What happens if you don't "mind the gap"?

It happened last August near Perth, in Western Australia. A man boarding a rush-hour train at Sterling Station forgot to "mind the gap." He slipped and one foot became wedged between the train and the platform. According to Transperth spokesman David Hynes, "We alerted the driver to make sure the train didn't move." Then Transperth staff got everyone off the train and organized them to tilt the carriage backwards away from the platform, as shown here.

The man's leg was saved when fellow passengers tilted the 10,000 ton train, which was squeezing him limb. An ambulance was called, but he did not require hospitalization. "Everyone pitched in," said Hynes. "It was people power that saved someone from possibly quite serious injury."

"unexplainable by western science"

Is it possible that "giving" is good medicine? Brice Royer of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, thinks so. He was diagnosed in 2012 with a rare type of stomach cancer. At first he contemplated suicide, but then he read scientific studies about healing with love, so instead of being depressed, he launched a year of random acts of kindness.

                                                                                                                    Arlen Redekop / PNG

Among other good deeds, he spent last winter raising $25,000 to buy a home for a single mom and her daughter. He arranged for delivery of organic vegetables to the shelter where she stayed. He gave money to strangers who needed help with rent. On April 14, his caregiver wheeled him to his doctor to get the results of an MRI. Here he is receiving the news, which the doctor called "unexplainable by western science." The cancer is gone.

9-year-old raises money for his own adoption

Donnie and Jimmy Davis of Springfield, MO, have been Tristan Jacobson's legal guardians since he was five, but never had enough disposable income to pay adoption fees and make him their "real" son. They started an online fundraising account, but it only attracted $60, so they decided to save by cutting costs. Donnie stopped getting her hair and nails done. They switched to prepaid cell phones. Finally they held a yard sale, getting rid of anything they didn't need. Tristan wanted to help, so he sold lemonade. A local paper did a story about his lemonade stand. So did a TV station.

                                                                         Andrew Jansen/Springfield News-Leader, via AP
On the weekend of the yard sale, more than 600 people appeared. One couple drove over two hours. Tristan's lemonade only cost $1 a glass, but many customers paid $20. By day's end, the family had earned $6,500, mostly from lemonade sales. It's more than enough to pay for Tristan's adoption. And the online fundraising page that was stuck at $60? It grew to $11,374. Tristan really wanted to be adopted, and he's thrilled.

Is there a secret to finding true joy?

"My message is to be kind to others." Maya Delgado

Maya Delgado of Dallas, TX, is home-schooled in the morning, and plays the guitar, sings, dances and acts in the afternoon at the elite Septien Entertainment Group, whose alumni include Selena Gomez and Jessica Simpson. She's only nine years old, but she already knows there are lots of talented children from military families who want to pursue the arts but can't afford to.

                                                                                                                         Photo credit: WFAA
"So I begged my parents and said, 'Please can I have a 501 C-3 to help these very amazing and talented kids?' They finally said 'Yes' and I was so happy." She wasn't sure what to call her charity until she noticed a beautiful picture of hearts she painted when she was five. "I saw my painting and I thought, Hearts of Maya." The charity's board of advisors are all young people and so far it has given away thousands of dollars in scholarships. One recipient was Isaac Smith, who acts and dances. He explains, "You have older people and adults that do this, and the fact that she is a little girl and can do all of this is amazing." To learn more, visit heartsofmaya.org

If you'll be my star, I'll be your sky

100 year old grandmother evicted from apartment

It happened April 1, but it was no joke. That's the day Evelyn Heller, 100 and partly deaf, defended herself in a Palm Desert, CA, courtroom against an eviction notice. Her landloard, Deep Canyon Desert LLC, wanted her to move out because she had loud arguments with her daughter and her apartment was a mess. The judge agreed with the landlord and evicted Heller, who said she had no money and didn't want to burden on her grandchildren. "They don't have room for me," she said.

                                                                                                        The Desert Sun / USA Today
Heller's eviction was front page news in The Desert Sun, and dozens of readers called to help. Many offered small donations. A local nursing home offered to let her skip their waiting list. A man from Georgia offered to let her use his spare bedroom. And Congressman Paul Ruiz introduced her to Adult Protective Services, which helped her find a new apartment. But could she afford it? Yes, thanks to a gift from millionaire philanthropist Tony Robbins. He offered her $1,000 each month for the next two years. Why? "I wanted her to not have to worry forever," he said. "At this stage in her life, it's a joy for me to give her that sense of stability and security."