L
    Laura Rothkopf

    Laura Rothkopf

    Impact Editorial Intern

  • WATCH: Former Marine Goes From Homeless To Paralympic Athlete

    One former Marine from Florida has tackled depression and disability but has yet to find an obstacle she can't overcome. Angela Madsen, 52, who became a paraplegic after she was the victim of a botched back surgery while in the Marine Corps, will compete in two Paralympics events during this year's games in London, the Long Beach Post reports. While Madsen's disability resulted in extreme hardship, her refusal to give up has landed her spots on the U.S. Paralympic shot-put and javelin teams, according to the Post.

  • Sick Teen Granted Wish To Go To Harvard Medical School

    Gabrielle Samsock has spent her entire life getting poke and prodded by doctors. On Aug. 20, the Pennsylvania native who suffers from Shone’s syndrome -- a condition that obstructs blood flow to and from the heart –- got the Make-A-Wish she’s always hoped for, FOX News reports. She spent a week studying at Harvard Medical School. “My wish was inspired by my past medical problems,” she told the news outlet.

  • WATCH: Student Saved From Oncoming Train Seeks Rescuers

    Alexa Conto, 20, was en route to class Monday at the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising College when a fainting spell landed her unconscious on the subway tracks, New York Daily News reports. A tragic outcome was avoided when three good Samaritans leapt onto the tracks of the MTA "D" Train, removing the student from the path of an oncoming train, which came to an abrupt halt just at the right moment. Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

  • WATCH: Tampa's Homeless Compete With Protesters For Food, Shelter At RNC

    Tampa's homeless are concerned that they will have to compete with protesters for food and shelter during the Republican National Convention, but agencies are trying to devise a way to protect people living on the streets. More than 15,000 protestors  are slated to pour in to town for the RNC, which prompted the Homeless Coalition to collaborate with a network of organizations to help the homeless population, Tampa Bay Online reports. "[The homeless] truly need to be protected during all of this," Lesa Weikel, spokeswoman for the Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County, told the news outlet.

  • World Water Week Calls For Reduction In Food Waste

    World Water Week commenced this morning with a global call to action. This year's annual summit led by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) opened with a global appeal to reduce food waste as a means to preserve water. This plea is a major goal for summit attendants, including global leaders and specialists, to tackle issues including water and food security, specifically the problems posed by expanding populations and economies.

  • PHOTOS: Family Raises Awareness Of Baby's Incurable 'Worst Disease You've Never Heard Of'

    Brayce Brewster and Brendan Murray of Tuscon, Ariz. are spreading the word about their 9-month-old daughter's struggle with "the worst disease you've never heard of." Baby Brystal suffers from Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), an incurable disease that causes skin to blister at the slightest touch, KGUN reports. In reaction to this life altering struggle, her parents have committed themselves to raising awareness of EB through their blog, and to encouraging the medical community to tackle this presently incurable disease, KGUN9 reports. "There needs to be a cure," father, Brendan Murray explains. "One in 50,000 babies gets [EB].

  • PHOTOS: Girl Mauled By Pet Raccoon Gets First Donor-Supported Surgery

    After Charlotte Ponce was mauled by her family's pet raccoon 10 years ago, the brave girl is finally receiving the treatment that she deserves. At only three months of age, young Charlotte endured the tragic attack, which resulted in severe facial disfiguration. Thanks to donations exceeding $10,000, the 10-year-old Michigan girl successfully completed the first of a two-year series of reconstructive surgeries, and was released from the Beaumont Children's Hospital a full day ahead of schedule, according to a release. "She's tough," Charlotte's surgeon, Dr. Kongkrit Chaiyasate, told MLive.com. "She wants [the surgery] more than you and me can understand. She lets me touch the dressing.

  • WATCH: Pup Born With 3 Paws Serves As 'Spokesdog' For Disabled

    Canine Assistants, a nonprofit that trains service dogs, bred Pirelli to work with people with physical and intellectual disabilities, WXIA reports. It's so much more than that," Jennifer Arnold, founder of Canine Assistants, told HLN. Arnold hopes that  Pirelli will succeed in preventing bullying  by demonstrating that appearances aren’t what matter most.

  • Wheelchair User Travels Across Africa To Open Spinal Rehab Center

    A Kenyan man who uses a wheelchair went to great lengths to bring support for disabled people to East Africa. Zackary Kimotho, a 43-year-old who suffered a spinal injury after falling victim to a car-jacking in 2004, recently returned home after he successfully raised almost $900,000 while pushing himself across Africa in his wheelchair, The Star reports. "Zack is the personality that...embod[ies] the trauma of spinal cord injury in Kenya," Peter Arina, Chairman of the Kenya Paraplegic Organization Board of Trustees who helped to rescue Kimotho, told The Star.

  • WATCH: Cancer Patient Says Tearful Goodbye In Final Video Blog

    Eric McLean of Two Rivers, Wisc., is a paragon of perseverance. A dedicated following watched as he posted over 100 intimate entries up until Tuesday, when "Eric's Confession Final" marked the conclusion of his battle. McLean concludes his series with a heart-wrenching thank you to his family, friends, and all who supported him throughout his life.

  • County Implements Reserved Parking For Wounded Vets

    Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. The community of Onslow County, N.C. is taking strides to make life easier for wounded service members. The home of three major United States Marine Corps bases recently designated a number of parking spaces as "reserved wounded warrior parking," according to FOX News.

  • Coach Defeats Homelessness, Paralysis And Starts Empowering Nonprofit

    It seems that there is no task too daunting for Coach Beverly Kearney. After overcoming homelessness and a horrific accident, the University of Texas head women's track and field coach has devoted herself to her organization, Pursuit of Dreams Foundation, in order to motivate and empower disadvantaged youth, CNN reports. "If I could utilize the techniques that I used to produce results in sport, why can't I utilize those techniques to produce results in life," Coach Kearney explains.

  • Houston Nonprofit Pays For DREAMers' Application Fees

    For candidate Michael Nazario, one of the estimated 1.5 million eligible residents, a permit would instill hope that he might one day realize his dream of fighting for his home nation -- the U.S. While the Deferred Action program does not grant citizenship, it allows undocumented hopefuls who, among other stipulations, are under 31 years of age, have achieved a certain level of education, and lack a criminal record, to live and work lawfully in the U.S. for two years, according to WNYC.

  • Florida Couple Cares For More Than 90 Foster Children

    After Lisa and Jorge Alvarez accepted the devastating news that they couldn't conceive, the couple found another way to realize their dream of having children -- 90 times over. Over the course of the past 12 years, the South Florida family has adopted two children and taken in  more than 90 foster children,  NBC Miami reports. To expand her adoption options, Lisa became medically certified to care for babies with health issues, which makes it easier for her to tend to her 5-year-old son Dezi who has both cerebral palsy and chronic lung disease, according to Local 10.

  • 'Dexter' Star Helps Injured Homeless Man

    "Dexter's" James Remar stayed in character Friday when he rushed to help an injured homeless man in Los Angeles. Before playing a deceased detective dad on TV, Remar served as an EMT and he resurrected those skills on Friday when he aided an unidentified homeless man who was bleeding profusely from his head, TMZ reports. Remar's rep told TMZ that the actor, who dressed the man's wound, performed this good deed out of the kindness of his heart.

  • WATCH: Reality Series Profiles Addicts, Ex-Cons Finding Work

    Every once in a while, a reality show hits the airwaves and convinces us that pointing a camera in someone’s face 24/7 is actually worthwhile. A new program on unemployment may prove to be one of those cases. The Sundance Channel’s "Get to Work” –- an eight-episode series on chronic unemployment -- debuted Monday and follows around individuals who have hit rock bottom.

  • California Man Attempts Homeless Reality TV Series

    A man who overcame homelessness is now a television and film producer with a sole mission in mind: revealing the realities of what it is to be homeless in America. Sebastian Hughes originally created a pilot for a "feel good" reality TV series that would document homeless life, but faced rejection by all major TV networks, SF Weekly reports. Hughes has also since completed a documentary entitled "Homeless Need A Network," in which he juxtaposes his struggle to air the series with interviews of homeless citizens in the Bay Area, in hopes that it will successfully boost awareness of the cause.

  • Olympic Medalist Turns Tragedy Of Rape, Family Death Into Triumph

    Olympian Kellie Wells has spent her life overcoming hurdles -- in both literal and heartbreakingly figurative ways. After taking home the bronze in Women's 100m Hurdles on Tuesday, the runner, who was raped by her stepfather as a child, has pledged to use her success to help sex abuse victims, ESPN reports.

  • New Internet Plug-In Blocks Out Clothing Products Made By Child Laborers

    You can now add to your online cart knowing that you're not adding to the global problem of child labor. A recently-launched internet plug-in called aVOID  blocks out items produced by brands known to employ child laborers. The software uses data gathered from users and the advocacy group Active Against Child Labor and hit 1 million products  (and counting) for consumers to avoid in its first week.

  • Are Viral Videos The Answer To Veteran Unemployment?

    While viral videos are often associated only with fleeting internet fame, their ability to affect more weighty issues is currently being put to the test. Training Camp, an IT training and certification firm, launched a contest that will utilize viral videos in an attempt to bring awareness to the issue of veteran unemployment. At stake is a pool of $10,000 in prize money.