The Henry Ford of Heart Surgery
Dr. Shetty entered the limelight in the early 1990s as Mother Teresa's cardiac surgeon. Today he offers cutting-edge medical care in India at a fraction of what it costs elsewhere in the world. His flagship heart hospital charges $2,000, on average, for open-heart surgery, compared with hospitals in the U.S. that are paid between $20,000 and $100,000, depending on the complexity of the surgery. Th... posted on Jan 06 2010, 3,117 reads

A Child Poet's Inspiration Lives On
It's standing room only at the Borders bookstore in Bethesda, where Jeni Stepanek is talking about her new book, "Messenger." The book is about her son Mattie, the inspirational poet who died five years ago at 13 after battling a rare form of muscular dystrophy. Because of the same disease, Jeni Stepanek now uses a wheelchair. In his short life, Mattie wrote six books of poetry and a collection of... posted on Dec 24 2009, 3,411 reads

A Child Entrepreneur Gives Back
In the home of eighth-grader Jason O'Neill, teddy bears are everywhere. They're white, black or brown. Some have bow ties and some have ribbons. They sit on chairs, tables, counter tops and the floor. Thanks to O'Neill, a young entrepreneur who started his own company at age 9, they're all going to sick children for Christmas.... posted on Dec 20 2009, 4,492 reads

Against All Odds: MacLaren & Yeboah
Jim MacLaren and Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah have what seems like an improbable story. Jim MacLaren was an All-American athlete with a future that knew no bounds. At 22, his life was changed dramatically when he was hit by a bus and lost a leg. He overcame his physical limitations and become a top Ironman triathlete. Eight years later, Jim had another accident. Where was the meaning in all this sufferin... posted on Dec 17 2009, 3,350 reads

Mystery Couple Start A Chain Reaction
It played like a scene from a holiday movie -- a mystery couple, who didn't leave their names or numbers, walked into a restaurant, finished their meal and then set-off a chain reaction of generosity that lasted for hours. That's just what employees at the Aramingo Diner in Port Richmond said a man and a woman did during their breakfast shift last Saturday morning. "It was magical. I had tears in ... posted on Dec 15 2009, 9,364 reads

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish
"I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories. The first story is about connecting the dots.I dropped out of Reed College after the fir... posted on Dec 13 2009, 10,231 reads

The Elder Wisdom Circle
When 85-year-old Mollie Pier was admitted to the hospital a few months ago after surgery, the first thing she asked for was a computer. Pier, a grandmother, is a member of the Elder Wisdom Circle, a group of seniors ages 60 to 103 who dispense advice via the Internet to young questioners from around the globe.After applying to the group and going through a screening process, the seniors are free t... posted on Nov 25 2009, 6,780 reads

Jose Bright's Saturday School
When Jose Bright arrived in South Africa in 1994, he felt daunted by the task ahead. After all, as director for regional affairs for the mayor of Washington, D.C., he had been asked by South Africa to help transform its schools, designed to benefit the white minority of 4 million, into a system to educate the 40 million black majority as well. Nobody would have blamed him if he'd simply declared v... posted on Nov 21 2009, 2,856 reads

Cleaning Shoes, Making A Difference
Greg Woodburn spends a lot of time cleaning sneakers. Some of them once belonged to him; some belonged to his friends. But soon the shoes will have new owners: underprivileged children in the United States and 20 other countries, thanks to Woodburn's Share Our Soles (S.O.S.) charity. It all began when Woodburn, a high school track star, was sidelined for months with knee and hip injuries. "I start... posted on Nov 20 2009, 3,157 reads

Triumph Of A Dreamer
"Of all the people earning university degrees this year, perhaps the most remarkable story belongs to Tererai (pronounced TEH-reh-rye), a middle-aged woman who is one of my heroes. She is celebrating a personal triumph, but she's also a monument to the aid organizations and individuals who helped her. When you hear that foreign-aid groups just squander money or build dependency, remember that by a... posted on Nov 17 2009, 3,678 reads