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DNA Test Reveals Costly Lie Australian Fisherman Fell For 18 Years Ago

October 11, 2018 by viralzergnet.com

When someone becomes a parent, they have a responsibility to their child to support them at all costs. Almost two decades ago, a fisherman from Australia found out that he was going to become a father after a one night stand resulted in pregnancy. While he and the mother had no plans of staying together, … Read more

Couple Narrowly Avoids Becoming Latest Victims of Potential California Serial Killer

October 11, 2018 by viralzergnet.com

When one goes out into the wilderness, either to camp for a weekend, take a brisk hike, or just to have a nice picnic in a field somewhere, they can be fairly sure that they’ll return to civilization mostly unscathed. That is, with the exception of a light sunburn, some bug bites, or if they’re … Read more

Recovering Alcoholic Makes the Ultimate Sacrifice to Save Another

October 11, 2018 by viralzergnet.com

Heroes and heroines take many forms, whether it’s active military, firefighters, police officers, medical professionals, or teachers. But the protagonist in the following story was just a regular woman trying to turn her life around. When the opportunity presented itself to help someone in need, our heroine took it, and unfortunately it cost her her … Read more

Many Questions Remain Unanswered After Police Officer Enters Wrong Apartment

October 11, 2018 by viralzergnet.com

Cases of mistaken identity happen all the time. More often than not, the results of these cases are trivial and non-impactful. Unfortunately for the poor individual in this sordid tale, this case of mistaken identity involved a police officer and a deadly weapon.

The incident occurred just before 10 p.m. in an upscale apartment complex just south of Dallas’ downtown area. The victim was sitting at home alone, minding his own business, when he heard something outside his door.

Bo Jean

Prior to that fateful night, Botham “Bo” Shem Jean, was a 26-year-old former native of the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, living in Dallas. Prior to moving to Texas, Bo had attended Harding University, a private Christian institution in Arkansas. He was the type of man who held tight to his faith.

Good News

Bo was a member of the Good News Singers. He loved serving as a song leader in the church and leading worship whenever they asked him to. By all accounts, he was a decent, hardworking man and a fine example to those in his parish.

Unquiet Night

Around 10 p.m. one night, Bo heard yelling and banging on his apartment door. There’s some speculation about how the person yelling and banging entered the apartment, but shortly after the commotion a female police officer fired her gun into his chest. He collapsed to the ground and the shooter, officer Amber Guyger, called for backup and an ambulance.

What in the World?

As there is little to no evidence as to how or why officer Guyger entered Bo’s apartment, and even less evidence as to why she shot him, police must investigate further as to why this bizarre incident occurred in the first place.

Heartbroken

Officers and paramedics arrived. Bo was stabilized and taken to a local hospital. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to save Bo’s life. His heartbroken mother, who was still living in St. Lucia, was informed of his death soon after, but no one could tell her exactly why it happened.

Wrong Apartment

The department questioned the female officer, asking why she had come into the apartment and shot an unarmed man. The answer she gave them was rather peculiar. Officer Guyger claimed she had been returning home from a shift and was alarmed to see a strange man in what she believed was her apartment.

Explanation

The explanation was peculiar for a few reasons. First, it was on a different floor than her apartment. Second, her key obviously would not have worked in his apartment door. Third, the large, red welcome mat outside the door was something her apartment lacked. All clear indications from the onset that something was wrong.

Pending Investigation

Of course, it wasn’t until after she fired upon him that she realized the truth and the immensity of what she’d done. The Dallas police department, wanting to remain impartial, set out to discover if this was truly just a case of mistaken identity. Was there more to this tale than meets the eye? The department would have no choice, they’d have to find out for sure.

Blood Sample

The department issued officer Guyger a warrant for manslaughter and Police Chief Reneé Hall also requested that a blood sample be drawn. They wanted to obtain officer Guyger’s drug and alcohol levels to make sure that she wasn’t impaired when she fired the gun. A full scale, independent investigation was also launched by the Texas Rangers.

Things Don’t Gel

There were reasons for the Texas Rangers’ involvement. There were a number of things about the case that didn’t quite gel. There was still a good deal of investigation to pursue. In the meantime, the story of Bo’s shooting would have far-reaching consequences and go through a number of twists and turns along the way.

Grieving Mother

Allie Jean, Bo’s grieving mother, used to speak with her son daily. He would call her in St. Lucia to catch up and see how she was. She had been in New York visiting with her daughter when she received the news and circumstances surrounding Bo’s death.

Loved Everyone

After college, Bo got a job as an associate in a risk assurance department. He was happy and Allie explained that even though he lived in a gated apartment complex, he trusted everyone. He had no reason to worry about someone knocking on his door, however fervently that knocking sounded. Bo was always friendly, always smiling, and was an all around good person.

Everything Gone Away

“She took away my heart, she took away my soul, she took away everything,” she told NBC News. “He didn’t deserve to die like that. … We were very, very close … We would talk about everything, about politics. Botham loved everyone, and everyone loved him.” This was all corroborated at his funeral by friends and family alike.

Questions Remain

Had Officer Guyger shot him on purpose because of some kind of personal vendetta? Had she been inebriated following her shift, or impaired somehow? These were some of the questions Dallas police and Texas Rangers had to answer, but before they could, more questions arose…

Drug Warrant

Several hours after Bo’s funeral, an official document became public. The document in question described narcotics found in Bo’s apartment as a result of a warrant issued posthumously. It listed several questionable items found in his apartment.

What They Found

The inventory document referenced several items found in the home. These included: two fired cartridge casings, a laptop computer, one black backpack with police equipment and paperwork, an insulated lunch box, one black ballistic vest with “police” markings, 10.4 grams of marijuana in ziplock bags, one metal marijuana grinder, two RFID keys, and two used packages of medical aid.

Used Items

Now, many of these items are directly linked to officer Guyger’s appearance in the apartment and the shooting itself. The medical aid passages, shell casings, paperwork, equipment, police vests, and her lunch box specifically. Though now that they had found marijuana in Bo’s apartment, some questions had been raised. “I think it’s unfortunate that law enforcement begins to immediately criminalize the victim. In this case, someone who was clearly the victim that has absolutely no bearing on the fact that he was shot in his home,” said Lee Merrit, the family’s attorney following the release of the suspiciously posthumous warrant.

Considering

Of course, even assuming that Bo had some small amount of marijuana in his possession at his death doesn’t do anything to change officer Guyger’s story. Her original take is that she simply entered the wrong apartment and thought there was a man in her home come to harm her.

Assassination of Character

Bo’s family lawyers see the release as an attempt to assassinate his character as surely as he himself was allegedly murdered. Those who loved him won’t allow this to stain his reputation. Indeed, considering how virtuously he lived his life, it would be hard to do such a thing.

Sordid Details

Officer Guyger has indeed been arrested on manslaughter charges but it remains to be seen if she will see any jail time. That being said, many details of the case remain undiscovered. Time will tell what fresh mysteries this tragic situation has yet to reveal.

Investigators Uncover Slavery Conditions Found at Starbucks-Connected Coffee Farm

October 11, 2018 by viralzergnet.com

These days, it’s not unusual for big corporations to be in the news for, shall we say, less than stellar reasons. Rumors of corruption, embezzlement, or general misconduct attach to some of these corporations and become synonymous with them across all forms of media.

Luckily, many of those organizations are big enough and popular enough that it won’t stop most people from using their products or services. Recently, however, a Starbucks in Brazil was linked to some rather questionable human rights practices at one of its coffee plantations.

First Glance

If one walked past the Córrego das Almas farm in Piumhi, in rural Minas Gerais, Brazil, they might immediately assume that the modest property is nothing more than a prospering agricultural institution. At first glance, you might notice the international certifications on the gate, including one showing it’s affiliation to the Starbucks Corporation.

Abolished

You might also notice the sign that reads, “No slave or forced labor is allowed.” This, of course, seems to many of us like a no-brainer. Yet though slavery has been mostly abolished in some areas of the world, there are still places where the conditions for workers are such that they might be compared directly to slavery.

Grim Discovery

The Brazil Labor Ministry investigators who arrived at Córrego das Almas farm saw the sign and believed that what the farm asserted was true. That was until they began looking around the place and discovered the 18 workers laboring in the coffee field were living and working in brutal, almost slave-like conditions.

Substandard Conditions

The living conditions for the workers at Córrego das Almas farm were downright deplorable. Their substandard living quarters lacked almost all the basic amenities necessary for human habitation, including working sewage and drinkable water. The workers also had to share living space with some unwelcome roommates as well.

Collective Housing

All of the housing was collective housing as well and, bereft of proper plumbing as it was, was a health hazard all on its own. The lack of sanitation in the houses was so bad that it put the workers’ health at risk. Inspectors found dead bats in the water tanks but regardless of this fact, workers were still using the potentially disease-laden water for cooking and drinking.

Vermin

Bats and mice were everywhere they looked, not only inside the workers’ homes, but also in their food stores, barns, and storehouses. The inspectors also found evidence that it wasn’t just the living conditions the owners provided that were substandard, but also the operational standards as well.

Poor Pay

One of the workers spoke out against their treatment at the farm. “We weren’t paid for holidays, Sundays, nothing,” they explained. “We worked from Monday to Saturday with no record of the hours. During the week, we would start at 6 am and only stop at 5 pm.” According to them, they also received payment based on the amount of coffee beans they picked.

Rigged Reporting

Unfortunately, this payment structure was also rigged to benefit the farm owners. Workers would harvest coffee beans then leave them to be weighed the next day. By the time they returned to weigh their previous day’s work, the beans would be gone and their work would count for nothing. When asked where their coffee was, the overseers would just laugh.

Pay to Get Paid

None of the workers made enough money to send to their relatives back home, let alone afford food at the farms nearby every week. If workers did want to cash their checks or purchase food, they would have to pay $20 for a plantation-owned bus to transport them there and back. Essentially, they had to pay in order to get paid.

Huge Farm

The Córrego das Almas farm has three million coffee trees, herds of cattle, and over 151 employees. It has been leased and managed by Fabiana Soares, who apparently didn’t know about the slave labor going on. According to her lawyer, Ms. Soares didn’t learn about the conditions until the inspection took place.

Try to Comply

Ms. Soares’ lawyer even released a statement to the press following the incident which read, “Our farm has been operating in the coffee market for many years and has always sought to comply with all legal requirements, that includes obtaining all certifications, licenses, and awards whose requirements are extremely strict.”

Certification

Besides the obvious human rights violations, there is another reason that the loathsome conditions at the Córrego das Almas farm are getting so much media attention. The farm holds the C.A.F.E. Practices certification, which is owned by Starbucks in partnership with SCS Global Services. This means that in general, the farm has been inspected for quality by a highly regarded purveyor of coffee, and fairly recently in fact.

Deniability

Starbucks, of course, denies that they have bought any coffee from the farm in recent years and went on to attest that they haven’t been certified since 2016. Nevertheless, the coffee conglomerate has also stated that they are in the process of re-evaluating the seal and plan to pay closer attention to any labor violations they might uncover.

Famous Certificate

In addition to the C.A.F.E. certification, the Córrego das Almas farm also boasts the UTZ seal. This Netherlands-based certificate is given in recognition of sustainable farming and is only given to the most prestigious agricultural institutions in the coffee industry. Like the C.A.F.E. seal, however, the inspection brought the farm’s UTZ seal into question.

Integral Part

UTZ representatives have said that workers’ rights and their well-being are of the utmost importance to the standards they have used to award such certificates. “Whenever we receive reliable evidence of breaches on UTZ certified farms, we take immediate action, which includes conducting a thorough investigation,” said the organization.

More in Bondage

Because of the issues at Córrego das Almas farm, additional inspections were held at other farms in the area. Another inspection occurred in the town of Muzambinho at a farm owned by Maria Júlia Pereira. Maria happens to be the sister-in-law of a state deputy, Emidinho Madeira. The search uncovered 15 workers in slave-like conditions; one of whom was only 17 years old.

More Horrific Conditions

The 15 laborers on the Periera-owned farm revealed that conditions on their farm were similar to the ones on the Córrego das Almas farm. The workers were forced to buy their own equipment which in turn indebted them to the farm’s owner for between $2,500-$3,000. That’s before the harvesting even began.

No Time for Breaks

The workers were also forced to work for 90 days straight. They worked from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. with no breaks for lunch and barely any bathroom breaks, either. The only times the coffee harvesting stopped at all was on rainy days. It was brutal, but thankfully when the revelations came to light, reparations were made.

Repayment

The farms’ owners now had to pay for their negligence. The Córrego da Prata Farm was cited for 34 violations and ended up paying $87,000 in damages to its workers. Meanwhile, Córrego das Almas farm was given 27 notifications and ordered to pay $ 71,000 in severance.

Labor Rights

The revelations on these farms have shed new light into not only the certification process but upon the often overlooked practices of large corporations like Starbucks. It’s easy to forget such things as we hastily slurp our morning Macchiato but now that the human rights abuses on these farms have come into the public eye, there is hope that they will cease happening.

State Farm Exposed in Lawsuit Claiming the Company Discriminates Against Clients of Jewish Lawyers

October 10, 2018 by viralzergnet.com

Unfortunately, many insurance companies are engaged in secret claims conduct that is intentionally designed so that policyholders get less than what they bargained for at the point of sale. These lawsuits, like the one in the following story, expose what many insurance regulators are doing behind the scenes that no one knows about. Some of … Read more

Australian Man Saves Millions of Lives With Extraordinary Inner Gift

February 16, 2019October 9, 2018 by viralzergnet.com

There will always be those people who like to help others. Whether it’s a talent of theirs, an idea they brought to fruition, or something passive, they spend their lives making the world a better place. One Australian man spent his life giving to help others. But it wasn’t money or even time that he … Read more

Scientists Find 100-Percent Success Rate In Rats With New Cancer Treatment

October 9, 2018 by viralzergnet.com

Cancer is an insidious disease that does not discriminate. Whether it be a first-hand experience or watching a loved one fight for their life, almost everyone has been affected by cancer in some way.

At some point, everyone who has been affected by cancer has wished for a miraculous cure that would wipe out cancer cells. Now, scientists are closer than ever to making that wish a reality after making a slight adjustment to an experimental skin cancer treatment.

Scary Stats

In 2018 alone, it’s estimated that there will be more than 1,700,000 new cases of cancer diagnosed throughout the United States. Tragically, many patients fighting cancer will eventually lose their battle. According to the National Cancer Institute, more than 600,000 will die from the disease in 2018.

The Most Common Diagnosis

Based on statistics from the institute, the most common cancers in the United States are breast cancer, lung and bronchus cancer, prostate cancer, colon and rectum cancer, melanoma of the skin, bladder cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, kidney and renal pelvis cancer, endometrial cancer, and leukemia. All of the more than 100 different types of cancer comes with its own prognosis and survival rate.

A Difficult Battle

Regardless of the diagnosis, however, one thing is certain: those who have been given a cancer diagnosis will have to fight to stay alive. For some, that means undergoing painful and invasive surgeries. For others, it means pumping poison into their bodies with the hope that the cancer cells die before they do.

A Growing Problem

Sadly, cancer isn’t a problem that scientists expect to get better on its own. As time goes on, scientists actually expect cancer rates to continue to increase. According to experts at the National Cancer Institute, approximately 38.4 percent of men and women in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives.

A Worldwide Epidemic

Not only are cancer rates increasing in the United States, but people around the world are also seeing an increase in rates. Throughout the world, cancer is one of the leading causes of death. By 2030, experts expect the number of new cancer cases will rise to 23.6 million per year.

Waiting For a Cure

As a result, scientists have dedicated their entire careers to finding a cure for cancer. As technology has advanced, scientists have been able to create new and more effective treatment options. However, people are still waiting for a miraculous cure to wipe cancer out completely.

One Step Closer

Despite the incredible challenge of finding a cure for cancer, scientists are still working as hard as possible to crack the disease once and for all. Lately, a team of scientists in the United States has gotten one step closer to making that dream a reality.

Strengthening the Immune Response

When cancer cells spread throughout the body, scientists have found that T cells, the cells in the immune system that fight cancer cells, are inhibited. So in recent years, scientists have been working on immunotherapies and vaccines to battle cancer.

An Intense Reaction

Their aim has been to use cancer vaccines to cause the body’s immune system to target and fight tumors. Normally, those vaccines are paired with adjuvants, which are molecules that cause the immune system to have a more intense reaction to a specific antigen. As a result, the adjuvants make the vaccine more efficient at combating cancer cells in and out of a tumor.

Toxic Substances

In the past, scientists have used a few different adjuvants during preclinical trials with varying degrees of success. However, they aren’t viable options for fighting cancer in humans. Not only are the adjuvants difficult for scientists to synthesize, but they can be toxic themselves.

Looking For an Alternative

A team of researchers from the University of Texas and The Scripps Research Institute started working on finding an alternative adjuvant that would not only be effective at killing cancerous tumors but would be safe for people. To begin, the team screened 100,000 synthetic compounds that could possibly serve as the adjuvant.

The Perfect Fit

After screening the library for potential compounds, the team found a chemical called Diprovocim. The chemical seemed to be an ideal fit since it is able to bind to the same immune receptors as other adjuvants used. But that wasn’t the only thing that made Diprovocim promising.

Testing It

According to the team of scientists, Diprovocim is safe, easy to produce in a lab, and easy to modify. After identifying the chemical, the team decided to test it in mice suffering from an aggressive form of skin cancer. The results of that test left the entire team stunned.

The Experiment Begins

During the test, researchers gave all of the mice suffering from the aggressive form of melanoma the anti-cancer therapy known as anti-PD-L1. After that, the mice were split into three different groups. One of those groups was given nothing but the anti-cancer vaccine.

The Experimental Groups

The second group was given the vaccine along with Diprovocim, which they hoped would stimulate the immune system. Lastly, the third group was given the vaccine and compound called alum. Alum is another adjuvant derived from aluminum that also stimulates the immune system.

54 Days Later

Each mouse was given a second shot seven days after the first injection. After 54 days, the first group, which had been given just the anti-cancer vaccine, had all died. The group that had been given alum in addition to the vaccine had a 25 percent survival rate. Incredibly, the group that had been given Diprovocim had a 100 percent survival rate.

A Curative Response

“This co-therapy produced a complete response—a curative response—in the treatment of melanoma,” said Scripps Research Professor Dale Boger in a statement. Boger co-led the study with Bruce Beutler, MD, of UT Southwestern. “It was exciting to see the vaccine working simultaneously with a cancer immunotherapy like anti-PD-L1,” Boger added.

An Added Bonus

Not only was Diprovocim completely successful at killing melanoma cells, but further tests proved the compound was even more effective than the team had hoped. When scientists tried to re-establish the tumor in the mice, their bodies fought it off again. “It wouldn’t take,” Boger explained. “The animal is already vaccinated against it.”

Preventing Relapses

Essentially, if the cancer were to return in the future, the immune system would immediately know what to do. Before a tumor could even start growing, the immune systems would attack the cancerous cells.” Just as a vaccine can train the body to fight off external pathogens, this vaccine trains the immune system to go after the tumour.”

The Next Steps

Now, the team is hoping to do more pre-clinical tests to see if its effective at destroying other types of cancers. They also need to figure out if the treatment works alongside other forms of therapy. After that, the treatment would need to be tested for its effectiveness in humans.

Video Series Highlights Miracle Medical Treatment Known as MIIP

October 9, 2018 by viralzergnet.com

In the Age of Information, businesses and organizations are finding new ways to spread their message to consumers. The Internet allows for more than just printed news to alert the masses of breakthroughs in technology, medicine, politics etc.

When a few interventional radiologists had a breakthrough in new, non-surgical technology to treat some of humanity’s worst diseases and conditions, they decided to make a video series to spread the message.

A Human Condition

The scene is set in a hospital room. Margarita sits in a hospital bed, her leg raised, her blackened, gangrene toes exposed. Margarita’s daughter sits next to her, holding her hand and trying to calm both of them down. They aren’t stupid, they know the doctor is about to suggest amputation.

Blocked Vessels

Dr. Gregg Alzate is the interventional radiologist assigned to treat Margarita’s blocked blood vessels; the reason for her gangrene. The television show that depicts them both is about to display how Dr. Alzate treats her illness without any sort of invasive surgery and without any amputation.

Without a Scalpel

The program we’re describing is called “Without a Scalpel”, a documentary series about several patients undergoing minimally invasive, image-guided procedures otherwise known as MIIPs. It’s also about the interventional radiologists who treat those desperate patients.

Avoiding Amputation

Cases of gangrene almost always end in amputation, if only to halt the spread of deadly infection to other, more delicate body tissues and organs. In Margarita’s case, Dr. Alzate is using an angioplasty catheter to perform this particular brand of MIIP. If his efforts are successful, he will be able to unblock the vessels and save Margarita from a painful, life-altering amputation.

Offering Explanations

Trying to explain interventional radiology is no easy task, which is why co-creators Susan Jackson and Isabel Newton have endeavored to do so through video. Susan is a former interventional technologist with an MBA and marketing background, and Isabel is an interventional radiologist.

Education Tools

The organization that Newton and Jackson have started is called the Interventional Initiative. Its goal is to draw attention to the amazing advantages of MIIPs through engaging user-friendly education tools. Their website, videos, and podcasts of personal stories like Margarita’s are just the beginning. They also intend to take advantage of the amazing power of social media by using things like Facebook and Twitter.

Microcosms of Anatomy

Jackson and Susan explain it quite poetically, in fact. “Traveling through the blood vessels like highways, they (interventional radiologists) penetrate the microcosmos of human anatomy, offering big solutions without big incisions, expanding the realm of the possible, giving hope where there was none.”

Layman’s Terms

In layman’s terms, a more basic explanation might be that interventional radiologists use medical images such as X-rays to see inside the body. These specialized doctors can treat major maladies through a pinhole and see what’s going on inside via modern imaging techniques.

Many Maladies

Using this remarkable new technology, the specialists can treat diseases and conditions that affect the brain, lung, chest, liver, gallbladder, stomach, intestines, kidneys, back, bones, legs, and reproductive system. They can treat fibroids in women, enlarged prostate in men, and infertility in both.

Noninvasive

Jackson added that there are many advantages to MIIPs, the majority of them involve the noninvasive nature of the treatments. “These procedures often offer lower complication rates and a shorter recovery time. They get people back to their normal lives quicker.” Her co-creator added that people leave with merely a Band-Aid.

Small Miracles

“You can cure cancer in an hour or less and take somebody who is completely incapacitated and make them walk again,” Newton explained to Radiology Today. “It is nothing short of small miracles.” She is right of course, the ability to treat something as severe as gangrene or cancer without the added trauma of surgery is truly an amazing thing, even today.

Triumph

At the end of the first episode, we see a large auditorium full of cheering people and Margarita is standing among them. She is well enough to attend the ceremony, which is one of great importance to her and her family, because on that day, she became an American citizen.

Out of Business

Seeing stories like Margarita’s displayed for the whole world to see is undoubtedly going to make surgeons nervous. Indeed, many surgeons are already worried that skilled and noninvasive MIIPs may put them out of business. As remarkable as this new technology is, however, it’s not about put an end to conventional surgery anytime soon.

A Toolbox

Dr. Newton likened surgery and MIIPs to a toolbox. “Everything can’t be solved with one tool; you can only treat people by having the full complement of tools in your toolbox,” she says. Jackson added that minimally invasive procedures may sometimes act as a complement to surgery or vice versa. “It’s not an either/or kind of thing,” she says.

Connecting with the Public

The video series showcases compelling, human stories of suffering and survival to members of the public. Newton explains it as people connecting with these stories in a palpable way. Margarita’s tale is particularly poignant, especially for the 29.1 million people with diabetes in the U.S., many of whom worry about blood flow problems and possible amputation.

Many Episodes

The episodes are as follows, Episode 1: Bloodless. It focuses on the stories of three women who suffer from blocked blood vessels. The second episode, entitled The Cancer Snipers, features cancer patients who have undergone MIIPs to great effect. The third focuses on conditions that affect women’s health and features procedures like uterine fibroid embolization.

A Face to the Industry

Until now, interventional radiologists have been working in the shadows, trying their best to save lives. Without a Scalpel is attempting to change that by bringing them into the public eye. It’s also attempting to inform patients about the options available to them. As self-serving as this may seem on the part of the co-creators, it is purely altruistic.

The Best Choices

It’s true that better recognition will invariably bring more business towards interventional radiologists, but that was never the point. “We do this as a nonprofit,” explain Jackson and Newton. “It is entirely a public service-type mission because patients actually do worse when they don’t understand their options.”

Great Feedback

Newton, who also serves as program director for the research residency, conducts lectures at medical schools about MIIPs as well. Thanks to her erudition on the subject and the documentaries, medical students are leaving school with a much better understanding of the new technology available in patient care.

A Medical Mystery

Before they began their campaign of information, many people, patients, and physicians alike, didn’t really know about MIIPs as treatment options. Hospital executives were similarly clueless. Thanks to their efforts, Newton and Jackson’s message has been positively received. More people are aware of the alternative treatments available to them, and that’s what matters.

Musician Turned Hero Saves Woman’s Life Inside Starbucks After Witnessing Viscous Act

October 9, 2018 by viralzergnet.com

Despite the fact that our movies and television shows are full of acts of heroism, most people are simply never put in a situation where heroism is called for. Because of that, the question of how we would act in those scenarios goes largely unanswered.

We each have different ideas about how we would react when the time comes but the truth is, we really don’t know until we’re there. When one man found himself confronted by an awful situation, he didn’t hesitate to take the noble course of action, proving himself to be a true hero.

Sunday Meetup

On a typical Sunday in Bakersfield, California, Blaine met up with his friend Joe at a Starbucks for coffee. It was the sort of meeting they’d had countless times before where nothing more exciting happened than occasionally picking up the wrong person’s drink.

The Usual Scene

This time started off exactly the same as all the others with some Starbucks patrons sitting and chatting with each other, others tapping away on their laptops, and still more milling in, grabbing their coffee and heading out.

Suden Commotion

Then out of nowhere, a woman came screaming through the door. “She was panicked,” Joe told local news station KGET. “She was saying, ‘Help me.’ Then, at one point, she said, ‘This guy’s going to kill me.’”

What?

People inside the Starbucks were all responding to the woman’s behavior in the way people tend to react to other people’s problems in public. Some did their best to watch without seeming to stare while others did everything in their power to avert their eyes and put on an impassive face. Then he came in.

Panic at the Starbucks

The man that the woman was apparently panicked about came in through the door with a look of fury on his face and worse, a machete in his hand. The Starbucks customers scattered and screamed while the man advanced toward the woman, but not Blaine.

Frantic

The man darted over to the woman and began attacking her with the blade, striking and slashing her just as fast as he could. “She was just frantic while he was just stabbing her and stabbing her and stabbing her,” said Blaine. He was compelled to act.

Absolutely Not

“It was that fear on her face,” Blaine said. “I couldn’t just let it keep happening. You’ve got to do something. No way. […] No. That was what was going through my head. No. Absolutely not.” With that thought, he sprung to his feet and rushed toward the armed man as the customers scrambled away from him.

Into the Fight

Blaine Hodge grabbed the attacker by the shoulders and pulled him off of the wounded woman, throwing him to the ground. But in the struggle, one of his feet slipped out from under him and Blaine found himself on his back, with the machete-wielding man’s furious attention pointed right at him.

An Eternity

The man brought the machete down on Blaine again and again for what seemed like an eternity as he tried desperately to protect his head and torso. In truth, only a few seconds had passed but it was enough time to inflict several horrendous injuries.

Fleeing the Scene

When the man raised his sights to find his original target, he found out that it was also long enough for her to escape the store. Not seeing her, he ran out the door in an attempt to make an escape.

Badly Wounded

Blaine was severely wounded as he lay there on the floor of the Starbucks, as was the woman, who was somewhere outside of the building. Thankfully, someone had called 911 and paramedics arrived in time to stabilize their conditions before rushing them to the hospital.

Got Him

The police also arrived on the scene quickly enough to catch the suspect before he got very far away. The man would later be identified as the 31-year-old Robert Rivas and the woman who he’d allegedly attacked had reportedly been his girlfriend.

Domestic Dispute

The dispute supposedly began as a domestic disagreement at a nearby apartment complex and had escalated to the point where the woman feared for her life and ran to the Starbucks for help. Rivas was charged with a number of felonies, including two attempted murder charges for the attack on the woman and on Blaine.

Getting Patched Up

While details about the woman were withheld to protect her privacy, we know that Blaine Hodge’s injuries were extensive. He was hit with the machete in both hands, both arms, and in the knee. Doctors had to perform surgery on one of his hands and give him over 200 stitches as treatment.

Ordinary Guy

You may be thinking that Blaine Hodge had some sort of combat or military training to be willing to put himself in harm’s way in that situation, but the truth is he was just a local artist and musician. In fact, he was preparing to release an album just a few weeks after the attack coincidentally called “The Mind Of A Hero.” He was clearly someone who practiced what he preached.

That’s Him

And to those around him, it came as no surprise that Blaine had thrown himself into harm’s way. His girlfriend Tori Toney said that it was a move completely in line with his character, adding “He would do it again. He could lose an arm and he would still do it again. And that’s just Blaine.”

Lasting Scars

The price Blaine paid was more than just physical. In a post to his Facebook page, he said that he had decided to postpone his scheduled album release show. “I’m getting better by the day, however, when it comes back down to it, I’m still in a lot of pain and dealing with flashbacks/PTSD,” he wrote.

Spread Love

“It is much worse in public spaces and though it hurts to say, I am not ready to deliver the kind of performance that you and the music deserve,” he added. But that didn’t stop him from trying to add the maximum good to the world, assuring his fans that he was “not alone because I have all of you supporting me” and imploring them to “spread as much positivity and love as you can.”

Small Price

When asked by a reporter for a local ABC news affiliate if he would change anything about what he’d done, Blaine’s response was simple. “No because when I think about it, no one else came to help. She would have died, so no. This is a small price to pay for somebody else’ life.”

Overwhelming Support

Blaine’s friends and family began a GoFundMe to try and cover his $9,000 worth of medical bills. But in a matter of days, his story went viral and they closed the donations after the incoming money shot up to over $53,000. “The outpour of love and support from everyone has been absolutely overwhelming,” he said.