Author: CNN Newsource

By Michael Spencer

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    DENVER (KCNC) — Colorado resident Heston Gray thought he was dealing with a bad sinus infection.

“My joints were really stiff. I was having trouble going up and down stairs,” recalled Gray. “It just kept getting worse.”

Within days, Heston was in the hospital. In total, he spent 33 days in the hospital, including four days in the ICU and three on a ventilator.

“It’s a little weird to wake up in ICU, strapped to the bed with a tube in your throat,” said Heston.

“It was pretty horrifying. I’ll be honest. It was pretty scary,” said his wife Holly.

Heston was diagnosed with ANCA Vasculitis, an auto-immune disease that was affecting his kidneys.

“It was pretty traumatic for me. I went from being completely healthy with my kidneys to 30 days later they weren’t working at all. I was in denial about it for a long time.”

Heston was released from the hospital and began receiving in-center hemodialysis three days a week at Davita Kidney Center. His wife Holly was by his side the entire time.

“I came with him for each of his treatments,” Holly remembered. “I got inspired about how fascinating it was to learn what the kidneys do. It was fascinating to me.”

While Holly was supporting Heston, she began talking to Heston’s patient care technicians.

“I was like, ‘You know, this job looks kind of cool.’ I’ve thought about health care in the past and they were like, ‘you should apply for a job.'”

So she did. And in September of 2024, Holly traded in her keyboard for scrubs and left her 25-year career in the mortgage finance industry and joined the team at Davita as a patient care technician.

“I’m certainly not the one sitting in the chair, but it might bring me a little closer to understanding what he is going through,” said Holly.

One year later, in September of 2025, Holly and Heston’s bond grew even stronger when Holly donated her kidney through a paired exchanged transplant program boosting Heston’s odds of getting a transplant in the next three months by 90%. His previous wait time had been three years. Holly wasn’t a match for Heston, but the program allows two donors to essentially swap recipients. So Holly’s kidney went to someone else in need, and Heston’s wait time for a kidney was dramatically reduced.

“Right away I said, ‘it’s a no brainer. I will go in and donate,'” Holly remembered.

With Holly’s surgery complete she and Heston continue to wait knowing that soon it will be his turn.

“I feel lucky that I could have been gone and missed out on time with my wife and kids. I feel like there must be something more for me to do that all these people are trying to help me keep going forward,” said Heston.

Heston and Holly continue to lead active lives. Holly ran a 50K race in August, just a month before donating. She is already eyeing a 15-mile trail run in December and has scheduled a half marathon for February. Heston has a goal of deadlifting 350 pounds once he receives his transplant.

According to Davita, there are currently more than 103,200 people waiting for a transplant in the United States and Holly and Heston are hoping that their story might inspire others to donate or register to become donors.

“My donating doesn’t take away from my life,” said Holly. “I still get to do all the things I want to do, and hopefully my kidney helps someone get their life back.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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By Jackson Kurtz

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    JACKSON COUNTY, Mo. (KMBC) — For many people, a visit to the Jackson County Courthouse brings stress. Whether they are paying bills, attending appointments or showing up for court, the day can feel overwhelming.

But inside the security area, tucked near the rush of people unloading keys and phones into trays, something unexpected often catches their eye.

A hand-drawn sketch with a thoughtful quote is posted on a wall.

The artwork is created by Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy Rodney Moyer, a 29-year veteran of the sheriff’s office who began drawing during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has no formal training.

“Sometimes I will be watching TV and I will see a character and I will say, oh, you know, I could draw him,” Moyer said.

His sketches range from mythical figures like Odin to classic monsters to well-known celebrities, including a portrait of Tupac Shakur. Most works are paired with a quote.

“You do not have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body,” one reads.

Visitors have noticed.

“One of the staff members looks like they drew that. They got talent,” one passerby said.

Another courthouse visitor said, “It puts a human touch to our staff and shows that they have interest outside, in addition to caring about the people who come in the building.”

Moyer said those reactions keep him motivated.

“That is really a big part of the job,” he said. “That de-escalation of things.”

His goal is simple. He wants to help people feel a little more at ease as they enter the courthouse.

“Helping them helps me also,” Moyer said.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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By Shay O’Connor, Jasmine Franklin, Metia Carroll

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    Lake Pontchartrain (WDSU) — The Coast Guard has suspended its search for two missing Mississippi pilots who went missing in Lake Pontchartrain after a plane crash Monday.

The pilots, both in their mid-20s, were conducting an instructional flight when their Cessna aircraft crashed in Lake Pontchartrain just 4 miles from Lakefront Airport.

Coast Guard crews searched by air and water for approximately 45 hours, covering more than 770 square miles prior to suspending the search, according to a statement issued by the Coast Guard.

“Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones impacted by this tragic situation,” said Cmdr. Michael Wurster, the Coast Guard Sector New Orleans search and rescue mission coordinator. “Suspending a search is one of the most difficult decisions we make, and it is done only after every effort has been made to locate those involved.”

According to the United Cajun Navy, search efforts were hindered Wednesday by strong winds and waves in the lake.

The United Cajun Navy has a seaplane flying over the lake in an effort to locate the plane and the missing pilots. The United Cajun Navy expects to have volunteer crews continue the search through the Thanksgiving holiday.

New information was revealed about the pilots Tuesday by the owner of Apollo Flight School, Michael Carasto.

Carasto, who owns Apollo Flight School in Gulfport, Mississippi, said his company’s Cessna aircraft was part of an instructional flight over the lake.

According to Carasto, the two pilots were both working toward commercial licenses.

The instructor, a woman, had 1,300 flying hours and was described as a “highly qualified” instructor. She was 300 hours short of meeting her requirement for airlines.

The student, a man, was short 250 flying hours for his license.

Carasto said because the flight was instructional, either of the pilots could have been flying the plane at the time it crashed. He said that it was common during instructional flights to switch off controls and did not want to speculate on who was flying at the time.

According to Carasto, the Cessna plane they were flying was a late ’70s or ’80s model, but he said it was maintained to regulation standards.

Carasto said he does not believe maintenance will be a factor in the crash and confirmed no distress call was received from the tower upon their descent to Lakefront Airport.

According to Carasto, the two pilots were descending back to the airport and crashed 4 miles out from landing on the runway.

He also described the challenges of night flights, especially over water. According to Carasto, there was “marginal weather,” but he said that flights over water specifically are challenging due to no clear horizon.

He said this can cause pilots to get vertigo but did not say if he believed that was a factor in this crash.

According to Carasto, the plane “pretty much disintegrated” on impact, and some parts of the plane, including a seat cushion, have been recovered.

Carasto described the crash as an unbelievable tragedy. He said that in his 46 years of being a flight instructor and pilot, this is the first incident he has ever had in his career.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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By WLWT Staff

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    CINCINNATI (WLWT) — Plumbers are preparing for a busy day after Thanksgiving that usually brings a surge in calls over clogged drains in what’s become known to professionals as “Brown Friday.”

Hosting large Thanksgiving gatherings can take a toll on home plumbing systems if people aren’t careful with how they prepare and clean up, says Danny Goines, with Jolly Plumbing, Heating and Air.

The biggest culprits are turkey grease, potato peels, stuffing and gravy, along with fibrous veggies going down the kitchen sink. Even if you have a garbage disposal, plumbing experts say all those things should be thrown in the trash rather than down the drain.

“Be mindful about what you put down your drain,” Goines said. “Specifically the garbage disposal—So a lot of people think that it’s kind of the, incinerator for everything that they don’t want, but be mindful.”

Another problem-causer is wipes branded “flushable” that don’t break down like toilet paper and can wreak havoc on sewage and septic systems. Paper towels also should not be put down the drain, Goines said.

“You’re really putting a lot of stress on the system,” Goines said. “Same thing with your dishwasher. You’re running more and more loads during the holidays and it can cause problems.”

If you’re hosting Thanksgiving this season, plumbers recommend using drain strainers, exercising caution, and reminding guests to be mindful of what they put down the drains. Experts say if you’re careful about what goes down the drains today, that can help avoid a call to a plumber tomorrow.

If a clog does occur, plumbers suggest trying to fix it with a plunger. However, if that doesn’t work, they recommend stopping the use of the drain and calling a professional to prevent further issues.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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By Ben Kaplan

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Nearly 2,000 Iowa families are missing loved ones this holiday season as 1,800 of our National Guard troops are in the middle of a yearlong deployment in the Middle East. But all these families have people looking out for them, so they don’t feel alone.

Kristin Dunwoody is a mother of three whose husband, Maj. Josh Dunwoody, is currently deployed as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. She has spent the last six months without him.

“You know, you’re picking up pieces that your husband or significant other would typically do. Our oldest went off to college and I did that by myself. And that was one of those things that hung over me,” Kristin says.

She has a support system of nearly a dozen other Army wives and a church community that brings her family meals every Wednesday. She says support also comes from the Guard.

“I’ve gotten e-mails, I’ve gotten phone calls, I’ve gotten text messages. Just with all the resources and support that a military family needs, especially during the holidays,” Kristin tells KCCI.

Lt. Col. Ryan Sextro leads a team of 50 across the state, making up the Warrior and Family Services Branch of the Iowa National Guard.

“I think the main difficulty is the unknown. It’s that sense of worry that takes place from the families,” Sextro says.

Through frequent contact with every family of a deployed soldier, they work to help ease that sense of worry by connecting them with a lot of services — from financial and non-medical counseling to access to child and youth programs.

“What we really do is try to preemptively, you know, mitigate issues instead of having something come to us in crisis,” Sextro tells KCCI.

Kristin is thankful for all of it — the check-ins, her fellow Army wives, and the church meals.

“There are over 1,800 Iowa soldiers that are away from their families this holiday,” she says. “And it isn’t easy. There’s a hole. There’s a big gap.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.