Man celebrated his birthday by giving away free money

Doug Eaton wanted to idea for his birthday on June 11, so he asked for ideas  from his friends on Facebook and ended up marking the day with random acts of kindness, especially handing out free money to people passing by.

According to what Eaton told KFOR-TV, he got a long list of stuff. But one of his friends said, 'Why don't you do 65 random acts of kindness?'"

So that's exactly what he did, spending 65 minutes standing on the corner of NW 39th Street and May Avenue in Oklahoma City, handing out $5 bills to people who passed by. He told his Facebook friends that he handed out more than $375, but the response and the amount of good cheer he shared was priceless.

From a distance, Eaton looked a bit like any other panhandler holding a sign at a street corner. But instead of a plea for money, his sign read: "I have a home… and a car… and a job. Do you need a few bucks for some coffee?"

Some people drove by several times, wondering if they read his sign correctly. Many people murmured "I can't believe this" or "bless you" as he handed them the cash. Others were reluctant to take his money, and he had to tell them "It's OK, it's just a blessing" and explain that this was his way of celebrating his milestone birthday. "One obviously needy truck holding a family came around the second time after misunderstanding the first time, to give ME $2 just to bless ME for what I was doing," he told his friends on Facebook. "I took their money AND gave them a $5. We kind of traded blessings."

"I think this is the craziest guy I have ever seen in my life and it's fantastic!" one driver told KFOR. "I am enjoying the moment out here."

"It's just been fantastic," Eaton told the TV station. "Some people who don't take the money just say, 'Man, I love what you are doing. I won't take it but would you give it to someone who needs it'." 

Eaton's birthday inspiration echoes that of Robyn Bomar, who in 2010 celebrated her 38th birthday with 38 random acts of kindness and asked her family and friends to join in.

"I planned out 38 things ahead of time, just in case, but really was praying for opportunities to present themselves throughout the day," she wrote on her blog, Mix Mingle Glow. "My husband, three daughters, and my husband's parents joined me in the most favorite birthday of my life!"

She was so moved by the outpouring of support that she started "The Birthday Project," an online community of people who celebrate their special days by paying their good fortune forward.

The 65 minutes spent handing out money wasn't Eaton's only random act of kindness for the day. According to his notes, which he posted to Facebook, he also said "keep the change" when he paid $50 for his $12 haircut and $10 for his $1.09 cup of coffee, bought lunch for several diners at a local restaurant, and gave bus fare to a stranger and his daughter, among other things.

"This day has been one of the biggest blessings of my recent life," he told his Facebook friends. "I don't know if I can wait until another birthday to do this again. But what if it became a habit? Or what if everyone or a lot of people did their birthday number of random acts of kindness on their birthday? How good would that be?" 


Courtesy:
myjoyonline

Skin Graft on 3-year-old Toddler Was a Success!

Three-year-old Pippie Kruger who sustained third degree burns to 80 percent of her body, has successfully undergone a Skin Graft at the Johannesburg's Garden City Clinic in South Africa.

Plastic Surgeon, Dr Ridwan Mia said it took longer than they [surgeons] thought and they needed to be extremely careful in removing Pippie's initial dressings. He said the toddler was stable through out the operation and that her dressings would have to be changed every two to three hours.

Dr Mia mentioned that such procedures are usually done in the United States and Europe. In Pippie's case, 90 percent of her skin was grown in a laboratory in the United States and flown to South Africa but in some areas, the skin did not attach to her body. Sheets of her own skin were also taken from her groins and grown for the operation.

The toddler had been hospitalized since a bottle of flammable liquid exploded in her father's hands, leaving her covered in flames at a bar in December, 2011. After six months of staying in the high care unit of the Johannesburg's Garden City Clinic, where the graft was performed for the first time in Africa, Erwin and Anice Kruger [Pippie's Parents] are happy with the success.

These photos show Pippie over the last week.

Courtesy:
Story by Sapa - Pippie's Skin Graft A Success!
howzit msn.com/Africa - Little Pippie's Operation Successful