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.

2 . Alexander Tsao, a keen rock climber for several years, was climbing the walls at a gym near his home in Redmond, Washington, when he noticed that the ropes were frequently being replaced with new ones. Just 16 at the time, Tsao wondered what happened to the old ropes. He asked the gym owners and found out the ropes had to be discarded regularly due to safety regulations. He was surprised to find that so many ropes were sent to landfills.

This discovery inspired him to find a solution to the environmental issue of climbing rope waste. He considered possible ideas and ways to up cycle the discarded ropes, deciding to turn them into leashes (拴狗带) for dogs.

Once he had made his plan, Tsao contacted all the climbing gyms in Washington State, introducing his idea of recycling old ropes. Some were doubtful at first, but many gyms agreed to donate their used ropes. Tsao spent months testing and designing his products and filling documents to become a nonprofit organization which he called Rocks2Dogs.

To make the leashes, Tsao and volunteers first wash and dry the ropes. They cut them into different lengths, ranging from4 to 10 feet, and then burn the ends to prevent them from fraying (磨损). They add a clip and handle to each end, and cover the leash’s hardware with shrink tape.

Because making the leashes now is a full-time job, Tsao has asked his friends, family and neighbors for help. “We have made and sold over a thousand leashes, which add up to over 10,000 feet of rope being saved from landfills,” says Tsao. The leashes come in various colors. There are also half-price leashes made from ropes with slight imperfections. These start at $7.49 while most other leashes start at $ 14.99. To date, the nonprofit has raised more than $ 35,000. Much of this money has been donated to animal shelters.