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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his parents Randi and Pat
Family

Patrick Mahomes' Parents: The Inside Story of Their Relationship

Make no mistake about it: Patrick Mahomes is the face of the NFL. The Tyler, Texas native is the son of Pat Mahomes, a former Major League Baseball player, and Randi Martin.He burst onto the scene in 2018 when he made history by throwing 50 touchdown passes and 5,000 yards in a single season — a record he shares with Peyton Manning. He followed up his initial success by leading the Kansas City Chiefs to an incredible victory at Super Bowl LIV. If that wasn’t enough, he carried the team through to yet another Super Bowl the very next year, though they ended up losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mahomes has gone to two more Super Bowls since and he's won back-to-back titles (2023 and 2024).Mahomes has been rewarded for his efforts when he scored one of the biggest, most lucrative deals in sports history by signing a contract extension worth $503 million. It’s not just his career that’s been flourishing beyond belief — the 25-year-old became engaged to his high school sweetheart Brittany Matthews on September 1, 2020, and the two welcomed a baby girl in 2021 and a baby boy in 2022.And it's a family affair – as he's had success, we've seen his brother Jackson Mahomes alongside for the journey.

Boy Defends Blind Classmate From Bullies - Instead of Applauding Him, He Is Nearly Suspended
Everyday Heroes

Boy Defends Blind Classmate From Bullies - Instead of Applauding Him, He Is Nearly Suspended

Cody Pine, a student who defended a visually impaired boy against a bully, faced potential backlash from his school for stepping in, which prompted an outpouring of support worldwide.Shocking Sight It was lunchtime at Huntington Beach High School when footage captured a visually impaired child being bullied and assaulted by another student. Fellow classmate Grant Morels gave KCAL9 saw it all unfold. "I saw like a half-circle around a group of kids and I wanted to see what was up. I see this kid like getting wailed on by another kid."- Grant Morels, Huntington Beach High School studentA Jarring SaveSuddenly, Grant's step-brother Cody swooped in and knocked the bully down with a single punch. He then hovered above him asking why he was 'jumping a blind kid.'Shortly afterwards, police arrived and arrested the bully for misdemeanour battery and released him to his parents. Meanwhile, the student who intervened was free to go, but wasn't off the hook. Despite the footage and witnesses, the school said it would still investigate Cody's actions, citing their 'zero-tolerance' policy on violence. “The school is now responding to this isolated incident by interviewing students and witnesses to determine exactly what happened," the district said in its statement.A Hero's WelcomeThe incident sparked an online petition that has gathered nearly 80,000 responses. The petition stated that "while violence is never the best option what Cody did to defend his friend and classmate was justified."Commenters flooded the site with words of support.Said one: "The hero did the right thing. Don't punish a kid for doing the right thing!!!!""Great job! Our future is in good hands because of young men such as yourself."- Jeff Smith, petitioner"The day you punish people who protect the helpless is the day you've lost humanity. Don't be STUPID!" protested another. Celebrate HeroesHuntington Beach student Maya Jensen applauded Cody's courage. "A lot of people are calling him a hero and I would as well for stepping in when no one else did and decide to just film it instead."- Maya Jensen, Huntington Beach High School studentIt's often hard to do the right thing, especially when everyone else is standing by. Courage comes with risks of harm or even job loss. However, Cody decided that the biggest risk was standing by as a helpless friend was being abused. And while violence should never be celebrated, his acting to do what's right should. More from Goalcast:Bullied Boy Loses Hope After a Priceless Gift From His Grandmother Is Stolen – But His Best Friends Feel OtherwiseBullies Target 7-Year-Old in Horrific Hate Crime – Little Did They Know 20 Bikers Would Show Up at Their SchoolMiddle School Student Sees Classmate Getting Bullied For Having Old Shoes — Uses Allowance to Buy Him New Pair

Parents Abandon Their Baby at an Orphanage Doorstep - After Vowing to Prove Them Wrong, She Now Models for Vogue
Uplifting News

Parents Abandon Their Baby at an Orphanage Doorstep - After Vowing to Prove Them Wrong, She Now Models for Vogue

Xueli Abbing was left abandoned outside of an orphanage when she was a baby, her birth parents disappearing without a trace. Today, the 16-year-old has become a star model with an ambitious dream — she wants to change the world.Perfectly ImperfectFor over three decades, thousands of babies in China were abandoned by their birth parents due to the country's one-child policy — Xueli Abbing was one of them. Named 'Xue' meaning snow and 'Li' for beautiful by staff at the orphanage, Abbing was born with albinism, a genetic disorder that causes a reduced amount of pigment melanin — or no melanin at all — and can result in pale skin, hair, and eyes.Despite the hardships she faced from a young age, Abbing was adopted by a family in the Netherlands when she was three. At age 11, she was invited by a Hong Kong designer to model for a photoshoot that aimed to portray different forms of beauty."She called the campaign 'perfect imperfections' and asked if I wanted to join her fashion show in Hong Kong," Abbing told the BBC. "That was an amazing experience."From Orphan to Star ModelPeople with albinism can face severe discrimination across the world. Some are even hunted and killed for the false belief that their bones can be used for medicine. "I'm lucky I was only abandoned," Abbing said.Models with albinism also face stereotypes and are often depicted as angels or ghosts in photoshoots and campaigns. "Especially because it perpetuates those beliefs that endanger the lives of children with albinism in countries such as Tanzania and Malawi," Abbing told the BBC. "It makes me sad."But Abbing managed to find a photographer in London who was respectful, and the photos were so incredible that one was sold to Vogue Italia for its June 2019 issue."At the time, I didn't know what an important magazine it was and it took me a while to realize why people got so excited about it," she said.A Beacon of Change in ModelingPhotoshoots are particularly difficult for Abbing, who only has 8 to 10% vision and can't look directly at flashes as it hurts her eyes. But she models anyway, as she likes being able to show a different kind of beauty than typically shown."There are still models who are like eight foot two and skinny but now people with disabilities or differences are featured more in the media and this is great - but it should be normal," she told the BBC.She also manages to find a silver lining in her lack of sight. "Maybe because I cannot see everything properly I focus more on people's voices and what they have to say," she said. "So their inner beauty is more important to me."She Wants to Change the WorldEven though she is still a teenager, Abbing is wise beyond her years. She wants to use her platform to show others that her health condition cannot stop her."I want to use modeling to talk about albinism and say it's a genetic disorder, it's not a curse," she said to the BBC. "The way to talk about it is to say 'a person with albinism' because being 'an albino' sounds as if it defines who you are.""I'm not going to accept that children are being murdered because of their albinism," she added. "I want to change the world." Xueli Abbing to BBCThe Future Is in Good HandsAbbing concluded her story with an extremely important message for us all:"I want other children with albinism - or any form of disability or difference - to know they can do and be anything they want," she said. "People might say you can't do things but you can, just try."Abbing's story of perseverance and ambition is such an important one to share. Counted out and abandoned, she has become a star who wants to impact change.With young people like Abbing shattering stereotypes and conventional standards, the world looks like it's definitely going to be left in good hands.More from Goalcast:Hardworking Grandfather of 10 Receives One Million Dollars – And Vows to Give It Away to Others16-Year-Old Puts Her Abusive Father in Jail – Today, the Police Officers Who Arrested Him Walked Her Down the AisleGirl Is Bullied for Her “Cursed” Skin – Today, After Proving Everyone Wrong, She’s Become a Famous Model

Pregnant Woman With 2 Jobs Makes Only $300 Each Week - Then a Stranger Gives Her Some News That Makes Her Sob
Entrepreneurs

Pregnant Woman With 2 Jobs Makes Only $300 Each Week - Then a Stranger Gives Her Some News That Makes Her Sob

One amazing boss's generous gesture for a working mom is both inspiring and instructive. Tami Forbes is a store manager at Key West Key Lime Pie Company. Despite having many responsibilities, she was only making $300/week.With eight-year-old twins and a baby on the way, Forbes was bartending on weekends to make ends meet. Sadly, her situation is all too common. According to a Forbes article, the United States is dead last in paid maternity leave. Women who take 12 weeks are paid for less than eight weeks.A Show of SupportPhoto by PixabayOn CNBC TV show The Profit, host and self-made millionaire Marcus Lemonis invests his own money into businesses that are failing. One episode took him to none other than the Key West Lime Pie Company.When the cameras turned to Forbes, she shared the struggles and frustrations of being a working mom. "That first month of your child's life is so important to have not only with your child but with your spouse or co-parent," she said. "That idea that your family comes first should be more of a mindset in corporations and in small businesses and that's something that I feel has been lost."Moved by her story, Lemonis met Forbes to share some news. Pointing to her belly, he said, "This is more important than any pie you have to make." He then announced that he was giving her 6 months of pay along with a promotion. Forbes would return from leave running the location and earning $1,000/week, ending her bartending days. Lemonis then shared a hug with a teary -- and relieved -- Forbes. "I'm going to give you a cheque and it should help you just be able to rest and take care of your baby."- Marcus Lemonis Working Moms MatterAccording to CNBC, 9.8 million working moms in the United States are suffering from burnout. It's a cycle that starts when they leave the delivery room, where they have insufficient pay or time to spend with their family. In this day and age, that's tragic. While Lemonis's actions were admirable, hopefully in the future it will be universal. Ultimately, a worry-free mom makes for a happy household and motivated employee. Now that's a win-win.There's already proof that investing in people is a winning business model. Beyond that, supporting families and the women who nurture them is also a winning human model. We should all learn from Lemonis and support our working moms. After all, they're raising our future. More from Goalcast:Pregnant Woman Is Unable to Take Maternity Leave – Then, Her Manager Tells Her a Lie to Bring Her Into WorkPregnant Woman Delivers Baby in Chipotle Parking Lot – And the Restaurant’s Response Wasn’t What She Expected

Teen Is Sent Home From School Because of Inappropriate Outfit - This Is How She Got Her Revenge
Uplifting News

Teen Is Sent Home From School Because of Inappropriate Outfit - This Is How She Got Her Revenge

A student in Oklahoma protested her school's sexist dress code policy by making a fool out of the administration.Why One Student Was Sent Home From SchoolPhoto by PixabayOne day back in 2015, a teenager named Rose Lynn went to her school in Lawton, Oklahoma, wearing black leggings, a T-shirt, a long cardigan, and boots. While her outfit seems harmless enough, she was sent home by teachers because the shirt didn't cover her crotch."Today I was sent home from class, after being in school for two hours, for my outfit," Rose wrote in a Facebook post that went viral when it was first posted but has since been taken down. "Because I’m developed [more] than the average girl my age, I am required to go home and change. Yet, if I was skin and bones or overweight (not to offend anyone) I would be overlooked and no comment would be made (at my particular school) because ‘they must do that to feel better about themselves and they crave attention.’ But because I look like a curvy woman and may distract young boys, I have to miss class and change my outfit."To make matters worse, Rose Lynn was sent home before she could do her 20-minute algebra exam, so had to miss the test.How One Student Got Her RevengeWhen Rose Lynn came back to school, she wore something that had little chance of distracting the boys (or adults) — an oversized shirt that covered her crotch and black leggings. "I was completely covered crotch, butt, cleavage, etc. (even though the only problem was the crotch)," she explained, according to Yahoo.She was still taken out of class by two principals and three teachers and scolded, but not for how revealing her clothing was. It was due to what was written on her shirt. "They were upset because I was ‘mocking them’ and they didn’t appreciate it," she wrote on Facebook.On the shirt, she'd quoted the reasons why she was suspended in "silent protest." The front read, "It doesn’t cover your crotch" and the back said, "You’ll distract the boys."Rose Lynn was subsequently sent home again with the principal and teachers saying it was because she didn't have her student ID, which was left in the classroom she'd been called out of."Once again, society has failed to advocate [for] young ladies, by confining them in a box, where they are stripped from their sense of self-respect and self-expression, rather than teaching young men to respect the boundaries of young ladies. My response: #‎Feminism #‎YoullDistractTheBoys #‎SocietyIsFailing," Rose Lynn wrote.Stand Up for What You Believe InFollowing the incident, Rose Lynn committed to wearing oversize shirts with leggings, but says other students with less curvy bodies were not punished.Rose Lynn's father, Lance Miles, took his daughter's side. "If she was built like a board or as round as a ball she wouldn’t have been sent home but [since] she has a figure she was told she had to change," he said. Miles went on to blame the school — not a teenager — for their actions. "This is 100% on [Lawton Public Schools] because they have left the rule up to interpretation," he said. "She has been taught that if you believe in something, do what you must and be prepared for the consequences. She has done that."While 2015 might feel like a long time ago, a teenager was sent home from school for wearing a turtleneck(!) recently, proving that there's still work to be done. Still, I don't imagine this school in Oklahoma will be as strict with their dress code after Rose Lynn and her dad completely shut them down.More from Goalcast:17-Year-Old Girl Sent Home in Tears for “Inappropriate” Outfit – Her Angry Dad Fights Back With Powerful MessageMean Employees Mock Woman’s Appearance and Outfit – Her Response Goes Viral and Stuns EveryoneAppalled Mom Stands Up For Daughter Sent Home For Perfectly Reasonable Outfit

Woman Finds Husbands Secret Instagram Account - What She Discovered Shocked Her for the Right Reasons
Uplifting News

Woman Finds Husbands Secret Instagram Account - What She Discovered Shocked Her for the Right Reasons

Rachael Sullivan was shocked to discover an Instagram account with her husband's name on it. She was surprised even more when it turned out to be filled with recipes he made for her.A Secret Food AccountPhoto by Kerde SeverinSullivan was on Instagram's "people you may know" section when she noticed an account with her husband's name on it. "It said 'Tom Sullivan @MealsSheEats,' and I was like, 'Who is this 'she'?'" Rachael told Today.When Rachael clicked on the photos, it became clear that she was the "she" referred to in the account. Each post featured photos of food her husband of four years made for her to help regular her hormones as she tries to get pregnant."I went to the doctor for a checkup and my hormone levels came back all whacked out and I had cysts near my ovaries," Rachael said. "That's when I was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome. They recommend you do a gluten-free and dairy-free diet, and Tom just went full force into it."She Shared Her Discovery on TikTokRachael went on to post a video to TikTok, sharing her discovery of Tom's secret account."Last week, I found out my husband had a secret Instagram account," the post begins. "See I have this condition that could effect my fertility. So for the last year my husband's been helping me regulate my hormones through food so I wouldn't have to go on birth control 'cause I'm just trying to have little giants like him you know?"Tom's InspirationTom loves being a home cook and was inspired by the book WomanCode by Alisa Vitti. The book shares recipes ideas for women to eat during each part of their menstrual cycle to regulate their hormones and Tom would add his own flare to the recipes when he made it for Rachael."An Instagram page just seemed like an easy place to organize [these recipes]," he told Today. "It was for when Rachael would say, 'Hey, what was that meal you made here,' or when friends would ask what Rachael posted on her Instagram and ask for the recipe.""Tom knows more about menstrual cycles than most women do. And, I'm six months regulated right now, which is super exciting."- Rachael Two People Make a BabyAs a result of Rachael's viral TikTok post, Tom's Instagram account has skyrocketed from 69 followers to over 24,000. Meanwhile, the phrase "Last week, I found out my husband had a secret Instagram account" has also gone viral."I literally love this man so much," Rachael says at the end of her TikTok. "And there's nothing I want more in life than to just have his babies."Making a baby is a two-person job, but for so long the business of baby-making was strictly for women to deal with. Not any longer.Men may not be able to give birth, but there are ways they can give of themselves to help their partners along in the fertility and pregnancy process. Wondering how to do that? Just take a look at the sentiment behind @MealsSheEats for inspiration.More from Goalcast:Woman Finds Out Her Lover Is 53 Years Old Pretending to Be a Young Model – Then, She Finds Love With the Real Man in the PhotosWoman Diagnosed With Rare Genetic Disorder Wonders if She’ll Ever Find Love – Then One Man Steps in With the Answer

Man Gives Up First-Class Seat So 88-Year-Old Woman Can Fulfill Lifelong Dream
Uplifting News

Man Gives Up First-Class Seat So 88-Year-Old Woman Can Fulfill Lifelong Dream

An octogenarian always dreamed of sitting in first class on an airplane, so a kind passenger made her wish come true.Best Passengers EverPhoto by RDNE Stock projectBack before lockdowns virtually shut down airline travel and made hugging elderly strangers a dangerous activity, an airplane passenger named Jack did a really sweet thing for an 88-year-old lady named Violet.A Virgin Atlantic flight attendant named Leah Amy recounted the good deed in a Facebook post from December 2019. In it, she said of all the hundreds of flights she's been on, and of all the movie stars, athletes, and supermodels she's met, her two favorite passengers were Jack and Violet. "I wish she was called Vera or Rose," Leah Amy joked.A Simple Act of KindnessThe flight attendant explained that Jack and his family had booked first class seats on a flight home to New York, but then he met Violet before boarding and decided to give her his seat."Jack went and found Violet in economy and swapped seats with her," Leah Amy wrote. "He then sat on the row of seats directly next to the economy toilets and never made a peep or asked for anything the rest of the flight. No fuss, no attention, literally did it out of the kindness of his own heart, no one asked him too."A Dream Come TrueLeah Amy said Violet is an 88-year-old who had been a nurse in the States and the UK. She usually travels to New York to see her daughter, but hadn't been able to go for a while because of a knee replacement surgery. "Her dream has always been to sit at the front, and Jack made that come true," the post continues."You should of seen her face, when I tucked her in her bed after supper. She said her daughter won’t believe her, and wanted a ‘selfie’ to prove it, but didn’t have a phone or an email address. These photos are getting sent in the post tomorrow, can you even cope?"The post has since received over 24,000 reactions and 5,500 shares.Kindness Is a GiftWow, look at the power of a simple act of kindness. While giving up your seat on a plane isn't something most of us can do right now, there are smaller acts that even if they don't make someone's dream come true they can certainly make someone's day. For instance: sending a letter, telling someone you love them, or volunteering. What simple act of kindness will you do today?More from Goalcast:Airline Refuses to Let Man Board Flight With His Newborn – Then an Elderly Woman Takes Them Both AwayMan Records Elderly Woman Accusing Him of Stealing Her Best Friend’s Car – His Response Goes Viral

Millionaire Reads About Homeless Couple in the News - Shocks Neighbors by Inviting Them to Live In His $4M Mansion
Motivation

Millionaire Reads About Homeless Couple in the News - Shocks Neighbors by Inviting Them to Live In His $4M Mansion

For a decade, Greg Dunston and Marie Mckinzie were among the 8,000 people experiencing homelessness on the streets of San Francisco. At least they were, until millionaire Terry McGrath invited them to stay with him in his home.San Francisco has an infamous issue with homelessness. While being the richest city in America with a largely liberal population, many avert their eyes and refuse to support measures to remedy the issues causing it.Down on Their LuckPhoto by PixabayBut instead of waiting on others to do something, Terry McGrath did his part to help. He read an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about Greg Dunston and Marie Mckinzie, a lovely couple who defied the stereotypes of the type of who live on the street. They weren't alcoholics or drug addicts and they didn't have mental health issues. They did have disabilities -- Dunston is blind in one eye and Mckinzie has a disease that makes it a struggle to walk -- but mainly they were down on their luck."The thing that struck me and got me right away was the love between Greg and Marie and how it was able to survive in probably one of the harshest environments on earth," McGrath told ABC News. "I could feel it."So, McGrath did something unbelievable -- he invited them to stay with him in his $4 million home."There was no decision, there was no thought, there was no judgment. I was just like 'this is done,'" said McGrath, who was divorced and an empty nester so he had plenty of extra room. "I didn't vet them. These are human beings and they're not serial killers. They want to get in out of the weather. They want a roof over their head. They want to be warm."Dunston and Mckinzie were thrilled about McGrath's hospitality."We wanted to do that," Dunston said about moving into McGrath's home. "There are a lot of people out on the streets but they have no choice.""I don't want to live on the streets. A lot of people do, but I want to get in. I love to cook a lot so I wanted a kitchen, bed and shower."Marie Mckinzie Discriminatory NeighborhoodWhen the couple moved in, Taylor warned the local police force in his upper-class neighborhood that they were there with his permission. It was a good thing he did, because shortly after their arrival a neighbor called 911 on the couple simply for existing."I just pulled into the driveway and there's some strange folks hanging around the house," the neighbor said.Another called police to say, "I just wanted to notify you that this woman is sitting at Lexford and Hampton ... She's smoking a cigarette, could be drugs."When McGrath heard one of the neighbor's complaints, he couldn't believe his ears. "I realized when she mentioned the word 'situation' that she was referencing Marie and Greg. And I said, 'What situation? Are they vandalizing cars? Are they burglarizing homes?'"He continued, "I just said, 'This is one of the most offensive conversations I've ever had.'"Everyone Deserves to Have a Roof Over Their HeadsAccording to a local journalist, Piedmont's residents are 74 percent white, 18 percent Asian and less than 2 percent Black.At the time the article was released in early 2020, the formerly homeless couple had been living with McGrath for a year, and he had no plans to kick them out. "They're like family. There's no way I'm going to let them go back to the street," he said. "Most people who know me well know it's easy to start and it's hard to finish. And I'm never not going to finish."San Francisco's homeless situation is truly a national disgrace, and those who say nothing can be done simply need to see this story for proof that individual acts of kindness are possible and will help. No matter who they are or what decisions they've made in their life, everyone deserves a roof over their head if they want it.More from Goalcast:Homeless Couple Couldn’t Afford to Get Married for 24 Years – Then a Stranger Throws Them a Surprise WeddingOwner Asks Homeless Man to Leave the Premises but He Keeps Coming Back – Finally, He Decides to Take a Different Approach

Firefighter Delivers Baby Then Learns Her Mom Cant Keep Her - So He Adopts Her and Gives Her a Home
Everyday Heroes

Firefighter Delivers Baby Then Learns Her Mom Cant Keep Her - So He Adopts Her and Gives Her a Home

Firefighters save lives every day -- it’s their job. But then they move on to the next job and rarely know what ends up happening to the people they rescue. Except in this case, where the firefighter rescued a baby and then decided to adopt her. Marc Hadden is a member of the fire department in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and on November 14, 2011, he had an unusual day at the office -- rather than fighting a fire, he ended up delivering a baby for the very first time.An Unusual 911 CallPhoto by RDNE Stock projectThe baby's birth mother had called 911 complaining of abdominal pain, and Hadden ended up at the scene.“She struggled from the minute she was put in my hands,” said Marc in an interview with PEOPLE. Marc had to give the baby emergency oxygen just seconds after she was born to help her breathe on her own. “It was amazing to hear her cry.”Marc HaddenBut soon after, at the hospital, the birth mother said she couldn’t care for her daughter -- and Marc immediately wanted to be the one to step up to take care of her.Welcoming Rebecca Grace Into the FamilyJust two days later, that baby ended up coming home with him and his wife. They named her Rebecca Grace.Marc and his wife Beth already had two sons and really wanted a third child, but had experienced some complications while trying to conceive. They were already on the road to adoption when they met baby Rebecca.Beth said she knew it was meant to be as soon as Marc called her with the news of his day at work. “I delivered a baby.”“Can we keep her?” she had replied. Beth had been half-kidding, but then Marc gave her the news. “I think she might be going up for adoption.”Sometimes the Best Things Happen in the Blink of an EyePhoto by Laura GarciaBeth visited the birth mom at the hospital the very next day.“My heart just went out to this woman,” said Beth. “I brought her a little prayer book and asked if I could get anything for her.”While the women were talking, a doctor came into the room and said they were ready to proceed with adoption, and then the birth mom turned to Beth, "I can’t give my baby to someone I’ve never met."That was the moment of opportunity. “I want you to adopt my baby,” the woman said, looking at Beth, and then the nurse brought the baby in and Beth got to hold her for the first time.“She is what we prayed for,” says Beth. “It felt like winning the lottery.”Now Gracie is a member of the family, and Beth and Marc have been honest with her about how she came into their lives. "I’ve taken her to the back of the ambulance where she was born, so she knows!” says Marc.Beth and Marc remain grateful and in awe. "Sometimes the best things in life happen in the blink of an eye — and you can’t let them pass you by,” said Beth.More from Goalcast:Waitress Hands Exhausted Firefighters a Note After Paying for Their Meal – Little Did She Know What Was Going to HappenWoman Leaves Her Newborn Baby Girl in a Drop Box – The Firefighter Who Found Her Just Became Her DadFirefighter Meets the Son of a Man He Rescued From a Fire 23 Years Ago in an Emotional Reunion

Woman Finds Out Her Lover Is 53 Years Old Pretending to Be a Young Model - Then, She Finds Love With the Real Man in the Photos
Uplifting News

Woman Finds Out Her Lover Is 53 Years Old Pretending to Be a Young Model - Then, She Finds Love With the Real Man in the Photos

We’ve all experienced the post-breakup rough spot where all feels pretty hopeless. It can be easy to give up on love and putting yourself out there again can seem like an impossible task.Back in 2015, Emma Perrier was dealing with a broken heart of her own, and like many of us in the throes of going through a breakup, she spent a few months hiding out at home and watching a lot of depressing and sappy movies.But then, she had had enough of wallowing. She decided to take a chance and get back out there, never expecting that she would be in for a wild ride.Emma Braved the World of Online Dating for the First TimePexels/ cottonbro studioBy now, most of us are aware of the difficulties of online dating. The world of Internet dating apps is broad, and not without danger at times. Emma was already suspicious of online dating apps. Rather than go for the notorious Tinder app, she settled on downloading the dating app Zoosk. The second “o” in the Zoosk logo looks like a diamond engagement ring, which is signaled that the app's demographic seemed interested more serious relationships than the casual hookups.Emma got started by taking the collection of selfies necessary when registering her profile to “verify her identity.” Meeting men was not easy for Emma, who worked long hours as a restaurant manager for a coffee shop. She was not a regular dweller at pubs and nightclubs either, which complicated things in her quest for love.She could do this. had just gone through a bad breakup. She was ready for what was next and so began her journey in the world of dating apps."I’m a romantic,” Emma told The Atlantic, two years later. “I love to love,” she said, in a thick French accent. “And I want to be loved too.”At First, It Seemed PromisingEmma was a pretty woman, and she got responses as soon as her profile was posted. And then, a private message from a dark-haired Italian man named Ronaldo “Ronnie” Scicluna, who reminded her of a high school crush. The message was blurred by the app, so she was not able to read it until she paid the fee.After discussing it with her sister, she finally paid the £25 ($34) subscription to Zoosk so she could open the message.Ronnie’s message simply said: “You look beautiful.”According to his profile, Ronnie was a 34-year-old electrician in England’s West Midlands, just 100 miles away from her own location. At First, She Didn’t Notice the Red FlagsWhat followed was a quick connection. Ronnie and Emma both worked blue collar jobs and were too lonely Europeans looking for a soulmate. In an effort to impress her, he sent her a few words in French, her native language. However, when Emma returned the favor by sending him a message in Italian, Ronnie did not understand it, which surprised her.In retrospect, that was a red flag.Ronnie and Emma moved their correspondence from Zoosk to WhatsApp, a free messaging app, where they would text daily as Emma commuted to work. She wondered how a handsome man like Ronnie could be so into her.I’m very natural. I mean, I’m nothing. I’m very simple you know ... so I was flattered.Emma Perrier in The Atlantic“You could easily have picked someone else,” Ronnie told her one day.“No.You’re the only one I wanted to talk to ... I paid because of you,” shereplied.“Assoon as I saw your picture I wanted you,” he wrote.“Makesme happy to know that,” Emma replied.The Only Problem Was, Ronnie Didn’t ExistRonaldo Scicluna was a fictional character created by AlanStanley, a short, balding, 53-year-old shop fitter.He created the persona as a way of protecting himself from rejection.“I was in a pretty lonely place,” he told The Atlantic. “I wasn’t feeling the most attractive of people, I might say. You know, I always struggled with self-confidence and ... I was going through a messy separation and I was just feeling like I needed somebody to talk to.”He used an image of a male model he found on Google to create hisfalse persona. “I’m always nervous about posting personal images of myself,” heexplained. “I just don’t like pictures of me. It goes back a long way, to behonest.” Emma’s profile was the first he saw. He was as captivated by her as she was by the fake version of him.Emma Was Being CatfishedPhoto by Andrea PiacquadioHis flirting with Emma soon progressed to late-night telephone calls. In October of 2015, she wrote how happy she had become since “meeting” him.“Areyou not usually happy, stinky?” he asked.“Iam,” she said, “but you changed something.”They both agreed to delete the dating app and Emma tried to push for an in-person date. But he kept on putting her off by using excuses.“It’shard to keep everyone happy,” Ronnie complained. “Dad loves me working andwants me to keep doing better. Mum wants me to quit. She worries about me. Myhealth. Stress. Dad thinks I handle it well.”“Ithink what you need is a [girlfriend] to look after you,” said Emma."Do you want to know why I started online dating?” she asked him one night. “Because I wanted to ... meet that someone and to start something with that someone ... not to have a broken heart ... which is even more painful when you have never met someone.”“Metoo,” said Ronnie. “We both want the same thing.”“Giveme a date then,” Emma wrote. “I will suit your availability.”Shewaited for his reply.“Idon’t think you realize how difficult it is for me to get time off,” he wrote.“Justa dinner to start with,” Emma begged. “I can do the travel ... then if theconnection is really there we will find a way.”“Doyou think it will be there?” he asked.“Ihave never been so sure.”“Doyou have faith in us?” he asked.“Itcould work perfectly well,” Emma wrote.“AndI love you,” he wrote.“AndI love you too,” she replied.Emma’scoworkers and friends kept asking why they never met her boyfriend, and Emmawas beginning to wonder what was going on too. Alan’s excuses were runningthin.Her Friends Made Her RealizePhoto by RDNE Stock projectOne night, Emma was at work, closing the restaurant with a Spanishwaiter named Abraham. Emma shared how she badly wanted to meet her mysteriousboyfriend. Abraham responded: “But Emma, the guy doesn’t want to meet you ...maybe it’s not even him.”Emmasaid they’d talked on the phone.Abrahamsaid her boyfriend was “probably an old man.”Then he said he’d heard about an app that could help.“He could be a psycho,” he addedSoon,Emma’s family recommended she stop talking to Ronnie. He had refused to meether after six months, they said. “I didn’t want to listen to them,” Emma said. Butone evening after work, she downloaded an app called Reverse Image Search as away of finding the original source of a profile photo.“Believeme I was scared to use it for the first time,” Emma said. She uploaded thephotograph of Ronnie wearing his leather jacket. Within seconds, she learnedthe man in the photo was a a model and actor from Turkey, called Adem Guzel. “Doyou have anything to tell me about Adem Guzel?” she wrote in a text message.“It is me,” Alan replied, thinking fast. Those were his modeling pictures, he said. He’d once used another name. “It was a long time ago,” he promised.Alan was still lying. “I would have lost someone that I really treasured,” he said.. But Emma said he needed to reveal himself through a FaceTime call. He categorically refused, saying FaceTiming was for kids.But Emma Had Problems Giving Up the FantasyPhoto by Austin Guevara“I couldn’t believe it because, you know ... when you talk to someone every day, and you share your life ... he was my confidente,” Emma said.She eventually discovered Alan’s true identity when he accidentally sent an email using his real name. She started to investigate. “Iknew,” Emma said. She typed Alan’s email address into Google.Right then, she found everything she needed to know. “Everything, everything,” she sighed. “His Twitter accounts. Where I’ve seen his face.”It was devastating and I felt sick. You have no idea how much I’ve been hurt inside.Emma PerrierShe then called Alan. “Is your real name Alan?” Emma asked.Alanfinally came clean. “I could not be any more apologetic,” he said. “I told hereverything.” Itwas, Alan said, a “big error of judgment, the worst and biggest mistake of mylife.” But even in his telling of “the truth,” Alan told Emma he was 50,shaving off a few years.Alan finally sent her a real photograph of himself, wrinkles and all. “It might sound cruel what I’m going to say,” Emma told me, “but I carried on talking with him, after I knew who he was, only because I wanted to know why he did that to me,” Emma said. “I’m 34 at the time, but maybe another girl, when she finds out, she could maybe go too far, maybe kill herself.” After the big reveal, Emma asked Alan if he wanted to meet her. “I really wanted to go, to end the story,” she said. But was Alan dangerous?To Protect Others, She Reached Out to the Turkish ModelPhoto by Anna ShvetsEmma decided that she needed to protect others from this happening to them, and so, she sent a Facebook message to the Turkish model Alan had been impersonating:"Hello Adem, we don’t know each other but a year ago I met a guy online and that man is using your picture and pretends he is you under another name. I wasn’t sure if getting in touch with you was a good idea but I needed you to know, kind regards, Emma.”Adem, who was 35 at the time, almost ignored it as he received a lot of messages on the daily. But something told him to reply. After reading Emma’s message, he wrote back. “And the conversation just started,” Adem said. He was furious when he heard how Alan had treated Emma. So he had a video call. “It was crazy,” she said. “I wasn’t sure it was him, I was always in doubt.” And he was nervous too! I never do FaceTiming. But somehow I wanted to do it with her.Adem Guzel in The Atlantic“You are so real,” Emma said, crying. “You really exist!”Emma and Alan ultimately met for some closure and had a good talk. “We talk, talk, talk,” Emma said. She asked him about drinking whiskey with his father. He said his dad had passed away a few years ago.Her Prince Charming Turned Out to Be Real After AllBut in the meantime, Emma's connection with the Turkish model Adem was developing into something more.She invited Adem to London. She wasn’t going to waste time onanother long distance guy! “It wasn’t to flirt, believe me,” Emma insisted.Adem said yes immediately. OnMarch 31, 2017, Emma sent her catfish a goodbye text message:"Alan I wanted to tell you that tomorrow I’m going to pick up Adem at the airport. And I still don’t know if it’s good or bad but I’m going to meet ‘my Ronnie.’ You built up all this shit, I’m not sure if I should thank you or detest you for that. But this is happening."She then picked up Adem at the airport the next day. “I was really nervous,” Adem said. Right there and then, Emma decided to kiss him.“Three minutes later I felt like I know her a long time,” Adem said. The chemistry was undeniable. She gave him a key to her apartment, and together they went sight-seeing around London. Later, when Adem opened his suitcase, Emma saw the the leather jacket from her favorite photograph!Soon, their fairytale-like story was everywhere.“Mycatfish became cupid,” Emma told the DailyMirror, “And now we’re living happily ever after.” Today, the couple lives together in London. “He’s lovely,” Emma said, “He’s a lovely man.” While Emma could have given up on love, she decided to keep an open mind, even after the traumatic events Alan put her through.More from Goalcast:Men Warn They Would Break Up With Plus Size Woman if She Didn’t Lose Weight – But One Personal Trainer Gets Down on One Knee