Derby Bob’s 80th Straight Kentucky Derby

Bob Weihe first attended the Kentucky Derby in 1947, when his mother took him at age 9 and told him to crawl through the crowd to catch a glimpse of the horses. He hasn’t missed one since. On Saturday, May 2, the 89-year-old Louisville man—after four months in the hospital and a recent stay in hospice care—made it to his 80th.

His family wasn’t sure it would happen. Bob’s blood pressure had been nosediving for months, and he couldn’t eat. Then in mid-April, his reading came back a perfect 120/80. He told his family he wanted to go home, and from there, he set his sights on the Derby. Churchill Downs provided tickets after a CBS reporter’s public plea, and Bob arrived with a police escort, wearing a custom hat reading “Derby Bob’s 80th.”

He was welcomed as a VIP, met the track president, and watched Golden Tempo rally from last to win in a historic race, the first Derby victory for a female trainer. He even picked the three horses that finished in the top three, netting a family member around $56,000.

Back home that night, surrounded by a dozen family members, Bob summed it up: “I’m still alive.”

Former NICU Baby Gives Back

Abigail Williford was born 10 weeks early, weighing just 2 pounds, 11 ounces. She spent her first 91 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital in North Carolina. Every year since, her family has returned on her birthday with a cake to celebrate with the staff who cared for her.

Now 18 and a senior at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Abby has also logged more than 75 hours of volunteer work at the hospital, rotating through departments from the emergency room to the cancer center. “I know some babies born premature like I was don’t make it to 18, especially 18 and healthy,” she said. “I think that’s an amazing accomplishment and testament to both my doctors and God.”

This fall, Abby will begin studying biology and public health at East Carolina University Honors College on a pre-med track, with plans to become a physician. Her mother, Kimberly, said the NICU experience planted the seed early. “We are forever grateful for the hands that held our daughter at the very beginning. Because of them, we get to watch her step into a future that once felt uncertain.”

Dog Rescued from 13th-Floor Ledge

A Jack Russell terrier named Elbie was rescued from a 13th-floor ledge of a Sydney high-rise after spending two days stranded. The 2-year-old dog had slipped through a gap on her owner’s balcony and ended up trapped on a narrow ledge on the opposite side of the building.

After her owner posted missing flyers around the Meriton Apartments, a neighbor flew a drone around the exterior and spotted Elbie. Firefighter Joel Spillane then rappelled down from the roof using vertical rescue equipment and spent 20 minutes maneuvering the dog to safety as a crowd watched. The onlookers cheered when Elbie was finally lifted through an apartment window.

“I didn’t know if I was going to see her again. So very happy,” owner Jake Dobrin said.

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Feel Good Flyover Podcast. Clicking the link will take you directly there:

➤ A 4-year-old in Oregon saved her grandmother after she fell unresponsive. (Listen Now)

➤ A nostalgic ’80s reading program is back this summer, dangling free personal pan pizzas to get kids turning pages. (Hear Story)

➤ Nearly two decades after foster care, a Phoenix mother tracked down the CPS caseworker who changed her life. (Hear Details)

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➤ A Spirit Airlines pilot whose retirement flight was canceled when the airline abruptly shut down got a heartwarming surprise when Southwest Airlines threw him a full send-off ceremony, complete with a water cannon salute and cheering crew. (Full Story)

➤ Thirty years after losing his eyesight in a Gulf War explosion, an Army veteran can “see” again thanks to new Meta AI smart glasses. The voice-activated specs identify clothing colors, read menus aloud, recognize faces, and guide him as he walks outside. (Full Story) 

➤ Instead of answering tow truck calls one evening, a Saskatchewan driver spotted a moose stranded in a frozen waterway and used his sling strap to pull the exhausted animal to safety. (See Photos)

➤ A group of Australian high school students sprang into action when they came across a hiker with a broken leg, rigging a stretcher from tarp poles and a hammock and carrying him over two hours to safety. (See Photos) 

➤ An 88-year-old Army veteran was still working full-time at a Michigan grocery store when his story went viral online, raising nearly $2 million to help him retire. Now he’s paying it forward by donating to struggling veterans in each of the 50 states. (See Details) 

➤ After battling brain tumors for years, a 12-year-old boy raised $22.25 at his lemonade stand and donated every penny to the hospital treating him. When his story went viral, an anonymous donor joined in his generosity, contributing a stunning $100,000. (See Details)

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A Chinese company set a Guinness World Record by flying 22,580 drones at once in a synchronized outdoor show.

video via Guiness World Records – YouTube

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“I drove up beside him there to look over and I couldn’t leave him. I thought, ‘Oh, OK, everybody’s got to wait, I’ve got to get this guy out.’”

— Clint Gottinger, a tow truck operator in Saskatchewan, describing rescuing a moose trapped in the ice.