【推荐1】Tiffany and her family were sleeping at home. Their pet dog Buddy was asleep next to Tiffany. It was 4:36 a.m. The night was quiet, and no cars were passing on the street. That was when it happened. The house started shaking. Buddy started barking(吠叫), and it woke up Tiffany. She looked around and saw that everything in her room was shaking. She started crying out in fear. Soon after, her father came in and told her to come out quickly.

It was a big earthquake. Tiffany was so scared that she couldn't move. Suddenly, her father picked her up and tried to get out. Buddy was behind them. All of them managed to get outside, where Tiffany’s mother and brother were already. Tiffany and her brother cried together. They didn't understand what just happened.

Luckily, Tiffany’s mother had prepared an emergency kit and had it outside. She looked for the key, which was under a rock, and unlocked the box. She took out blankets(毯子) to keep her children warm. Tiffany then saw her father take a flashlight out of the box. He used the flashlight to see if the house had any damage. The father knew it was not safe, so they stayed up until someone could check the house.

The children didn't go to school because of the earthquake, so they spent the day with their parents. Tiffany was so thankful because her parents knew what to do during the earthquake. Tiffany went up to her mother and father and hugged them because she felt the protection of her parents.

【推荐1】Doctors told us that our son, Matti, had a rare disease affecting his kidneys. We were in complete shock.

One of us would need to provide a kidney for him. This situation could have completely thrown us, but we decided to take it as it comes. We were in the hospital for a month and have to come back quite often.

Between the ages of 18 months, Matti was stable with the help of medication. Without warning, the function of Matti’s kidneys went downhill very quickly, before failing completely — what the doctors warned us of at birth.

Initially, we hoped dialysis would only be a couple of months until the kidney transplant happened, but the outbreak of COVID-19 mean I that it was put on hold.

As is known, it was tough trying to keep track of how much water he could take in. He was limited to 600 ml a day as required, but the restriction felt especially hard over the summer. In general, Matti was pretty accepting this — but there were moments when, understandably, he hated it. There were moments when we all got frustrated, I can’t deny.

Stefan and I had decided that he’d be the one to give Matti a kidney. Stefan was rejected, leaving me to be considered. I was nervous that the doctors would discover something that wouldn’t work with me too. But, thankfully, I was a match. I could barely explain the relief I fell when I woke up, to hear that the kidney had made it over to Matti safely.

Of course, there follow a lot of medications, and a specialist comes to bring a bit of fun to what can be a boring day. He is invaluable and occupies my son so that I can grab a coffee and a break. What I have learned is that nothing is more important that health.

【推荐3】Marios Giannakou had already climbed to the top of Mt. Olympus 50 times, but he says his 51st trip is the most memorable and meaningful. That's because he spent more than 10 hours climbing the mountain with a woman with disability, Eleftheria Tosiou, on his back.

Eleftheria is 22 years old and has always dreamed of seeing the peak of Mt. Olympus but she's been unable to make the hike by herself due to a disability that affects her mobility. So, when she shared this dream with Marios, he stepped up to help her make her dream come true.

Marios didn’t need to train for the hike, because he has an incredible athletic (运动的，健壮的) record. From running a 93-mile race in Antarctica (which he won!) to hiking more than 160 miles in the AI Marmoum Desert, he was already in shape and ready for the new challenge. About a month after the two met and began planning their adventure, they were off!

Eleftherla rode on Marios' back in a special carrier that is designed specifically for long hikes. The pair were joined by eight guides and they all stopped to make camp and rest about halfway through before finishing up the more than 10-hour hike to the highest peak, which is more than 9, 000 feet up. Eleftheria was obviously excited to be able to live out her dream, but Marios seemed to have been equally affected by the adventure. He said, “For me, all international races, the medals and the achievements so far, mean little compared to that goal.”

The pair, and their guides, successfully made their descent (下降) back down Mt. Olympus, and have an incredible story to tell. After it was all over, Marios said of the accomplishment, “There is nothing more real than the dream.” Hopefully, this means that this hike was just the first of many adventures they will go on together.