Finishing For Thor

Over the weekend, a blind athlete finished the Chicago Triathlon in memory of a police officer who was killed on the job this summer.

Mazen Istanbouli knew Officer Thor Soderberg well. Soderberg was his guide for two triathlons and they were training together for the Chicago Triathlon as well. Here's what Istanbouli told CBS 2 about Soderberg:

"Swimming in the lake, riding bikes along the lakefront, running – we spent hours together. The more I know Thor, the more I realized what a great human being he was."

After Soderberg was shot and killed on duty last month, Istanbouli knew he had to continue training for the triathlon in his memory. He finished the race this weekend with a new guide. Here's what he told NBC 5 after the race:

"Truly, this whole race was dedicated to him. I felt that the least I could do ... is keep his memory alive by doing triathlons in his name."

Shortly after Soderberg's death, NPR ran a piece about how he helped Istanbouli and lived a "truly artful, useful life". I thought that was a perfect description of something we should all strive for. Take a listen:

Nothing Holds Her Back

A 15-year-old girl from Naperville isn't letting her disability stop her from making big waves in the swimming world.

Alyssa Gialamas has only been swimming competitively for a year, and she's already qualified for her first international swim meet being held in Toronto later this year.

See how her hard work is inspiring others!

The Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association (GLASA)
The National Junior Disability Championships

Sportsmanship Starting Young

The Wheaton Park District is going above and beyond to make sure its sports programs teach kids more than fundamentals.

The Wheaton Sun has a really nice article highlighting the park districts push to promote character and sportsmanship through athletics. It's program stresses the importance of coaching the kids, while also teaching them life lessons and team unity. Some coaches have even brought in former professional athletes to help inspire the kids.

Here's what one of the coaches had to say about the effort:

"It is important for kids in our society to see that hard work produces results, whether on the baseball field, classroom or eventually in the work environment. We also need to realize this is Park District and the boys are still young, thus helping the boys to connect and play as a team moves their collective performance a step further than just more drills."

It's so great to see a community trying to teach kids the importance of being a good person. That's too often overlooked!

You can check out the full Wheaton Sun article here: Hits, runs and sportsmanship

Autistic Man Spreads Hope

A 26-year-old autistic man is giving parents of autistic children hope that their kids can lead fulfilling lives.

Chicago Parent has an uplifting article about Maurice Snell. Snell was diagnosed with autism as a kid, but never let that diagnosis limit his future.

He was able to graduate from college and now works at Easter Seals helping other people with autism. He has a remarkable ear for music and started a band with another young man he met at Easter Seals. They now perform together at autism events and spread a message of hope. Here's what Snell told Chicago Parent:

"When I see new kids, I see hope. There is no cure for autism, you're stuck with it, but I'm not ashamed and I tell this to many of the families. I give them stories of hope."

You can check out the full article online here and view a video by Chicago Parent about Snell and his band below:

From Coma to College

Check out this story on CBS 2 Chicago about an Arlington Heights teenager who has miraculously recovered from a coma and is now heading off to college.

Steven Patzke suffered traumatic brain injury while jet skiing with friends on the Fox Lake. He was in a coma just a couple weeks ago, but has already learned to write again and to regain use of his right side. Thanks to rehab and the support of doctors and family, he'll be able to attend college at Loyola this fall!

Patzke told CBS 2 it's a miracle and that's he's very grateful.

You can watch the full story here: Local Teenager Out Of A Coma Now Off To College

Blago Break

Do you need a quick break today from all the Blago news? Here's a really touching video that will make you forget all about political corruption and deadlocked juries.

I watched this video on YouTube the other day. It shows clips of soldiers from around the country surprising their loved ones as they come home from war.

Sit back, relax and take a look at something you can smile about!

Silk Scarf Therapy

The Chicago Sun Times is planning to recognize women battling breast cancer.

Columnist Mary Mitchell is holding a "Scarf Therapy" contest to give away beautiful silk scarves to cancer patients and survivors with inspiring stories of courage and hope. In her column, Mitchell shared her story and now she's asking readers to do the same.

She's giving away the luxury scarves because when she was battling breast cancer, the owner of Hermes boutique in Chicago sent her one with a note. Here's what it said:

"I have assisted many women ... in various stages of cancer treatment, and they tell me that the silk feels very soothing and they feel a little more beautiful wearing them."

Mitchell couldn't keep the scarf due to journalism ethics rules. But she passed it on to another woman fighting cancer. That woman then passed it on to another.

In her column, Mitchell says she hopes contest winners will do the same with the scarf they receive:

"It is my hope that any woman who receives a scarf -- either through the on-line contest or as a gift -- will pass it on. You won't be handing down a fashion accessory. You will be spreading a lot of love."

You can enter yourself or someone you know in the Chicago Sun Times "Scarf Therapy" contest here

Seeing The Beauty

Time Out Chicago has a "Public Eye" section, where reporters meet and interview random people on the streets of Chicago. They found Stephan Giannini (below) painting the intersection of Wacker and LaSalle.


In the "Public Eye" Q & A, Giannini's says he was just in Southeast Asia on a four-month painting trip. I thought it was neat to read what keeps him coming back to Chicago:

When I was in Asia, people would ask, “Where are you from?” When I’d say “Chicago,” they’d respond, “Oh, you’re so lucky!” [Laughs] I’m meeting all these people from a place that I think is so exotic and cool and realizing that they have the same perception of Chicago. I started looking at my home with new eyes.

Just a reminder to stop and enjoy the sights once in awhile;)

Lost, Found & Returned!

If you found an old class ring on the street, would you try to find the owner?

CBS 2 ran a story about a Wilmette man who just found the owner of a ring he picked up off the street in the early 80's!

After Tony Cash did some major detective work, he found out it belonged to a TV reporter in the Dallas area. The reporter was incredibly grateful to have the high school ring back, because it held a lot of meaning. The story says why:

He was among the first African-Americans bussed in to desegregate his high school. The ring, as Cash suspected, is more than a simple token. "That ring is not only a reflection of me, but the thousands of young people from my hometown who now call that high school home."

Have you ever lost something of value and had someone return it to you? Or have you ever found something and made that extra effort to get it back to its owner?

Last weekend, my friend found a puppy wandering around. She registered it lost with the Humane Society and took care of it while continuing to try and find the owner. After 2 days, the owners called and got their puppy back home safe and sound!

It's always inspiring to hear about good samaritans who do the right thing! Share your stories below!

I'm Back!!

Hi everyone!! The last week has been crazy busy, so I haven't had a chance to post anything new. Things have finally started to settle down and I'm once again ready to hunt down good news stories and share them with you!

Meantime, I thought I'd share all the big news in my life that's been keeping me busy:) Over the weekend, I got engaged to my boyfriend of seven years!!


We were in Ft. Lauderdale for a weekend vacation and he surprised me with a ring! It was such a beautiful night. I love him with all my heart and couldn't be happier right now!

The very same night he got down on his knee, we got word that my brother and sister-in-law had a beautiful baby girl!



Right when our flight from Ft. Lauderdale landed back in Chicago, we went to the hospital to meet Gwyneth Aurora (above). She's absolutely precious and is already sporting a FULL head of hair-- which is more than I can say for my brother;) We're so happy about the new addition to our family!

The other recent addition to our family is the happy baby below, Haylee Robyn!


My boyfriend's (Now FIANCEE-- still weird to say!) brother and his girlfriend had this cutie 3 months ago. She gets cuter everyday!!


I feel incredibly blessed to have so much great news to share! Now that my whirlwind of a week is winding down, I'm excited to start bringing you more good news from around the Chicago area!

Hope you're all having a fabulous week!!