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If you’ve been putting it off, today’s the day! January 6 is National Take Down the Christmas Tree Day—time to say goodbye to the holiday decorations and make room for the new year’s adventures. Let’s get to it!

Health Sciences

Regenerative Heart

A groundbreaking study has revealed that some patients with artificial hearts can regenerate heart muscle tissue, marking a historic first in human medicine. Published in Circulation, the findings could revolutionize heart failure treatment, a condition affecting nearly 7 million U.S. adults and accounting for 14% of annual deaths. While current treatments like medications, transplants, or left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) focus on managing symptoms or supporting circulation, this discovery points toward the potential for regeneration and even a cure.

The research, led by physician-scientists at the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center, involved collaboration with international experts from Sweden and Germany. Utilizing heart tissue samples from artificial heart patients provided by the University of Utah, the team employed carbon dating to confirm that these patients regenerated heart muscle cells at a rate six times higher than healthy hearts. According to Dr. Hesham Sadek, director of the Sarver Heart Center, this challenges the long-held belief that heart muscle cannot regenerate after injury. The findings suggest that resting the heart, facilitated by devices like LVADs, could promote muscle repair and regeneration, similar to how skeletal muscles heal after injury.

Despite the promising potential, only about 25% of patients with artificial hearts experience this regeneration, prompting further research to uncover why some respond while others do not. Sadek’s earlier studies had shown that heart muscle cells cease dividing shortly after birth to focus on pumping blood, but his 2014 research hinted that artificial hearts might encourage regeneration by reducing the heart's workload. “If we can determine how to make all patients respond, we could effectively cure heart failure,” Sadek explained. With LVADs already in widespread use, the study highlights the exciting possibility of leveraging proven technology to develop transformative treatments for one of the world’s leading causes of death.

Good News

Denied, Crowdfunded, Gifted

A 9-year-old girl, Remi Bateman, born without a left hand, faced a significant hurdle when her insurance provider, Select Health, denied coverage for a high-tech prosthetic arm, labeling it “not medically necessary.” Despite prior approvals for three prosthetics, the insurer argued that the advanced Hero Arm was purely cosmetic. Undeterred, Remi’s family turned to crowdfunding and successfully raised $24,000 to cover the cost of the prosthetic.

In a remarkable twist, Andy Schoonover, CEO of CrowdHealth, stepped in after the fundraiser’s success to cover the full expense of Remi’s Hero Arm. This generosity allowed the Bateman family to redirect the donations to help another child in need, Taj Johnson Jr., who was also fundraising for a Hero Arm but had only raised $1,500. Remi and her family’s decision brought hope and relief to Taj’s family, who expressed overwhelming gratitude for the unexpected support.

Thanks to the combined efforts, both children will soon receive the multi-grip prosthetics, enabling them to perform everyday tasks like tying shoes or climbing monkey bars. Remi’s mother emphasized the importance of the device for her daughter’s spinal and shoulder health as she grows. Inspired by their success, the Batemans decided to keep their fundraiser open to assist a third child, Faith, in obtaining her Hero Arm, continuing their mission to transform lives one step at a time.

Sports

Boy's NFL Moment

A young boy’s special moment at a football game turned sour when stadium security confiscated a game ball handed to him by Broncos star Patrick Surtain II.

Levi Still, a devoted Denver Broncos fan despite his father’s Bengals allegiance, attended the game decked out in a Surtain jersey. After the game, Surtain personally handed Levi a football, leaving the boy thrilled. However, security intervened, citing rules that prohibited taking the ball home. Levi’s mom, Tracey Ewing, took to social media to plead for help, and the effort paid off. A security guard later confirmed the ball’s return after verifying it could be released. Levi and his family retrieved the ball from the stadium, restoring his unforgettable memory.

“I felt happy because I thought I’d never get it back,” Levi said.

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Mind Stretchers

⁉️ 

Look closely at the sequence:
2, 5, 10, 17, 26, __
What number comes next in the sequence?

Answers to yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:

I’m a number that’s greater than 10, But subtract me from 100, and you’ll get me again. What number am I? —50, James Godfrey got this early! ☀️ 

The first to send us the correct answer for today’s mind stretcher for a shout-out with the answer tomorrow. Just send us the answer and your name to [email protected] or reply to the email.

If you have any uplifting stories and experience you might want to share, send those over to [email protected] for the chance to be featured