Good News
Follow Aylah Graves as she discusses the Good News from around the world.
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Good news
Good news
By Aylah Graves
By Aylah Graves
A new year means new beginnings and new news! 2023 has flown by and now we are starting afresh. There is plenty of negativity and tragedy in local, national and global news. However, there is still an abundance of goodness in the world today. Let’s start the new year off on a good note, with Good News!
Photo Credit: Good News Network
The first piece of Good News comes from a young Boy in England. Isaac Winfield is a 12-year-old boy who started a food bank in a shed to help people in his community during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has helped to create five food banks within sheds. According to Talker News with the Saipan Tribune, “The youngster started his Friend’s of Isaac’s Food Bank group three years ago on Facebook which went viral and now helps hundreds of families every week.” He is now starting a gift bank to provide gifts for children who otherwise would not have access to Christmas presents. They have had many children and families come to receive gifts for the holiday season. According to Andy Corbley with Good News Network, “He went on to open additional food banks in his hometown of Redditch, in Worcestershire after realizing how many people in his community needed a helping hand.” It can be very encouraging to see young people taking a stand to make a difference in their communities.
The Next piece of Good News is the approval of a medicine designed to treat and cure Sickle- Cell Disease. According to the CDC, “The exact number of people living with SCD in the U.S. is unknown… It is estimated that SCD affects approximately 100,000 Americans.” SCD affects and alters the lives of many people. A cure for this would prove to be an amazing discovery for those who live with the disease. According to an FDA News Release, “Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved two milestone treatments, Casgevy and Lyfgenia, representing the first cell-based gene therapies for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD) in patients 12 years and older.” The treatments were approved on Dec. 8, 2023. These treatments are giving hope back to the communities who are impacted by Sickle Cell Disease. According to Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, “These approvals represent an important medical advance with the use of innovative cell-based gene therapies to target potentially devastating diseases and improve public health.” The news of this treatment is incredible. It will cause significant positive impacts all over. While there still are downsides to this treatment such as cost, it is still something that is giving dreams back. In an interview with NPR, Victoria Gray, a woman suffering from SCD says, “Since I received the CRISPR treatment, I've had a new beginning. Most of all, I no longer have to fear dying and leaving my kids behind without a mother...My life is limitless now. I'm full of energy. I don't have pain. It's a real transformation." A new treatment can improve the lives of so many and bring so much back to those who have lost so much. This advancement is very Good News.
Photo Credit: New York Times
Photo Credit: GPHS Leadership
Our last piece of news comes from our very own Grants Pass High School. This school year, GPHS adopted a new Sparrow. A Sparrow is a child who has medical needs, whom communities can help to support through sponsored community service. Many schools choose to help support these children as a way of showing kindness, compassion and because they want to inspire students to give back and help those who need it. GPHS adopted Evelyn Sanger as our Sparrow. She is a five-year-old girl who was diagnosed with Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy (CP) when she was a year-and-a-half old. She relies on devices such as wheelchairs and walkers to move around. Evelyn will be undergoing spinal surgery in June of 2024 in hopes of giving her a release of tension and increased mobility. She is a strong, kind and fun young girl. Through the acts of service that GPHS students partake in throughout the year, they can raise money to help support Evelyn. According to an anonymous GPHS senior, “I am so proud to be able to help support Evelyn. She is so brave and her story gives me hope amidst all of the chaos in the world around me. I am excited to help her in any way I can.” The support from the GPHS body will bring some positive support not only to Evelyn and her family, but to the students and faculty themselves, and the people around them.
2023 was an eventful and turbulent year. There was news all around of negativity and chaos. No matter how thin, there is always a silver lining to be seen in every situation and circumstance. There is still hope and light to be found even in the darkest times. Good News is everywhere!
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