By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Man's effort to send fast-food worker to nursing school goes viral
352c2be7d8b119299a02f3c76cd3d7ec00f63c342b2d39e8a316f968be086d96
A simple exchange at a drive-thru window ultimately changed the lives of a customer and the woman who took his order. - photo by Jessica Ivins
Jessica Ivins
KSL.com
Published: Apr 13, 2017, 3:19 PM
KANSAS CITY, Mo. A simple exchange at a drive-thru window ultimately changed the lives of a customer and the woman who took his order.

Donald Carter pulled up to a Kansas City Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurant in March for some chicken, and found himself chatting with the employee on the other end of the speaker Shajuana Mays, Today reported.

After noticing Mays was obviously exhausted, Carter tried to cheer her up by asking her if she had any big plans. Thats when Mays revealed her dream to leave her job in fast food and go to nursing school, WCMH News reported.

Carter got his food, wished her the best and drove away, but he couldnt stop thinking about Mays and her goal.

Literally crunching on the chicken and this thought dawns on me, Carter told WCMH. What if you pay for her to go to school?

So Carter hatched a plan that involved setting up a GoFundMe page* and reaching out to his friends for help. He looked up the average cost of a CNA program and license roughly $1,500 and set out to raise the money with the help of his social network.

I figured if I could get about 300 of my FB friends to put up $5 each, we could do it no problem, Carter wrote on the GoFundMe page. Id do a Facebook live broadcast presenting her with the gift if we pulled it off. Just a random act of kindness from a few hundred strangers.

Carter was shocked when in just three days hundreds of people rallied behind Mays and donated far beyond the $1,500 goal, Today reported. The effort spread so quickly that it even caught the attention of several nurses, who recommended Carter up the fundraising goal so that Mays could afford to become a licensed practical nurse as well, according to the Kansas City Star.

As the project gathered more momentum, Carter had a moment where he questioned if he was doing the right thing after all, he didnt even really know this woman or if this was really what she would want.

I had a choice at that moment to shut it down and stop it, or let peoples kindness pour through this one little portal I created, he told the Star. So I threw caution to the wind. What do I have to lose to let people be extravagantly kind to someone?

Carter put in a call to the manager of the Popeyes to ask if he could surprise Mays at work. Then, true to his promise, he showed up at the restaurant to present her with the life-changing gift. One of his friends caught the exchange on video and posted it to YouTube as of Tuesday night it had been viewed more than 12,300 times.

The video shows Carter explaining to Mays that her spark inspired him, and that with the help of his Facebook friends, he was going to send her to nursing school. She immediately bursts into tears and pulls Carter in for a big hug.

I dont even know how to describe it in words, Mays says. Its an emotional feeling right now thats unexplainable, but its all good and happy emotions and feelings. Im excited I actually get to pursue something that Ive always wanted to be doing for a very long time.

Carter was inspired and uplifted by the response his idea elicited. Its made him want to do more.

What if we found someone every month and came together as a community and helped them? he told the Star. What can we do together to show kindness to somebody or to each other? It just shows how powerful it is when people collectively decide to do something like this.

The GoFundMe account is still accepting donations for Mays. As of Tuesday night, the effort had raised more than $15,000.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
93cbd7a5475cccd1cee701424125d3abaa9b4beaa58d3663208f656cbbbd7661
A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.