Who's your hero?

Tonight I sat with my missus and watched “Pride of Britain” awards on ITV. If you haven’t  heard of it, it’s a UK star-studded ceremony which happens once a year, attended by everyone from Prince Charles, to Cheryl Cole, to Simon Cowell, to David Cameron, and everyone who’s anyone in the world of British entertainment, politics, sport, and public life in general.

But these “stars” absolutely fade into insignificance in comparison with the people who are there to accept the “Pride of Britain” awards. People such as . . .

- Aimee Dempsey who was badly burned when she saved 7 children from a fire (she’s only 12 years old!)

- An off-duty policeman who rescued over 50 people from a burning bus on the edge of a motorway

- A boy who’s been in hospital 900 times, but has managed to raise over £90,000 to help provide toys for sick children, and he’s just 12 years old!

-70-year old heart surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub, who set up the “Chain of Hope” charity which has helped save the lives of over 23,000 people with heart problems, many in developing countries

- Anne Glover, a woman who stood up to thugs and drug dealers in her housing estate, even when they fire-bombed her car and threatened her life.

. . . . the list goes on and on, and every story is humbling – people with the odds stacked against them due to health, or poverty, or violence, or just plain circumstance, but who just wouldn’t lie down to them.  Every one of them is without doubt a hero for what they’ve done, but also because they show us just what everyday ordinary people are capable of.

We don’t hear enough of this – every day the news is dominated by all the negative stuff happening in the world, because that’s what sells. This event happens once a year, and interestingly it gets double the TV audience of any other UK award ceremony (e.g. Brits / BAFTA’s)

But we need to celebrate our heroes every day, not just once a year.

And not just the people who have performed acts of bravery, but also those whose everyday actions demonstrate that there is hope for humanity and that most people are good, and the ones who appear on the negative news are in the minority.  The people who shine a little light over everyone else and uplift us all a little bit.

Do you have an everyday hero in your life? From acts of extraordinary bravery, courage, and overcoming the odds, to someone who’s always encouraging when you need it.

I’d like to know.

Because in sharing the story you will in turn spread that light a little further.

So tell me about them in the comment section below . . .

The Miracle Mum and Baby

I heard an amazing story today which just goes to prove that the experts are not always right. Heard it on Sky News too – not normally the source of inspiring stories, but let’s give credit where it’s due.

The story concerned a Mum in Sydney, Australia, who quite literally nursed her baby back from the dead – it’s an incredible story which really struck a chord with me

Kate Ogg gave birth to twins prematurely at 27 weeks, with the babies weighing just 2lb. A little girl, Emily, was born healthy, but her brother Jamie was not breathing when he was born, and he was taken away by the medical staff to try to save him.

If I may digress for a second here, when my own daughter Ruby Grace was born, there were complications, and she was rushed out of the delivery room not breathing. Thankfully the medical staff were able to revive her after a few minutes, but that was the longest few minutes of our lives – I can only imagine what Kate Ogg and her husband must have been going through at this stage.

The medical staff fought for 20 minutes to try to save little Jamie, but they came back into the delivery room and broke the news to Kate that Jamie didn’t make it.

In her own words it was the worst feeling she had ever felt, and she unwrapped his limp body from his blanket, and just wanted to hold him next to her skin.

And that’s what she did

She just lay there hugging him and talking to him, after doctors and medical staff had tried everything they could to save him, were unable to revive him, and pronounced him dead.

But she lay there cuddling him and talking to him.

She told him his name, and about his sister, and about what they were all going to do together.

I’m sure they thought she was crazy

After 2 hours, he gasped for air, but even then the doctors explained that it was just a reflex action

In her own words: “But then I felt him move as if he were startled, then he started gasping more and more regularly. I gave Jamie some breast milk on my finger, he took it and started regular breathing normally.”

“I thought ‘Oh my God, what’s going on?’ A short time later he opened his eyes. It was a miracle.

“Then he held out his hand and grabbed my finger. He opened his eyes and moved his head from side to side.

The doctor kept shaking his head saying: ‘I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it’.”

So this woman goes through premature childbirth and delivers 2 babies, one of them dies, doctors tell her there’s nothing they can do, and she literally hugs him back to life. If it wasn’t for Kate Ogg (and probably her husband too – us Dads are sometimes forgotten!), then little Emily would be growing up without her twin brother.

In these times when rappers, footballers, actors, and even serial killers are hero-worshipped and lauded with praise, I’ve got to say that Kate Ogg and her husband stand head and shoulders above all of them.

I take my hat off to you both. You’re a real life inspiration.

And thank you for reminding us that the experts are not always right.

You are Powerful beyond Measure!

I’m sure you’ve heard of Tony Robbins – he’s probably one of the best known mindset coach / self-improvement experts around today (if nothing else you might remember him from the movie “Shallow Hal” – the guy who met Jack Black’s character in the lift and changed his thinking to realise that beauty was on the inside!)

It’s Tony’s 50th birthday, and to celebrate he’s sent out to his subscribers this powerful & inspiring video – it’s only a few minutes long but made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

There’s nothing to buy or sign up for, just stop what you’re doing for 4 minutes for a reminder of how good you are.

Enjoy, and leave a comment below, I’d love to know what you think!