A mother lost both FEET after a life-threatening labour ordeal which left her bleeding heavily and infected with sepsis
Image by: Callie Colwick
A mother lost both her FEET after a life-threatening labour ordeal which left her bleeding heavily and infected with sepsis.
Callie Colwick, 30, suffered from a rare condition called placenta accreta while pregnant with her son Quinn.
The serious complication occurs when the placenta detaches from the uterine wall after delivery and causes severe blood loss.
She tragically lost her newborn son and contracted sepsis which left her fighting for her life as her organs failed.
Doctors had no choice but to amputate both of Callie’s legs, her left thumb and forefinger and remove her uterus as the tissue had ‘died’ due to the loss of blood.
The graphic designer, from McKinney, Texas, said: “My limbs started to die.
“My legs were black and shriveled up, my toes looked like raisins.”
When Callie finally returned home after spending over a year in the ICU, her health insurance refused to cover the $11,000 custom wheelchair she needed to move around freely.
The mother of Kenzi, four, couldn’t push herself around in a standard wheelchair and was forced to wear diapers as she wasn’t able to go to the bathroom alone.
Callie was astounded to receive an Instagram message on December 31 2019 from a kindhearted stranger offering to raise the funds to buy her the special wheelchair.
Amy Bernhard, 32, set up a GoFundMe campaign and within just one day she had raised a staggering $20,980 for Callie’s chair with the extra money going towards installing ramps in her home.
Callie and husband Kevin, 30, a web developer, were delighted to discover that Callie was pregnant with Quinn, their second child, in November 2016.
But when Callie began experiencing heavy bleeding at work when she was 15 weeks pregnant, she went to hospital.
“I’d had light bleeding from day one,” Callie said.
“But what made me go to the doctor was the heavy abdominal bleeding.
“I was passing blood clots.
“I was at work about to go into a meeting and I felt this gush of liquid - my pants were soaked in blood.
“I went straight to hospital and called Kevin.”
Image by: Callie Colwick
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
Image by: Callie Colwick
Doctors told Callie that Quinn could be born at any time and that tragically he would not survive the birth.
“They put me in the pregnancy wing.
“Here we were in this room, surrounded by women giving birth and babies crying and we were told that Quinn had no chance of survival and we were just waiting to give birth to him.
“It was a solemn few weeks.”
Callie lay in the Trandelenberg Position with her feet elevated above her head in a last ditch attempt to help her baby survive.
“I hung like a bat trying to keep him inside through gravity,” she said.
“I was afraid of sneezing or going to the restroom in case my waters broke and he was born.
“It was a terrifying few weeks with nothing to do in the hospital but just wait.”
Doctors induced labour on December 26 2016 and little Quinn was stillborn, weighing just half a pound.
“I was fading in and out of consciousness,” Callie said.
“I wasn’t responsive, my eyes would roll to the back of my head and I was burning up.
“My fever had spiked way too high and they were packing ice onto me.
“They broke my waters and he was born.
“Quinn was too tiny to survive; he went straight to heaven.
“My husband was stuck between mourning the loss of his son and making all these medical decisions.”
During the delivery Callie lost so much blood that a trauma doctor was flown in from Dallas.
“My uterus was hemorrhaging blood.
“Doctors were pumping blood into me as soon as it was flowing out.”
But Callie developed septic shock in her uterus and the infection soon spread leaving doctors no choice but to remove her uterus.
She said: “My world went black.
“That infection overrode my entire body.
“They had to take out my uterus.
“The sepsis shut down my kidneys and my lungs so I was on a breathing machine.”
Two months later, doctors decided that they would have to amputate Callie’s legs below the knee and part of her left hand as the tissue was so damaged due to lack of blood.
“I remember coming to, in extreme pain and confusion.
“My husband had to explain what happened.
“I had everything minus my uterus and my feet.”
Image by: Callie Colwick
Image by: Callie Colwick
Image by: Callie Colwick
Callie spent more than a year in the ICU and finally in March 2018 she was able to return home.
She had been refused prosthetics by her health insurance and struggled to adjust to life as an amputee in a bulky wheelchair that she could not push herself in.
“The wheelchair they sent me home in was a basic chair off of Amazon.
“Kevin had to dress my wounds every day.”
Callie was finally able to stand on her knees for the first time on January 15 2019.
“Until then, Kevin had been picking me up and putting me in my chair.”
In April 2019 she was finally approved for prosthetics and she applied for a custom chair in October.
“My doctor put in the order and they denied my chair.
“It is just insane.
“I don’t have feet and I can’t put my prosthetics on by myself.”
She shared her frustration on Instagram where Amy, a business coach, from Lafayette, Louisiana, came across her story.
“I glanced at Callie’s page and as I watched her videos, I had tears come down my face,” Amy said.
“I had trouble sleeping because I could not stop thinking about what this woman had gone through.”
She reached out to Callie and offered to start a GoFundMe campaign for her chair, but Callie at first turned down the offer.
Callie explained: “I messaged her back and said: ‘No thanks’.
“I was still hoping that my insurance would approve it.
“But she just kept messaging me and then when my request was declined again for the chair, I agreed.
“I said: ‘Yes, do what you think is best’.”
The next morning Amy launched the fundraising campaign and Callie was amazed to see how quickly people donated.
“It was shared like wild fire,” she said.
“This generous gift from a complete stranger gives me the ability to make my home completely accessible.
“It’s a lightweight custom built chair so I can pick it up by myself.
“I can actually wheel myself around in it.
“Imagine being trapped in a chair - for me, this chair is the difference between a chair that has wheels and one that doesn’t.”
The two women met in person for the first time on January 24 when Amy flew to Dallas for work.
They bonded over a sushi dinner where Callie told Amy just how big a difference the baby pink chair had made to her life.
“She shared with me what that wheelchair would actually do for her,” Amy said.
“She told me that it was the first time in three years that she was able to go to the bathroom herself.”
Callie added: “I felt like I had known Amy my whole life.”
Despite all her health struggles, Callie says she is keen to make the most of her life.
She said: “My hope is to help and inspire others.
“I was 27 when this happened - no one expects a 27-year-old mom to die.
“I truly feel like I am living on borrowed time now.”
Video by: Callie Colwick
HEARTBREAKING DANCE - Dad has shared a heartbreaking video showing the final dance he shared with his four-year-old girl before she suddenly passed away
Image by: John Newton
A grieving dad has shared a heartbreaking video showing the final dance he shared with his four-year-old daughter before she suddenly passed away last week.
Doting John Newton, 39, can be seen dancing around the room with his poorly daughter, Charlotte Grace, laughing and smiling in his arms.
The emotional footage was captured before Charlotte, who suffered from several medical issues, died on Wednesday evening (April 22).
John, from Barnsley, South Yorks., said despite the problems Charlotte faced, she never let them hold her back and always lived life to the fullest.
The video, John added, shows his daughter as he would like her to be remembered and taken a few months before she died.
He said: "She was such a happy little girl who woke up each day with a love for life, a beautiful little girl who brought joy into the lives of everyone she encountered in life.
"The video of us dancing shows what an amazing girl she was, always smiling."
Charlotte battled numerous health issues from birth, including stage five kidney disease, liver disease, a rare genetic disorder and heart problems.
Last Wednesday she was at home with her family, including mum Rachel, 37, and sister Emily, seven, when her condition drastically deteriorated and she suddenly died from complications relating to her various illnesses.
John said only five minutes before Charlotte she fell ill and was rushed to hospital she was speaking to her grandparents on FaceTime.
Image by: John Newton
Image by: John Newton
Image by: John Newton
At the time of her death the four-year-old girl, who loved Disney films and Spiderman, was on the transplant list for a combined liver and kidney transplant.
The potentially life-changing operation would have taken place at Birmingham Children's Hospital.
John said: "The sudden loss of our baby girl has been devastating and heartbreaking for us and has left us in complete bits.
"We knew from the time Charlotte was born that every minute with her would be precious, we tried to remain positive and look to the future.
"We had always hoped that she would be one of those miracle cases, who lives a long and happy life but it wasn't to be."
John, who is training to be a teacher, said he broke the news to his other daughter Emily, who is autistic and deaf, this week.
He added: "We told her Charlotte isn't hurting anymore and that she is a star up in the sky.
"The two of them had such a wonderful bond so we will have to see how Emily is affected."
John said he shared the dancing video to show the world what kind of girl Charlotte was.
He added: "We would like everyone to know how beautiful and loved she was."
A fundraising page has been set up in memory of Charlotte, to help support the Newton family through the tragedy.
Donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/charlottes-go-fund-me
Video by: John Newton
WHAT THE DUCK? Family awake to find their cat has dragged a live DUCK through the catflap
Image by: Marcus Elliott-Square
This video captures the moment a family awoke to discover their cat had dragged a live DUCK onto the landing - and had to shoo the startled animal out the window.
Two-year-old Slippers managed to pull the bird through the cat flap of the family home in Carshalton, South London, and drag it up the stairs.
Dad Marcus Elliot-Square, 47, was downstairs getting ready for work at 6.30am when his startled wife Claire phoned him from the landing.
At first it appears the duck is dead - but it suddenly bursts into life and flaps into the bedroom as Claire shrieks in panic.
Marcus, an operations director, then calmly opens the window and the lucky duck hops out to freedom.
Image by: Marcus Elliott-Square
Image by: Marcus Elliott-Square
Image by: Marcus Elliott-Square
He said: "I was downstairs early doors getting ready for another work day whilst in isolation.
"I received a phone call from my wife who was upstairs saying that she thought our cat Slippers had caught a duck.
"Now, Slippers has got previous for pigeon rustling and catches on average a mouse every two days.
"So, in light of this I picked up my phone thinking that if this was indeed the case, I needed evidence.
"I still thought it was a wind up as I started up the stairs. The rest is history."
Marcus' daughters Charlotte, 12, and Georgina, 10, were in their beds at the time and were woken by the drama.
He hopes the video - shot on Thursday March 26 - will bring some light relief during the coronavirus crisis.
Marcus added: "I'd like to donate some of the proceeds (after slippers has been treated to something more appropriate) to charity to support the Emergency Workers who are doing so much for us and need a bit of cheering up."
Video by: Marcus Elliott-Square
Meet the mum who became so fed-up with her messy teens she forced them to sign a 'cleaning contract' and fines them £5 for every rule broken
Image by: Tony Kershaw SWNS
Meet the mum who became so fed-up with her messy teens she forced them to sign a 'cleaning contract' - and fines them £5 for every rule broken.
Frustrated Katrina Neathey, 36, fines her kids for failing to make their bed, drinking fizzy drinks in their room or leaving litter on their bedroom floor.
She had spent the last two decades cleaning up after her kids - and is a cleaner by trade.
But the mum-of-three got to the end of her tether when she found mud on her new £1,200 carpet, within a few weeks of a complete upstairs refurb.
She called kids Hayden, 19, Joshua, 18, and Olivia, 13, to the dining table and presented them with tailor made ten-point contacts to sign.
The eldest pair agreed they will get fined £5 per rule break - while Olivia has her phone taken away for a day per infringement.
The mum from Horsham, West Sussex, said her "harsh but fair" parenting has whipped the kids into shape - and she has only pocketed £20.
Katrina, who runs a cleaning business with her twin sister Natalie, said: "My kids are all teenagers so in my eyes they are all capable of keeping to simple rules.
"I tried to set up some basic ground rules after we did up the bedrooms but after a few days they were falling back into old habits.
"They'd hide dirty clothes or plates at the back of their wardrobe when I told them to tidy up. It's as if they forget I'm a cleaner. I know exactly where to find things.
"I know the boys are only on apprenticeships and don't earn that much so they'll notice when £5 has gone out their pocket.
"We had a talk during the family meeting and I knew something needed to be done.
"When I first mentioned it to them they just thought it was hilarious.
"But I thought the only way they will listen is if I fine the older boys with money as they work and for Olivia to lose her phone."
Katrina and husband Gareth, 41, carpenter, completed a massive £4,000 refurb on their 4 bed semi-detached home in Horsham.
All the bedrooms were redecorated and got new furniture, and Katrina told the kids it was time to step up and clean up their act.
But she said within a few days they fell into old habits, so she introduced the new rules at the start of the year.
The were given contracts demanding they put all plates in the dishwasher, only drink water in their bedrooms and put dirty washing in the laundry basket.
She said she has looked after them all their lives and it is time for them to give back.
"It might sound heavy but I just think it's time they learn the hard way," said Katrina, who runs Instagram page with her twin sister Twinklecleaningduo.
"When they started school they were really good because I encouraged them to put all their toys away in their rooms.
"They never ate upstairs because I was controlling that as the adult.
"It was when I started the business and begun working longer hours that things started to creep in.
"They started getting into football and dance so all of us were rushing in and out of the door.
"As they grew older and technology and phones came into play, they would just prioritising chatting to their mates than helping out with the housework.
"Plus I started doing it for them.
"Countless time I've told them I wasn't their slave but that was always short lived and they would hide things instead.
Image by: Tony Kershaw SWNS
Image by: Tony Kershaw SWNS
Image by: Tony Kershaw SWNS
Image by: Tony Kershaw SWNS
"The worst was when I found a used chopping board in the wardrobe.
"I've also found other things like forks, bowls and milk bottles left to go off, all tucked away somewhere in the hope I wouldn't find it.
"Pizza boxes were great as they kindly left the crumbs for me to follow them.
"To be honest the only one benefiting from their hidden gem was the dog."
She said Josh, a carpenter apprentice, has had three fines so far - all in one day for two food wrappers hidden in a shoebox and down the side of his bed, and clothes thrown into his wardrobe.
"Olivia has only lost her phone once after I found a wrapper in her room," she added.
"She still got to take it to school for safety reasons so I just banned it for two evenings in a row."
Hayden, plumber apprentice, got a fine for not making his bed.
"Again I think he was testing his luck because I was going to London for the day which means I'm usually back really late but on this occasion I actually got home before him!" she said.
"Gareth and I work hard to give them the best we can be as parents and sometimes it can become easy for them to take advantage of our generosity.
"Part of growing up is learning to respect property and those you look after you. And I think the contract will help do that.
"I've spent years cleaning up after them.
"Since I've introduced them it's been great.
"I'm really pleased with how it's going and it's making my life so much easier.
"I don't have to nag either which is great for everyone.
"I'm not looking for perfect bed making and things like that.
"It's just knowing that they are trying and for me to see evidence that they have respect for their rooms, new furniture and me."
Olivia's contract
- No make-up in bedroom
- No eating in bedroom
- No juice or fizzy drink in bedroom - only water
- Make bed everyday
- All clothes must be hung up or put away
- Put dirty washing in wash basket
- Keep room tidy
- Put your washing up from downstairs in the dishwasher (empty if full)
- Put shoes/trainers away
- Put bag away
Failure to follow this contract will result in your phone being taken away...for days!
Josh and Hayden 's contract (two separate but identical)
- No eating in bedroom
- No juice or fizzy drink in bedroom - only water
- Make bed
- All clothes must be hung up or put away
- Put dirty washing in wash basket
- Keep room tidy
- Put your washing up from downstairs in the dishwasher (empty if full)
- Put shows/trainers away
- Put bag away
Katrina and Natalie's business can be followed on Instagram at @twinklecleaningduo.
Video by: Ashley Moran
Mum who gave birth to world’s tiniest twins reveals that one of her sons has died
Image by: Tom Wren SWNS
A mum who gave birth to the world’s tiniest twins has revealed that one of her "miracle" sons has died.
Talia Keates, 33, gave birth to twin brothers Ashley and Joe on April 16th, 2019 - with the little boys weighing in at just 403g and 429g respectively.
Aready a mum-of-four, Talia went into labour 17 weeks early before welcoming the twins, who were so premature their eyes were still fused shut.
Talia and husband Oliver, 35, were warned the babies were so small they might not survive.
But the pair seemed to have beaten the odds when they returned to their home in Trowbridge, Wilts., at four-and-a-half months.
Tragically, Ashley was diagnosed with incurable pulmonary hypertension in November 2019, as a result of chronic lung disease that both twins suffered due to their prematurity.
Little Ashley passed away in January, aged just nine months, in the arms of his devastated mum.
Talia, a nurse, said: “It just doesn’t seem fair.
"They’d already been through so much and beaten the odds as a pair.
“At the time Ashley passed away, Joe woke up screaming in his cot at home. It breaks my heart they won’t get to grow up side by side.”
Image by: Tom Wren SWNS
Image by: Talia Keates
Talia and Oliver, a business owner, found out they were having twins in November 2018.
They ‘already had their hands full’ with four kids at home - Imogen, eight, Jacob, seven, Theo, six, and Sebastian, aged three - but were so excited to expand their happy family.
When they discovered they were twin boys at a later scan, they decided to name them Joe and Ashley, and set about buying matching baby grows for the pair.
But Talia began to bleed heavily at 17 weeks and was rushed to Royal United Hospital in Bath, Somerset.
Doctors couldn’t work out what was wrong so sent her home - but just three weeks later Talia’s waters broke in one of the amniotic sacs which contained Joe.
Although a termination was suggested, Talia held on until 23 weeks, when she finally went into labour and was warned that Joe, the larger of the two twins, would not survive.
Despite the odds, Joe and Ashley were delivered safely on April 16th 2019, at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, weighing just 403g and 429g respectively - each less than an iPad.
Both were rushed into critical care where they remained for a few months - and Talia couldn't even touch her newborns until they were five-weeks-old.
Talia said: "They were taken straight to the neonatal unit.
"It was awful, you never know if you are going to get a call to say they haven’t made it - if they are going to survive.
“Their skin was so fragile that our touch could have broken in - and their little eyes were fused shut as they were so underdeveloped.”
The babies spent 129 days in the unit, battling sepsis and various other complications, before being transferred to Royal United Hospital Bath, and then finally being allowed home in August 2019 when they were four-and-a-half months old.
The pair remained on oxygen as both been diagnosed with chronic lung disease due to their prematurity and under-developed organs.
But doctors assured that as the twins got bigger, their lungs would grow and they should beat the disease.
Image by: Talia Keates
Image by: Talia Keates
Talia added: “Joe was such a placid little baby, while Ashley had more of a temper.
“But the pair of them were like two peas in a pod, and it was magical to watch them and have them home.”
The family thought they were ‘out of the woods’ and on the way to a full recovery - but unfortunately that was not quite the case.
Talia and Oliver began to worry about Ashley, as he wasn’t putting on as much weight as Joe, and had always needed more oxygen than his brother.
They took him to Bristol Children’s Hospital in November 2019, and were given the devastating news that Ashley had pulmonary hypertension - a serious condition that can damage the heart and lead to heart failure.
It had been caused by the chronic lung disease the twins had had since birth, and the family were told it was incurable.
Just a short while later, Ashley was ventilated, until January 16th when doctors took the parents aside and told them that their little boy wasn't going to make it.
His lungs were too weak and they were told he would never breathe on his own.
That night, a nurse switched off the ventilator and placed Ashley in Talia’s arms.
“Oliver and I sobbed uncontrollably as we told Ashley how much we loved him,” Talia said.
“We cuddled him for 40 minutes, before our tiny boy passed away in my arms. He was only nine months old, and I will never get over the heartbreak.”
Talia’s mum, Linzey, 56, had stayed with their other children that night, and said that Joe had ‘felt it’ when Ashley passed away.
Talia added: “Mum told us that at the exact time Ashley left us, Joe had woken up in his cot, screaming. He knew his brother was gone.”
The family held Ashley's funeral on February 14th at their local church and carried him in a little white coffin draped in white flowers.
“The pain of losing him is with me every day, but I'm glad Ashley is no longer suffering,” Talia said.
“It feels so cruel - most of his life he was traumatised by invasive procedures, and for what?
“It’s horrible to say, but sometimes I wonder if it would have been better for him to have died at birth or for us to have gone ahead with the termination - but then we would have lost Joe too.
“You can’t let those decisions get you down though - we made them all for the right reasons.”
Joe is now one and weighs 11lb and is finally big enough to fit into the babygrow that Talia bought before he was born.
Talia keeps Ashley's outfit safely in a memory box given to her by a friend, which the family are filling with keepsakes for Joe to open when he turns 18 in memory of his lost twin.
“I know he misses his twin - we all do,” said Talia.
“They both fought so hard, and I will always be proud of that. Ashley may have lost his battle, but he will always be in our hearts.”
The world's oldest man is spending his 112th birthday alone after celebrations were cancelled due to Covid-19
Image by: Simon Galloway
The world’s oldest man is celebrating his 112th birthday today (29) - but he'll be doing it alone thanks to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Bob Weighton’s birthday is always a joyous occasion as pupils from a local school come to sing him songs and the mayor even pays him a visit at his care home.
But celebrations were cancelled this year after the rapid spread of coronavirus put the entire country on lockdown.
The great-grandfather-of-25 became the oldest man in the world last month after the death of the previous record holder, Chitetsu Watanabe from Japan.
Retired lecturer Bob, from Alton, Hampshire, said: “There are no birthday celebrations, they have all been cancelled. I’m in isolation.
“I love meeting new people so that hasn’t been ideal, but I’m not too bothered about the birthday itself.”
Bob was 10 when the Spanish Flu swept around the world in 1918, killing between 50 and 100 million people.
But despite having a “very good memory”, he only remembers the pandemic through history books he read later in life.
He worked as an English teacher but spent most his life as a lecturer in marine engineering.
He previously said he was worried about the the coronavirus outbreak and has been taking extra care of his cleanliness and washes his hands more frequently.
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
Bob’s grandson Magnus, 48, said he’s not worried about Bob’s health but that he would get bored in isolation as he’s a “very sociable person”.
The retail specialist bought Bob an iPad so that he can still stay in touch with the family through Facetime in these testing times.
The dad-of-two said: “Originally Brendoncare wanted to organise a birthday party like they do for him every year.
“Children from the local school come and sing songs for him and it’s just a wonderful and joyous occasion.
“But now there are no plans for any kind of celebration, we’ll be ringing him throughout the day but that’s it.
“He’s in isolation but he’s doing alright.
“I’m not too worried about Bob, even during these times, because he’s healthy, he’s not had visitors and he’s a resilient man.
“He’s a very sociable person, which I think is the most difficult part for him, because he loves being around people and having a chat.
“But the care home also does a phenomenal job as well making him feel comfortable.”
He added: “I got him an iPad so we can all Facetime him and he can stay in touch with the family.
“But I haven’t gotten him a birthday present because you can’t get a man like him a gift. He’s seen it all.
“But he’s also very ecologically conscious so he doesn’t want anything he doesn’t need.”
Bob was born in Hull on March 29 1908, the same day as the UK’s oldest woman, Joan Hocquard.
He is a father-of-three and has 10 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.
Hilarious video shows moment show-off teen tries to do 'parkour' front flip off bench - but falls flat on his face
Image by: Jordan Mackay
This is the hilarious moment a show-off teen tries to do a 'parkour' front flip off a bench - but ends up flat on his face as the bench COLLAPSES underneath him.
Jordan Mackay, can be seen leaping onto the park bench with a determined look on his face, as he stretches up his arms to launch into a flip.
But instead, the teen got an unexpected shock - when the square bench gave way beneath him, sending him sprawling onto the grass.
Two friends stood by and filmed the cringeworthy moment that wooden planks from the bench went flying into the air, before sailing down onto Jordan and hitting him in the face.
But Jordan, 19, from High Wycombe, Bucks., said that ultimately, he and his friends were left laughing about the incident, and he got straight back on his feet and ran off.
Jordan said: "When the bench gave way we were all shocked but ultimately just laughed at the whole thing.
"The fall itself didn't hurt - the board which flew up did hit me in the face, but no serious injuries sustained from that, just a scratch.
"I used to do a lot of stuff like that because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger - but I don't do it so much anymore."
Video by: Gabriella Petty
Abandoned wonky-faced dog finally finds forever-home - and he's called PICASSO
Image by: Liesl Wilhardt
A forever home has finally been found for this wonky-faced dog - called PICASSO.
Picasso is pit-bull, chihuahua and pomperianian mix and was born with "wry mouth" - an upper jaw deformity.
His unconventional look gave him the name Picasso because he looks like one of the artist's famous abstract portraits.
Picasso's condition has disfigured his face with his nose pushed to the right and his overbite pushed to the left - but he can still eat, bark and play like any other pooch.
He was abandoned two days before Christmas 2016 with brother Pablo - who did not suffer from the defect - by dog shelter owner Liesl Wilhardt, 51, a few months later.
Despite only intending to foster the two pups for a few months, Pablo died suddenly of a brain aneurysm in October 2017.
Devastated by the loss of his brother Picasso, 3, now lives with eight other rescue dogs, two cats and a rescue pig named Pax.
Image by: Liesl Wilhardt
Image by: Liesl Wilhardt
Image by: Liesl Wilhardt
Owner Liesl Wilhardt who runs Luvable Dog Rescue in Oregon, USA, said: "People feel sorry for him at first because they think he was hurt.
"But he was born that way. He is perfectly imperfect.
"Once they know he isn't in any pain and nothing horrible happened to him, they relax and his appearance makes him laugh.
"He was actually almost killed as a puppy because he ate some plastic and it caused a blockage in his system.
"Nobody knows why some animals are born with this condition. Something just happens when they are developing in the womb.
"He is not in any pain, and does not need corrective surgery. He can still do all the things other dogs can do.
"He can do everything a normal dog does, but he is a bit of a messy eater.
But he can only lick to his left.
"He knows tricks and commands. He can play dead, wave, walk backwards in circles, jump through hoops. You know it, he can do it.
"He often does it with Pax the pig too.I fell in love with his face right away. We are the best of friends.
"His jaw line is fine and he can open his mouth normally as you can see with his amazing yawns."
To keep up to date with Picasso's escapades follow him at @picassothewonkyandwacku on Instagram
Video by: Liesl Wilhardt
Ex-marine climbs equivalent of highest mountain in the SOLAR SYSTEM for NHS
Image by: Simon Galloway
A former Royal Marine has climbed the equivalent of the highest mountain in the SOLAR SYSTEM to raise cash for the NHS.
Matthew Disney, 35, walked the height of a 74,000ft space summit called Rheasilvia - which is nearly three times higher than Mount Everest.
He took a staggering 147,000 steps as he went up and down a makeshift 3ft tall stone staircase he built in his girlfriend's front garden.
The crazy challenge is the latest one for Matthew, who hit the headlines last year by climbing Western Europe's highest mountain Mont Blanc with a rowing machine on his back.
The former Corporal from Blackpool, Lancs., said: "I love doing challenges to raise money for good causes and at a time like this there is no better one than the NHS.
"The work they are doing is incredible and as we find ourselves in these strange times I hope the money I raise can help get them some of the equipment they need."
Matthew, who served with the Royal Marines between 2006 and 2015, came up with the idea to do fundraising challenge last week as he endured the nationwide lockdown.
He said: "I thought I should do something fun and a bit different and then remembered reading about this big mountain in space called Rheasilvia."
The adventurer then set about creating a 'mini mountain' with five steps on each side, which he built in his girlfriend's garden using and turf and concrete slabs.
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
Matthew travelled 74,000ft, or 14 miles, vertically, however, the overall distance he walked is more than three times that, as he had to travel 9ft horizontally for every three feet of elevation.
Banners adorned with the letters 'NHS' and words 'stay at home' hung behind Matthew as he climbed to show the cause he was raising money for.
So far he has raised a whopping £12,000.
Speaking last night (Sat), after completing the epic challenge, Matthew said: "I am so happy with how much we have raised while also inspiring so many people, but at the same time very pleased to have achieved what I set out to do.
"I am going to sleep downstairs now for the next 24 hours as I now begrudge climbing the stairs to the bathroom."
For the past week Matthew has spent around 16 hours day going up and down the 'mini mountain', wearing full climbing gear every step of the way.
He said: "I think I have good mental strength and fortitude from my time with the Royal Marines, which serves me well when I'm doing something like this."
Matthew has been fundraising through challenges since leaving the forces in 2015.
Donate here: https://justgiving.com/fundraising/disneyrm-nhs
Almost an entire family have come down with coronavirus after it is believed 17 members caught the illness at a funeral.
Image by: Simon Galloway
Almost an entire family have come down with coronavirus after it is believed 17 members caught the illness at a funeral.
Sheila Brooks, 86, passed away last month and nearly all her extended family attended the service two weeks ago.
But within days her niece Susan Nelson, 65, who had no underlying health conditions, became ill, and died of suspected Covid 19.
Now 16 further family members all suspect they have the virus after catching it at the funeral - including Susan's husband, daughter, a niece and a great-uncle.
Retired sandwich shop owner Susan, from Halesowen, West Mids., even died on the same hospital ward as her aunt Shiela.
Susan's daughter Amanda, 34, is just one of a suspected 17 family members who are showing symptoms of Covid-19 after going to the funeral in Yardley Wood.
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
The NHS business support manager, currently isolating at home with her father, Robert, also suffers from Addison’s Disease.
Amanda, from Halesowen said: “It was my [great] aunt’s funeral so a lot of the wider family were there.
“She died back in February, but we have just had so many people contract the virus that I can only think it was from then.
“We now have someone else in our family in hospital that's probably not going to survive it.
“My 21-year-old cousin has it, right the way up to a great uncle that is 88 and is showing some symptoms.
“Its a whole section of us, none of us seems to have been missed out of it just yet. It's a bit strange.
“I would say around 17 family members have been displaying symptoms since going to that funeral. It’s hit young and old in our family.
“Our beautiful, caring mum was the centre of the family - we are a very close, large family and this has destroyed us.”
Sheila Brooks, was 86 when she passed away on February 9, with the majority of the extended family attending the service on March 13.
Susan got notably worse the following week, with the family forced into calling an ambulance.
She died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham with her husband Robert, 67, at her side.
Her son Carl, 42, who now lives in Cleckheaton, Yorks., said: “She was coughing a lot, very breathless and showing all the traditional symptoms.
“She was admitted to hospital on Monday (23/03) and I spoke to the hospital staff the following day.
“They said the next 48 hours were critical before they called me back a few hours later to say it was very close to the end and one member of the family could be with her.
“Because I had none of the symptoms, I couldn’t go and my sister was too unwell battling the illness herself.
“People can end up dying on their own. Fortunately, my dad Robert was able to go and be with her when she died.
“She started showing serious symptoms on Thursday and being dead the early hours of the Tuesday morning shows how quickly this can escalate.
“I managed to speak to her on the phone when my dad got there and all she wanted was for me to come down.
“I had my suitcase packed ready to head down, but the hospital were telling me I wasn't allowed.
“I had to tell her they wouldn't let me and I weren’t allowed to see her. I didn't want her to die thinking that I didn't want to come.
“We have got to beat it and we can't have any other families to go through what we are going through at the moment.
“It’s about getting the message out. It's about seeing the faces of loved ones and thinking this is real.”
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
The family are unable to make funeral arrangements due to the government clampdown on mass gatherings.
Carl, one of the only members of the family without symptoms, said: “We have been told it may have to be limited to six people, but that could change.
“It's the practical things as well. All of my family are isolated, so I may have to drive down to pick up the relevant forms from the hospital to register her death.
“While I am doing all that, I won't be able to see my family, I will just have to drive back up north.
“It's not good and it's not right. I don't blame anyone, I totally understand the reasons why it has to be this way.”
Amanda and dad Robert, a retired electrical engineer, is still battling the killer bug but are “showing improvement”.
She said: “I still can't quite shake it off though. It's very up and down. For me, I feel okay in the mornings but by the afternoon you feel like it's come back again.
“The cough is still lingering and other symptoms, but hopefully we can keep improving. Fortunately, my dad seems to be getting better but my mum obviously didn't make it.
“The last person I thought it would take would be my mum. I was worried about my dad, who has underlying health conditions.”
The family are adamant that the wider public should follow the social distancing guidelines and to not do so is “madness”
“The speed it acts at is phenomenal and how vicious it is can't be underestimated,” her son Carl said “don’t be stupid and don’t risk it.
“Everyone, please follow the advice. Stay home, stay safe. Anyone who thinks they are fit and healthy, that it's just like the cold or flu, don’t risk it.”
In recognition NHS workers who tried to save their mum, the family have set up a Just Giving page with proceeds going to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity.
Carl explained: “In the conditions, they are working under, it's phenomenal. My dad described it as a living hell.
“What they are facing on a day to day basis, no one truly understands or appreciates what they put into their job.
“If we can all just do something little that goes to them, that they can benefit from and just to say thank you, it would be great. My family are all grateful for the work they did.
“They couldn't save mum but they gave everything to do so and made her comfortable in the end.
“Even the follow-up conversations that I have had, despite how much pressure they are under, the doctor took the time to call me back and explain things to me.
“I couldn't ask for anymore. The fundraising page has exceeded our expectations already. The generosity of people has been staggering, even in these tough times.”
Amanda also echoed this, adding: “The ward that my mum died on was the same one that my aunt died on and the nursing staff instantly recognised my mum.
“I spoke to one of the nurses on the ward and it felt like her heart was broken. She was really, really upset.
“I just can't imagine what they were feeling as well, it will have been awful for them too.
“Mum would always see the best in people and take people under her wing. She became a second mother to my cousin Wayne.
“She was the centre of everything. All that went on in the family was communicated through my mum.
“She would pull everyone together, loved having a house full and seeing everyone. She was always laughing and joking. She will be sorely missed.”
You can donate to the charity here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stay-safe
