Community Corner

Paying it Forward. Six Stories Certain to Inspire You.

Six stories of ordinary people who have braved extraordinary circumstances.

We all have a friend or family member who brings out the best in us, someone who generally find the best in everyone they meet. These are people who touch our lives and inspire us under ordinary circumstances. But it is often the way people react to adversity that reveals their true mettle.

For the past several weeks Patch sites across in Westchester have teamed up with Grape-Nuts for the series, Journeys, in honor of the 60th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary’s historic ascent of Mount Everest.

Journeys are stories about people—neighbors or strangers—who have weathered challenges and made the best of their circumstances. 

Whether triumphing against a setback, working toward change for the greater good, or demonstrating extraordinary courage, this series has showcased both individual perseverance and generosity of spirit. In that vein, here are six inspiring stories from neighboring states and across the country.

Take a look at the challenges these people have faced. Then click on the headline to see their responses. In the spirit of paying it forward, consider sharing these stories with your friends and loved ones.

Couple Fights Discrimination Against Same-Sex Marriage
Brad Kleinerman and James Gehre of Avon, have been together for 22 years and married since 2009. Though the couple have three children and are legally married, they want the same rights and responsibilities granted other married couples by the federal government. As plaintiffs in a national lawsuit wending its way through the court system, the couple are battling DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act.

Congenital Amputee Competes Despite Disability
ESPN's Dave Stevens — an East Haven resident — accomplished all this despite being 3 feet, 2 inches tall. Born without legs, resulting from the drug Thalidomide his mother took to combat severe morning sickness, but was later found to cause birth defects, Stevens is the only athlete ever to play college football or minor league baseball without legs. On the field, Stevens runs using his hands.

Mom's Cancer Struggle Prompts Medical Marijuana Advocacy
West Hartford's Tracey Gamer Fanning was diagnosed in 2006 with a malignant brain tumor and told she had a life expectancy of three to five years. That was seven years ago. Fanning, who founded a non-profit that has raised $1 million for brain cancer research, suffered from severe headaches and living on strong medications which left her bedridden. She found relief in medical marijuana. These days she is working to remove the fear and stigma from this medical treatment. 

Middletown Woman Donates Kidney to Husband With No Hesitation
Colleen Alleyne turned out to be a match for a kidney donation for her husband, Michael, who for years suffered from polycystic kidney disease and also is a diabetic. The mother of three active boys, and home visitor for a local elementary school, Alleyne was told she had to lose significant weight before the kidney procedure. In January Colleen's husband received her kidney. The procedure went off without a hitch for both husband at wife at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Clint Greenbaum Makes Life's Mission to Pay 'Miracle' Forward  
When Clint Greenbaum’s son Jake was only 3 months old, he and his wife, Elisa, got the news that  their baby had a malignant brain tumor. Jake, now 21 years old and unable to speak, developed a love of baseball games. Greenbaum co-founded a non-profit, Seats of Dreams, to give donated sports and entertainment tickets to disadvantaged, disabled or sick children.

8-Year-Old Cancer Patient on Mission to Help Others
Eight-year-old Rosie Colucci of Palatine, IL, has been through 16 surgeries and three years of chemotherapy. Yet she is always smiling and thinking of others. Rosie, whose tumor is inoperable, lives in the moment. Among other generosities, she founded Rosie's Toybox, which donates toys to children at a Chicago hospital.


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