Welcome to the Good News Roundup for December 2, 2024.
Study launched into ‘super survivors’
A major international study has been launched into the small percentage of cancer patients who survive long after being diagnosed with the most severe forms of the disease.
Researchers will analyse tumours and DNA, blood proteins, and molecular biomarkers in the hope of understanding why some people respond so well to cancer treatment and live longer than expected.
It’s hoped the research will help identify cancer weaknesses, in the hope of improving the outcome for others.
Giant rats brought in to sniff out poachers
A Tanzanian non-profit organisation is training giant rats to use scent detection to sniff out illegal wildlife trafficking.
The giant rodent – think the size of a cat – has a demonstrated ability to sniff out landmines and survivors among rubble in natural disaster zones.
Now the non-profit APOPO is looking to crack the $23 billion trade, by using the rats to sniff out wildlife products being hidden to be trafficked out of Africa.
Cuddle beds to provide comfort to those in palliative care
A Queensland man who lay beside his beloved wife as she took her final breath after a short battle with cancer, has donated nine specially sized ‘cuddle beds’ to palliative hospitals in her honour.
Bruce McGowan launched the McGowan Foundation after losing wife Belinda three years ago, aiming to improve end-of-life experiences for the sick and their families.
With a particular focus on supporting regional hospitals – Belinda had always been a ‘country girl’ – the McGowan Foundation donated the dedicated ‘cuddle beds’ to allow people to lie with their loved ones in their final days.
Forever Grateful for a Cheesy Gift
We are bringing you the Christmas reminder that nobody needed for the first week of December; the joy of giving can be even more rewarding when it involves cheese.
At least that’s the case for father-of-five Matthew Lloyd, and his now-award-winning backyard creamery in the West Midlands of England.
He is putting his interest in cheese down to a $10 novelty cheese-making kit he received from his sister-in-law as a Christmas present five years ago, going on to teach himself the process of cheese-making with the help of books and the internet.
And while Mr Lloyd considers it something of a midlife crisis, he is also particularly good at it – winning several awards and regularly selling out of product.
