Legends Report – Obama Welcomes Syrian Scientist | Footballer’s Heart-Breaking Loss | Tim Peake Heads to Space
By Jairaj Singh, Associate Partner, Lighthouse International
There are many things I’ve read recently that have moved me but this story from Humans of New York is truly heart-breaking yet deeply inspiring. So much so that President Obama and actor Edward Norton have picked up the cause of a Syrian scientist who lost 7 members of his family in a missile attack. The 8-part story was told during Humans of New York founder – Brandon Stanton’s trip to Turkey to meet some of the Syrian families the US is relocating. It’s incredible to see that after all he has gone through, the scientist who’s name we don’t know yet still has a desire to make a difference to the world, the hallmark of a true legend. Here is part of the story below…
“I was overseeing a project outside the city when the missile hit my house. Nobody was around to help, so my son had to carry the pieces of his mother and sister out of the house. He was fourteen at the time. He was so smart. He was the top of his class. He’s not the same. Right after it happened, he’d write ‘mom’ in his notebook over and over. He’d cry all night long. Two years have passed but he’s still suffering very much. It’s very hard for him to focus. He gets tired very easily. My daughter was in the house too. She still has shrapnel in her neck. We survived but we’re dead psychologically. Everything ended for us that day. That was our destiny. That was our share in life.”
President Obama replied to the post on Facebook.
“As a husband and father, I cannot even imagine the loss you’ve endured,” the president wrote. “You and your family are an inspiration. I know the great people of Michigan will embrace you with the compassion and the support you deserve.
“Welcome to your new home,” he added. “You’re part of what makes America great.”
Click this link and read the 8 parts of his story at the top of the page…
Harry Arter dedicated #AFCB’s win over #MUFC to his family, after death of his daughter. https://t.co/nsPRZwYKA8 pic.twitter.com/wAkiNECtfe
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 13, 2015
Bournemouth FC midfielder Harry Arter dedicated Saturday’s Premier League victory over Manchester United to his family following the death of his newly-born daughter. In keeping with the Syrian scientist’s story above, Arter was determined to play for the sake of his own emotional health and his family. He still wanted to perform his duty and it was wonderful to see his manager Eddie Howe and team mates rally round him as he fought back tears during the end of the game. It’s a sign of great teams that they support one another through adversity. It can often make teams stronger and it’s no wonder they beat a once dominant Manchester United in the process.
Harry Arter said:
“I just felt that coming in and trying to take my mind off things would make it a little bit easier, my family would want me to play. While people maybe grieve in their own way, I found it easier to come in and play and try and do everyone proud.”
Read more at the BBC…
Today (15th December), Tim Peake became the first British European Space Agency astronaut to fly to the International Space Station. He took off in the spectacular Russian-built Soyuz rocket and the BBC have a fascinating interview with him as to how he became an astronaut starting when he was young. What shines through is the commitment and desire he had to follow his vision, plus the support and training he received from the army to become highly disciplined – all key principles that legends follow. He eventually beat over 8000 applicants to be one of the very few people to live in space. Read the fascinating story here…
Related Posts
Header City Panorama Image by Damien du Toit @ Flickr / CC By 2.0