as a unit secretary in a hospital – before taking the plunge and going full-time.
She said: “I didn’t start taking it seriously until 2020 when I finished university and couldn’t get a job in my major.
“I have now surpassed my hospital income.
“I have really taken a dive into content creation which was a hobby for me but is now earning me money.
“My main form of income is still reselling but content creating and teaching people how to resell is bringing in money.”
Since she started reselling, Kelsey has been able to pay off her student debt and buy her dream car, a Ford Explorer.
On average, Kelsey will earn around $12k a month and spend $2.8k a month on items to resell.
Kelsey still gets clothes from places like charity shops and thrift stores and has started collecting people’s unwanted clothes.
She said: “I still source at charity shops and thrift stores, just the other day I found a 36inch poo bear teddy that sold for $160.
“I started doing bulk buyouts where I go into people’s homes and bulk buy the things they don’t want.”
Kelsey primarily sells her items on eBay, Poshmark, Mercari and Whatnot and will host live auctions for her items.
She said: “It is a never-ending circle of people selling, people buying and then people buying to sell.
“I sometimes auction on Whatnot, I will auction off live.
“Whoever gets the last bid or swipe will get the item and I will ship the next day.
“Items can sometimes sell for my starting price of $3 or they can get bid up to $40.
“It’s quite a risk as you don’t know who will be watching and what they are willing to pay.”
KELSEY’S TOP TIPS FOR RESELLING:
1 – Check history of what items have sold for
2 – Find out how fast the items are selling
3 – Don’t go straight to the thrift store, start off with your own items.
19-year-old diagnosed with two rare blood disorders is fighting for her life
A 19-year-old woman diagnosed with two blood disorders is fighting for her life — and a lack of funds could result in death.
Briana Pires, from Spokane, Washington — who recently pulled out of college due to her illness — was diagnosed with aplastic anemia and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), two rare blood disorders causing her bone marrow to fail.
“I had headaches, but I didn’t really pay attention to them,” Briana shares of her year of college.
“Then it started getting worse. I noticed bruising all over my body — my face, arms, stomach, and especially my legs.
“Red spots appeared on my arms and legs, and my vision became blurry. Even a simple 10-minute walk to class began taking 40 minutes because I was so tired and lightheaded.”
Despite these signs, it didn’t register to Briana that something was seriously wrong.
She visited the doctor, hoping for headache medication.
Instead, blood tests revealed her blood cell counts were dangerously low.
“My blood count was at a three or four, and they said anything below seven is critical. I was rushed to the hospital for blood and platelet transfusions,” she explained.
After weeks of tests and ruling out conditions like leukemia and internal bleeding, doctors diagnosed Briana with severe aplastic anemia and PNH.
“My bone marrow was only producing 5% of the stem cells my body needs, when a healthy 20-year-old would produce around 80%,” Briana said.
“Even a 90-year-old produces about 30%.”
For an active and healthy teenager, the diagnosis was devastating.
“I’ve been an athlete my entire life, and I’ve always had a healthy lifestyle.
“I tested negative for everything that could’ve caused this — HIV, leukemia, drug use, even chemical exposure.
“There’s no known cause for my condition, which is really frustrating.”
The impact of the disorder extends beyond her physical health.
“I struggled with doing things I loved. I became depressed. Hanging out with friends was hard because I didn’t have the energy. Even talking left me out of breath,” she said.
The road to recovery includes a challenging bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, Briana doesn’t have a full sibling, the ideal donor match.
She’ll undergo a haplo transplant with a half-match donor, which involves more intensive chemotherapy and radiation.
Briana said it’s been “really hard” for her mom, Evvy Berg, 45, a party planner.
“I’m her only biological child, and seeing me go through this has been so painful for her.
“For me, it’s easier to not think about how life-threatening it is because I don’t feel pain.”
Briana, who currently lives with her mom and stepfather, Eric Berg, 60, an engineer, in Spokane, said she feels “really, really tired” all the time.
On top of her medical battle, Briana faces significant financial hurdles.
At just a teenager, she’s unable to afford the mounting medical expenses and uncovered fertility preservation costs.
“I want to have kids one day, but chemo and radiation can affect my fertility,” she said.
“Insurance doesn’t consider fertility preservation a necessity, and organizations that help fund fertility treatments only support cancer patients.
“It’s been so hard trying to raise the money.”
Through it all, Briana holds onto hope. She dreams of one day returning to school and pursuing her goal of becoming a doctor.
“It’s frustrating having my life put on hold, but I’m determined to heal, figure things out financially, and get back to my normal life,” she said.
Her resilience and optimism shine through, even in the face of uncertainty.
“If I hadn’t gone to the doctor when I did, I would’ve died that year,” Briana reflected. “I’m just grateful to still be here and to have a chance to fight for my future.”
“I get all my food from the dumpster – I haven’t been to the supermarket in years”
Meet the woman who has not done a supermarket shop in FOUR YEARS – and gets all of her meals from the dumpster.
Sofie Juel-Anderson, 30, started dumpster diving in October 2020 while living in Sydney, Australia.
She started out by taking just fresh produce from designated bins – but soon realised she could get an entire weekly shop.
Sofie now only buys household items such as toilet roll, dishwashing soap and toothpaste from supermarkets and spent just £80 in 2024.
By sourcing her food from the dumpster, Sofie saves thousands of pounds annually and has used that cash to travel the world.
Sofie, a restaurant manager, from Aarhus, Denmark, said: “I haven’t done a food shop in four years.
“I don’t really have the need to go as I find all of my food in the dumpster.
“In 2024 I spent just £80 in the supermarket, mainly on non-food items like toilet paper and dishwashing soap.
“The money I have saved allows me the freedom to travel. I spent a lot of my money on travelling and visiting friends around the world.”
Sofie never struggled with being able to afford a food shop, but realised that dumpster-diving would be a more cost-effective way of grocery shopping.
She went with a friend to scout some supermarket skips around Sydney and was instantly converted.
Sofie said: “I always knew about the concept of dumpster diving and I was so curious about it.
“I had never done it before so I thought I would check out a dumpster in Sydney and what I found was insane.
“It was filled with food, some of it had expired, but a lot hadn’t – it started from there.
“It was like a treasure hunt for me. I quickly realised that there was so much good food in the dumpsters, and I didn’t need to go shopping anymore.”
Sofie carried on dumpster diving when she moved back to Denmark in 2022 and now only buys non-food items from the supermarket.
She added: “I don’t have to go to the supermarket anymore. I just did my financial accounting for 2024, and I only spent £80 in supermarkets in the whole year.
“I don’t have a schedule for dumpster diving – I either go a few times-a-week or every two weeks. I find so much, my fridge is always full.”
Sofie said the savings she has made by not grocery shopping has given her freedom – she is able to work less – and travel the world visiting her friends.
Over the last for years Sofie has been to Kenya, Argentina, Italy, Spain and Dubai.
Sofie said: “It allows me freedom. I travel a lot and spend my money travelling and visiting my friends around the world.
“It really allows me to have so much freedom and the freedom to work less. I only work three days-a-week. Dumpster diving allows me the freedom to spend more on the things I love.”
Sofie loves dumpster diving so much that she has even got her family – including her parents, siblings, cousins, and grandparents- involved in the action.
She will cook meals for them using the food she has dived, and they now go hunting together when they are on holiday.
Sofie said: “All of my friends and family know I dumpster dive. When they come over they know that I get all my food from the dumpster.
“They know the food is good as I would never serve my guests anything that I would not eat myself.
“I assess all the food before I pick it. When we go on our family holidays, we dumpster dive as a family.
“The food we eat on the holiday is all dumpster dive.
Sofie said her dumpster diving mission has evolved from a treasure hunt to “everyday activism”.
She said: “I want to create awareness about food waste but also about how we view food and how it can still be good even though the date as expired or it has a bump on it.”
