Playing Doctor: Interview with Patch Adams
Patch Adams first became famous within medical circles, and then to the rest of the world, as a doctor in clown's clothing, a social activist who uses humor and his medical training to advocate for a more humane, affordable, and even playful health care system. Shortly after graduating from medical school in the early 1970s, he founded what would become the Gesundheit Institute, which started as a... posted on May 14 2008, 3,035 reads

A Polio Survivor Serves the Dying
From the neck up, John Welton looks like Santa Claus before his beard turned white. From the chest down, he is atrophied. He walks with crutches, his right leg bearing the weight of his 130-pound body. Welton, 60, has survived polio. And yet, he serves dying patients at Montefiore Medical Center, working there as a Physician Assistant. He does not wear a long white coat because it might tangle his... posted on May 09 2008, 2,224 reads

Redemptive Power of Music & Friendship
Three years ago, journalist Steve Lopez met a homeless musician on skid row in Los Angeles. Lopez learned that the man, Nathaniel Ayers, had once been a promising violinist, and that he had left the prestigious Juilliard School because of his struggle with mental illness. Lopez developed a friendship with Ayers, eventually helping him to get off the street, settle into an apartment and find treatm... posted on Apr 30 2008, 3,237 reads

Gift Economy Health Clinic
After 22 years in private practice, Dr. Lorna Stuart found herself frustrated with the number of insurance companies and the rules and restrictions that came with them. "The day-to-day time that I spent on paperwork was increasing, while my patients weren't getting the good care that I wanted to give them -- face-to-face time, one-on-one time," she recalls. "I vowed to do whatever little I could ... posted on Apr 25 2008, 2,528 reads

Uniting the World One Swoosh At A Time
Noel had quit his job as a valet parking attendant in Las Vegas; Angelina had given up her gig as a cocktail waitress. In 2001, the Andreonis embarked on an unusual adventure. They decided that they would be governed by three passions: travel, photography and basketball. Nearly seven years later, the Andreonis have traveled far beyond their beginnings. They have visited 28 countries and all 50 US ... posted on Apr 24 2008, 2,593 reads

Life As A Daymaker
A client came into David Wagner’s hair salon, "I just want to look and feel good tonight," she said. They laughed and joked throughout the appointment and the client left smiling radiantly. The CEO of Aveda didn’t know then that he had changed her life. A few days later David received a letter from the woman. She explained that she had planned to commit suicide the day she came in and that Da... posted on Apr 22 2008, 4,943 reads

A Pianist Like No Other
"When I arrive at Derek Paravicini's home, he is giving a glittering rendition of Cole Porter's "It's De-Lovely" on his shiny, black piano. When I leave three hours later, he is being spoon-fed lunch from a plastic bowl. Derek is 27, blind, has severe learning difficulties, cannot dress or feed himself -- but play him a song once, and he will not only memorize it instantly, but be able to reproduc... posted on Apr 20 2008, 2,902 reads

Muhammud Yunus on Poverty
Thirty years ago, in a remote village of Bangladesh, a modest economics professor took thirty dollars out of his own wallet and loaned it to a group of women looking to start a small business. Told by nay-sayers that he'd never get the money back, the amount was indeed repaid in full. Muhammad Yunus went on to found the Grameen Bank in 1976, out of a conviction that it is small acts like this one ... posted on Apr 19 2008, 1,867 reads

A 9-Year-Old Walks For The Homeless
Younger than most of the people in the crowd, 9-year-old Zach Bonner stepped to the side of the lectern so that people could see him. He thanked sponsors of his 250-mile walk for the homeless, which was about to start. "What bothers me is what homeless kids go through," Zach said. "What happens when they go to sleep? What happens when they wake up?" His family doesn't know why Zach works so hard o... posted on Apr 18 2008, 3,552 reads

10,000 Girls Education Program
After the sudden deaths of her husband and 26-year-old daughter, Viola Vaughn was left with five grand-children to care for in Africa. Amid her grief, she found comfort in home-schooling them and her success won local attention. Within two weeks, Vaughn had 20 girls in her house who were failing school and asking her to teach them. In 2001, Vaughn turned her grandchildren's bedrooms into classroo... posted on Apr 13 2008, 3,339 reads