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CNN 5 Good Things
Saturdays are for sunshine — especially for your ears. With another election, ongoing wars and natural disasters, we know the news can be a lot to take in and we’re determined to share the bright side of humanity. Every Saturday, take a breather from the headlines and hear all the uplifting happenings across the world with 5 Good Things from CNN.
A Ninth Grader Finds Invention Inspiration From the Kitchen Sink
CNN 5 Good Things
Nov 5, 2024
A teen from Georgia is named America's Top Young Scientist for his invention. A beloved school custodian got an amazing retirement gift from her colleagues. A start-up in Ireland is revolutionizing how cancer patients experience treatment. Hikers, bikers, and horseback riders can soon traverse a new trail across a big state. Plus, a woman didn’t think twice about donating one of her organs to save her wife’s life.
Episode Transcript
Krista Bo
00:00:00
Hey there. Feeling nervous about the election? Well, we got some feel good stories to help you take your mind off of it for a little bit. A new device could help ease a big fear for cancer patients.
Aaron Hannon
00:00:11
I think the thing that's most rewarding is when you hear patients say that it completely changed their experience of going through cancer treatment.
Krista Bo
00:00:18
Plus,
Charlie Gandy
00:00:19
When people attach themselves to something bigger than themselves, they feel better. We'll look back on this and say that was a good use of our time, talent and treasure.
Krista Bo
00:00:29
A native Texan wants to create the next Appalachian Trail for his fellow adventurers. From CNN, I'm Krista Bo. And this is a special edition of Five Good Things.
Krista Bo
00:00:42
'14-year-old scientist Sirish Subash found inspiration for his latest invention while washing produce with his mom in Snellville, Georgia.
Sirish Subash
00:00:51
'My real question was why do we need to wash the produce? And how impactful is it? How effective is it - the actual washing process?
Krista Bo
00:01:00
So he did some research and he found that the vast majority of produce we eat contain residue from pesticides. To Sirish this felt like an important issue to address because he also found research citing that health issues like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and certain cancers have been linked to pesticide consumption.
Sirish Subash
00:01:18
'There's just no good way to ensure that your produce is truly clean - free of pesticide residues. And that was the problem I set out to solve with Pestiscand.
Krista Bo
00:01:27
It's a handheld device Sirish designed that has a sensor that can detect the presence of pesticide residue.
Sirish Subash
00:01:34
It's as simple to use as just picking up the device and pointing it at a produce item and tapping scan.
Krista Bo
00:01:39
'Right now, Pestiscand is programed to detect three kinds of commonly used pesticides on four different foods - apples, spinach, strawberries and tomatoes. Sirish's invention recently won first place in 3M's Young Scientist Challenge. The win came with a $25,000 cash prize and the title of America's Best Young Scientist.
Sirish Subash
00:01:59
This is really, really exciting for me. And like, this is a dream that I've been having for quite a bit now. I'm just really happy to see it play out.
Krista Bo
00:02:08
Sirish says he'll be setting aside his prize money for college. The ninth grader hasn't settled on an exact career path yet, but he says he wants to apply science to the real world. And he has big goals for the future of Pestiscand.
Sirish Subash
00:02:21
It's something that can be implemented with a little bit more work and a little bit more polishing. Get it out to the public and help improve people's lives.
Krista Bo
00:02:36
Claudene Wilson wants people to know that she's no hero.
Claudene Wilson
00:02:39
Really, I ain't nothing special.
Krista Bo
00:02:41
But the small community of Swedoborg, Missouri, would say otherwise about the longtime school custodian.
Mark Sasfy
00:02:46
She's always been a fixture when you talk Swedoborg, it's always Claudene.
Krista Bo
00:02:50
'Swedoborg District III elementary school assistant administrator Mark Sasfy said it marked the, quote, "end of an era," when Claudene announced her retirement after more than 32 years. She started working there as a custodian. But over the last few decades, she's worn many hats for the school - bus driver, handy woman, plumber.
Claudene Wilson
00:03:09
The kids is what triggered everything. Everything that I was doing, was for them.
Krista Bo
00:03:15
The local school board wanted to mark her retirement with a big gesture. So they voted unanimously to name a school building after her. The Claudene Wilson Learning Center. Claudene isn't the kind of person to ask for attention or acknowledgment, so they kept the naming a secret until the last minute.
Claudene Wilson
00:03:34
I wasn't expecting my name to be on the building. That I was not expecting.
Krista Bo
00:03:39
Claudene is now what you would describe as mostly retired. She's still driving busses part time.
Claudene Wilson
00:03:45
For 30 years, you can't just, I guess you'd say just go cold turkey.
Mark Sasfy
00:03:49
I don't think we could go cold turkey without Claudene. So it's to everyone's benefit. She's just irreplaceable. But we will make do.
Krista Bo
00:03:58
She may not have left a classroom, but Claudene said she hopes she taught the students of Swedoborg a lesson or two over the years.
Claudene Wilson
00:04:05
Kindness, understanding, and just love each other.
Krista Bo
00:04:15
For many cancer patients, hair loss from chemotherapy can be one of the most humbling and difficult side effects to deal with. Well, a startup from Ireland is trying to ease their suffering with their new device called Lilly.
Aaron Hannon
00:04:28
So Lily is a portable, wearable device that can be used in the clinic and at home to prevent patients from losing their hair during chemotherapy treatment.
Krista Bo
00:04:38
Aaron Hannon is the CEO and founder of Luminate. He told me a story he heard from a young mom battling breast cancer inspired him and his team to create Lily.
Aaron Hannon
00:04:47
She was talking about how she just didn't want to have to tell her kids about what she was going through. She just wanted her kids to think that she was okay. And what Lily enables us to do is give patients that sense of privacy and their ability to control whether they want to tell somebody if they're going through cancer treatment.
Krista Bo
00:05:06
One way to limit hair loss during cancer treatment is by scalp cooling. It's where a patient puts on headgear that's hooked up to a big machine that runs a cooling liquid through it, to reduce blood flow to the hair follicles. But it's often uncomfortable, doesn't always work, and requires patients to stay in the hospital for longer. Aaron says Lily is different because, one, it's portable. Two, it's cheaper. And three, it uses pressure instead of cooling.
Aaron Hannon
00:05:32
So essentially, we work by saying this low level pressure that keeps the hair follicle safe from being accessed by chemo but ultimately doesn't reduce blood flow in the longer term.
Krista Bo
00:05:40
Luminate has run trials in Europe, and Aaron says about 75% of patients didn't have any hair loss when they wore the lily helmet during their treatment. They're working on conducting a clinical trial in the U.S., which Aaron says is key to getting FDA approval.
Aaron Hannon
00:05:57
I think the thing that's most rewarding is when you hear patients say that it completely changed their experience of going through cancer treatment and it took away one of their their biggest fears that they faced. So for us, that's all what we're about. That's what we want to deliver.
Krista Bo
00:06:18
The Appalachian Trail to the east, the Pacific Crest Trail on the West Coast. These are some of America's most beautiful hiking trails. And if you go back 100 years, give or take, these legendary trails were just ideas. Now, Charlie Gandy says it's time to dream big and carve out a new epic adventure trail across the state of Texas.
Charlie Gandy
00:06:40
'You know, as a 66-year-old native Texan, I can't think of something more important to do than to build something that will be a legacy in Texas.
Krista Bo
00:06:51
'The avid hiker and cyclist is mapping out a brand new 1500 mile trail called the Cross Texas Trail, or X-Tx for short. It will span across the state of Texas from the east to the west.
Charlie Gandy
00:07:04
It starts in Orange and it ends in El Paso, through the prettiest backcountry parts of Texas that most people don't know about. This trail is rural. It's rustic. It's rugged and therefore romantic.
Krista Bo
00:07:20
'He says it's X-Tx is for hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders to see what Texas is all about. Ideally, in the winter or spring, when it's not too hot or cold in the state.
Charlie Gandy
00:07:29
We have imagined a trail that is target rich with hot springs, cold springs, rivers, mountains, cows, horses or barbecue, beer. It's true Texas.
Krista Bo
00:07:42
'Charlie said they're trying to have the first part of the trail in the east ready to go by next spring. Building the X-Tx with his wife and the nonprofit Bike Texas has come with its challenges. Did you know 96% of land in Texas is privately owned? So he's got to get buy in from local landowners. Luckily, most landowners he's talked to so far, see the vision and want their property to be a part of this legacy route.
Charlie Gandy
00:08:05
When people attach themselves to something bigger than themselves, they feel better. We'll look back on this and say, that was a good use of our time, talent and treasure.
Krista Bo
00:08:16
Head to xtexas.org for more information on the trail and how you can help.
Krista Bo
00:08:27
'Up next, a heartwarming story about a woman saving her wife's life. We got to take a quick break, but before we go, do you have any feel good stories to share? Did you help a neighbor in need? Raise awareness about a cause? Do something that will help people and or the planet? Call us and let us know. We want to hear from you. The number is 404-981-2293. And don't forget to tell us your name and how we can reach you. Your voicemail could be featured in an upcoming episode of the podcast. We'll be right back.
Krista Bo
00:09:02
Many married couples will tell you that they're a good match when it comes to things like values, goals and chemistry. But Felicia Gray learned her wife of 20 years was a perfect match in another unexpected way. She was an exact match for her much needed kidney transplant.
Felicia Eaton
00:09:20
I was blown away that she would be a match. I mean, who marries their match? It's usually a blood relative or a stranger.
Krista Bo
00:09:32
Felicia says the decision to put her wife, Erica Eaton, through the transplant surgery was a tough one.
Felicia Gray
00:09:38
I felt guilty. What if something happened to her while she was trying to help me? I told her, "no!," multiple times.
Krista Bo
00:09:46
But for Erica, the decision to give her wife a kidney was easy.
Erica Eaton
00:09:50
'She definitely did ask me to cancel my end of the situation, and I categorically refused. One, because I'm a bit stubborn. And two, because I wouldn't consider what the other side of that look like - if I had said no and she couldn't find a donor.
Krista Bo
00:10:10
So in July, Felicia underwent kidney transplant surgery. She says the experience has made their relationship even stronger.
Felicia Gray
00:10:17
The appreciation I have for her is very different now. And there's no way I would have gotten to even the recovery without her. And that was, that was challenging, because she's recovering herself.
Erica Eaton
00:10:28
I do it again. I only have one, so I can't give up another one. But you know, I would.
Krista Bo
00:10:33
Federal data shows there are more than 100,000 people on the transplant waiting list in the U.S.. And nearly 90% of the people on the list are waiting for kidneys. If you're interested in becoming an organ donor, please check out organdonor.gov.
Krista Bo
00:10:54
All right. That's all for now. We hope you'll join us tomorrow for the next edition of One Thing. And regular episodes of Five Good Things Drop every Saturday.
Krista Bo
00:11:02
Five Good Things as a production of CNN Audio. This episode was produced by Emily Williams, Eryn Mathewson and me, Krista Bo. Our senior producers are Felicia Patinkin and Faiz Jamil. Matt Dempsey is our production manager. Dan Dzula is our technical director and Steve Lickteig is the executive producer of CNN Audio. We got support from Joey Salvia, Haley Thomas, Alex Manasseri, Robert Mathers, Jon Dianora, Leni Steinhardt, Jamus Andrest, , Nichole Pesaru and Lisa Namerow. Special thanks to Katie Hinman. And thank you for listening. Take care. Till next time.
