By, Haley K. ’20

NAFTA, sexual misconduct, medicare, Trump Jr., wildfires—the reality of our current news flow is overwhelming, disheartening, and appalling. All too often, acts of kindness, consideration, and understanding are overshadowed by the activity in the capital and international and domestic tensions. “It can be difficult to recognize the brighter moments of 2018 because the news has been so heavily clouded by frightening stories! I think it is necessary to take a minute to acknowledge that the ‘good’ deserves a chance to be celebrated,” says Jane H. ’21.

Here are some of the stories that lifted our spirits in 2018:

8,000,000 – The net worth, in dollars, of Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the Walking Dead star who adopted a donkey and emu.  The two fell in love, stunning examples of “two creatures with different looks, backgrounds and even breeds learning to stand together, protect each other and love,” as stated in a Facebook post by their rescuers.   

266,000 – The number of instagram followers Maya, a cat born in Boston with an extra chromosome, has. Lauren Beader and Harrison Makofsky saved her from death row and wrote Meet Maya Cat.  The children’s book encourages acceptance of physical differences.

20,000 – The dollars donated by Boston-born actor Mark Wahlberg to a mental health treatment organization in Ohio.

900 – The price, in dollars, of Jamie Occhipinti’s medication to aid in her battle against Stage 4 colon cancer. Her insurance company refused to cover the cost, so a pharmacist covered a portion of the cost. Cathy O’Grady, upon hearing the story on the news, paid for the rest of the medication.

89 – The number of cows in a trailer that crashed on a highway in suburban Atlanta. 78 were found safely.

33 – The age of Pete Frates, a former Boston College baseball player and originator of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. He recently opened a park in Beverly created to be accessible to people of all ages and physical and mental capabilities.