Donna Cohen

My gal loves animals. She feels more calm and confident with them than with people. Never underestimate! #autism

In 2007, the daughter of Johnny Depp was eight years old when she was rushed to the hospital. What initially seemed like a common infection quickly turned, within hours, into a severe crisis: an aggressive form of E. coli completely shut down her kidneys. In that moment, everything else disappeared. Depp was no longer a famous actor, but a father standing still beside his daughter’s hospital bed, not knowing what would happen next. The child was Lily-Rose Depp. For nine days, he remained in the room at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. He watched the monitors, listening to the constant sound of the machines keeping her alive. The outside world—film sets, premieres, red carpets—felt infinitely far away. Then came the hardest period. Each hour passed slowly; every breath felt uncertain. The doctors worked tirelessly, trying to stabilize her body while her organs struggled to respond. They did not give up. And then, something began to change. The treatments started to show real signs of progress. Her kidneys slowly began functioning again, and color returned to her face. The danger gradually receded, step by step. When Lily-Rose was finally out of danger, Depp left that experience with one certainty: he could not simply express gratitude with words. He felt he needed to do something more tangible for those facing similar situations every day. A few months later, he returned to the same hospital in an unexpected way. In the corridors appeared Jack Sparrow, in full costume: braids, rings, makeup, and all. For four hours, he moved from room to room. He told stories, played small games, and spoke to the children without ever leaving character. There were no cameras and no announcements—just him and the young patients. He did it because he understood what they and their families were going through. He had lived through those same days of waiting, that same fear. Over time, he also contributed a two-million-dollar donation to support the hospital’s work and essential equipment. Since then, he has kept the Jack Sparrow costume with him. Whenever possible, he visits children’s hospitals during his travels. He does not schedule it as a public event—he does it when the opportunity arises. He still remembers those nine days in 2007, and the people who saved his daughter. That is where it all began.

A Virginia Union University graduate, paralyzed from the chest down, walked with a robotic exoskeleton to receive his master's degree this weekend. abcnews.link/h7l8Cg9

Chad and Carol Trainor, owners of Urban Olive & Vine in Hudson, Wisconsin, made it a mission to hire and mentor local teenagers for their first jobs. When Carol suffered a grand mal seizure and spent eight months in a coma, the 30 teens stepped up unasked. They ran the restaurant—opening, closing, managing operations, and caring for Chad—keeping the business alive. Carol passed away in May 2025 at age 58. The restaurant closed briefly so all the teens could attend her memorial. Chad credits them with saving the business: “These kids became adults and ran our business and took care of me.”

A 6 year old received a standing ovation at school after beating leukemia.🤗❤️

City Cuts Barbershop in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, where owner Jon Escueta pays kids $3 to read books aloud during haircuts as part of the “Books by Kids” program started around 2019.

She thought she was just tossing the first pitch at a Marlins game… But she walked off the field with a fiancé 💍

I dedicate this #Mothersday to Shiri Bibas, who gave her all to protect her babies and died by the hands of brutal barbarian terrorists in #Gaza. In a recent interview, Yarden, her husband, shared his admiration only grew after listenening to what the terrorist said about Shiri. As a mother, I feel lost for words when thinking about what Shiri (32), Ariel (4) and Kfir (9 months) went through. May they all rest in eternal peace.

When Allyson Felix became pregnant, Nike threatened to cut her sponsorship contract by almost 70% because of her pregnancy. They told her: “You should know your place… and just run.” Amid all this, at seven months pregnant, Allyson had to undergo an emergency C-section due to a serious complication. Her baby girl spent over a month in the neonatal intensive care unit. But two years later, Allyson qualified for her fifth Olympic Games, with her daughter in the stands cheering her on. Allyson left Nike. And she founded her own shoe brand: Saysh One. At the Tokyo Olympics, she ran wearing her own sneakers, carrying the motto: “I know exactly where my place is.” With 11 medals, she surpassed Carl Lewis and became the most decorated American track and field athlete in history. And to all women, she gave this message: “I raised my voice and built this company for you, so that you’ll never have to train at 4:30 in the morning, five months pregnant, just to hide it from your sponsor.” ❤️

This Mother’s Day, I’m thinking about my mom, and all the lessons she taught me. I'm proud to honor her memory with the Ann Dunham Water Terrace at the Obama Presidential Center.

Chad Tracy's rationale for slotting Mickey Gasper in as today's catcher: "He knows Tolle; he's caught him two, three times down in Worcester, I watched him do it. He knows how to handle him, he knows his arsenal, he knows his usages, and the left-handed bat, which is a very quality at-bat from the left side.... how can I use this guy to help win a game?" ⬇️

There is nothing like a mother’s love.💗 This past footage from Romi, Emily, and Doron’s release from Hamas captivity captures what words cannot: the love and strength of a mother’s embrace. To all the mothers out there: we wish you a beautiful Mother’s Day. 📷: @idfonline

This is one of my favorite videos of all time. As a child psychologist, it’s a perfect example of joint attention, preverbal communication, and coregulation.

Her failed stunt made her cry. Her coach's encouragement gave her the strength to try again. 🥲

It’s Mother’s Day, so make you watch the full 6 minute broadcast of one of the greatest walk-offs in Red Sox history.

Kind of an iconic Red Sox photo here

Payton Tolle's mom, Jina, passed away on this day two years ago following a long bout with cancer. “She was my best friend.” Tolle is scheduled to start today for the Boston Red Sox, and will have his mom on his mind and glove at Fenway Park 🤟: telegram.com/story/sports/m…

😭💔 Dustin Hoffman craque en larmes en DIRECT : « Je suis juif » Il découvre pour la première fois l’histoire tragique de son arrière-grand-mère Libba Hoffman. En Ukraine, pendant les pogroms et la révolution bolchevique : son mari assassiné par la Tcheka, elle condamnée à 5 ans dans un camp soviétique à plus de 50 ans. Elle survit à l’enfer, perd un bras, s’enfuit via l’Argentine et arrive aux USA en 1930 à 62 ans. Sa mère était aussi juive (origines polonaises et roumaines). Mais des deux côtés, ses parents avaient tout effacé : pas de traditions, pas d’histoires. Dustin savait vaguement qu’il était juif depuis ses 10 ans… sans en connaître la profondeur. Et là, tout s’éclaire. Il fond en larmes et murmure d’une voix brisée : « Les gens me demandent “Qu’est-ce que tu es ?”… Je réponds : “Je suis juif.” Ils ont tous survécu pour que je sois ici aujourd’hui. Sans aucun doute. » Merci à @museudocinema d’avoir partagé cette pépite. Cette résilience qui traverse les générations… c’est la judéité profondément ancrée en nous, indestructible et vivante.❤️❤️ Am Israël haï 🇮🇱

This Day (May 8) in 2001, the walls of a remote cave in the Judean Desert were covered with the blood of two Jewish boys — deliberately smeared there by their Palestinian killers in a final act of barbaric triumph. Koby Mandell (13) and Yosef Ishran (14) had gone hiking near their homes when they were ambushed. The terrorists bound their hands, stabbed them repeatedly, and beat them to death with rocks. The mutilation was so horrific that forensic teams needed dental records to identify the bodies. This was no random act of violence. This was the sadistic murder of two innocent Jewish children during the early days of the Second Intifada — the terror campaign Yasser Arafat deliberately launched after rejecting Ehud Barak’s generous peace offer at Camp David (a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital). Just months earlier, Arafat had chosen the path of blood instead of peace. Koby and Yosef paid the price with unimaginable cruelty. Seasoned Israeli investigators were shaken to their core. These weren’t soldiers. They were children, simply hiking near their village in their ancestral homeland. Their mothers waited in agony as the search dragged on. When the bodies were found, the scene was almost unspeakable. Nothing about this is or has ever been “resistance.” Aiming to destroy the world's only Jewish state and wipe out all Jewish men, women and children has been the goal. Never forget Koby Mandell and Yosef Ishran.

A NYC student, Olivia Connie-Perkins, became the first person at her school to be accepted into an Ivy League university. A viral video captured her classmates cheering and celebrating after the school announced she got into Brown University. 👏🏾🫡

In 1987, 7-year-old Beth Usher was suffering more than 100 seizures a day from a rare brain disease called Rasmussen’s encephalitis. Doctors told her family the only chance to save her life was a hemispherectomy: Removing half her brain. As Beth prepared for surgery at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, her mother reached out to Fred Rogers hoping for something small to comfort her daughter. Maybe an autograph. Instead, Mister Rogers called personally. For nearly an hour, Fred Rogers talked with Beth on the phone and even let her speak to the puppets from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Then the surgery happened. Complications left Beth in a deep coma. Most celebrities would have sent flowers. Fred Rogers got in his car and drove from Pittsburgh to Baltimore. He arrived at the hospital carrying a suitcase filled with the original Neighborhood puppets. And for hours, he performed a private puppet show beside the bed of a little girl who couldn’t even open her eyes. No cameras. No reporters. No publicity. Just Fred Rogers sitting quietly beside a sick child because he believed she mattered. Before leaving, he made another decision: He left the puppets behind so they would be the first “friends” Beth saw when she woke up. Eventually, she did. And Beth later said the comfort of those puppets — and Fred’s calm presence — helped her feel safe during the most terrifying time of her life. But the story didn’t end there. Fred Rogers kept calling Beth every year on her birthday. He wrote letters to her as she grew older. They remained friends until his death in 2003. Today, Beth Usher advocates for people with disabilities and often shares the story of her “neighbor” to show what compassion can really look like. Not performance. Not branding. Not publicity. Just a man who spent his life making children feel safe — and who was exactly the same person when nobody was watching.