These Dads Offer Hugs—and a Spiral—at Pride - CNN 5 Good Things - Podcast on CNN Audio

Krista Bo
00:00:00
Hey there, good to have you. Today's Feel Good Stories span tens of millions of years, with a few classic tunes in the mix. A newly discovered dinosaur species is helping scientists fill in a big missing piece of the T. Rex family tree, plus.
Hoboken My Way Sinatra Sing Off Contestant
00:00:24
"New York, New York" clip
Krista Bo
00:00:24
In Frank Sinatra's hometown, fans of all ages are keeping the late and great singer's legacy alive, one note at a time. From CNN, I'm Krista Bo, and this is Five Good Things.
Krista Bo
00:00:39
There are all kinds of ways to let someone know they're welcomed and accepted. And at pride events across the country, one Pennsylvania dad does it with a Nerf football.
John Piermatteo
00:00:48
Not all of us were lucky to have loving supportive fathers, especially in the LGBTQ plus community. And in many instances, they may not have realized how much they missed having a father hug them and tell them that they're proud of them until we do it.
Krista Bo
00:01:08
Since 2019, John Piermatteo has been showing up at pride events, offering to toss a ball around with anyone who needs a moment of connection. The idea came to him after seeing free mom hugs and grandma hugs at pride event.
John Piermatteo
00:01:21
I painted a sign that said play catch with a dad, leaned it up against a tree, and just kind of sat there waiting to see what would happen. I had no idea what might happen.
Krista Bo
00:01:32
He didn't have to wait long. A young woman walked by and asked if she could play catch, tossed the ball twice, and then broke down crying.
John Piermatteo
00:01:40
She was just so grateful that I was there and told me how her dad just stopped doing things with her, especially playing catch. They used to be close, but when she came out, everything changed, and it was an amazing moment, and I knew that I might be onto something.
Krista Bo
00:01:57
That first interaction was all the motivation John needed to create the nonprofit organization, Play Catch with a Dad. John and his crew of volunteer dads have expanded beyond Pennsylvania to Pride events in San Diego, Phoenix, and this year, Chicago and Maryland. Last week, they played catch outside Wrigley Field during the Chicago Cubs Pride night. And next week, they'll be in Maryland at the Baltimore Orioles game.
John Piermatteo
00:02:21
Sometimes it might just be a 60 second, 90 second interaction for a dad. But for those people, it could mean just so much more than that catch and the hug and the, and I love you and I'm proud of you. And we just never know how we might touch someone's heart. We just never know.
Krista Bo
00:02:43
What started as just one sign under a tree has turned into something much bigger.
John Piermatteo
00:02:49
My dream is that anytime there's a pride event in the United States, there's dads there to play catch and give hugs.
Krista Bo
00:02:55
If you want to donate or volunteer in your area, head to playcatchwithadad.org. The link is also in our show notes.
Krista Bo
00:03:08
A mom in Newton County, Indiana is sharing her incredible survival story just three months after a scary car crash.
Brieonna Cassell
00:03:16
One of the first things I told myself was, all right, you gotta stay calm, because if you freak out, it's not gonna help you.
Krista Bo
00:03:22
'Brieonna Cassell, she goes by Brie, is a 41-year-old mother of three. Back in March, CNN affiliate WLS reported she fell asleep behind the wheel on a rural road and went into a ditch. Her legs got trapped in the car and she couldn't move.
Brieonna Cassell
00:03:38
My car ramped up, it smacked into the embankment on the other side, it crunched like an accordion. It threw my body into the floorboard.
Krista Bo
00:03:48
She had hoped someone would find her in the morning, but her car was so deep in the ditch you couldn't see it from the road, and her phone was just beyond her reach. Brie's mom reported her missing, but she was in this position for six days, using her clothing to soak up water from the ditch to stay hydrated, with the thought of her family to keep her going.
Brieonna Cassell
00:04:09
But my kids are, my kids, are most. That's what I was really worried about. I wasn't leaving my babies.
Krista Bo
00:04:18
On the sixth day, Brie knew she couldn't go on like this any longer.
Brieonna Cassell
00:04:22
I said I've done everything that I can think of. I cannot get out of here alone. You have to let somebody see me or I'm not gonna make it out.
Krista Bo
00:04:30
Little did she know, a man driving a tractor saw her car and alerted a local volunteer fire chief. That fire chief found Brie and had her airlifted to a nearby hospital, where she learned she had compound fractures in her legs and forearms, and numerous broken ribs and vertebrae.
Brieonna Cassell
00:04:47
I get emotional talking about all that too because if it wasn't for them I wouldn't be here.
Kim Brown
00:04:52
Brie is an amazing, amazing young woman. Thank you so much for finding my baby. I could never repay you.
Krista Bo
00:05:01
After 13 surgeries and the placement of several rods, plates and pins, Bree was released from the hospital and now she's back at home with her loving family. She's expected to be back on her feet soon with the help of physical therapy and she plans to write a book about her remarkable story of survival.
Krista Bo
00:05:23
Scientists have just discovered a new dinosaur species related to the T. Rex that lived 86 million years ago.
Jared Voris
00:05:30
We found a new species of one of those ancestors, and we named that Khankuuluu Mongoliensis, the dragon prince of Mongolia.
Krista Bo
00:05:37
'Jared Voris is a paleontologist and post-doctoral scholar at the University of Calgary, and the lead author of a recent study published in the journal Nature that fills in a big missing piece of the Tyrannosaurus family tree.
Jared Voris
00:05:49
And the reason we settled on that was because tyrannosaurs are generally regarded as being these giant, you know, kings or whatever. And so Tyrannosaurus Rex itself literally translates to tyrant lizard king. So we wanted a name that would kind of signify that this is an ancestor or the predecessor or right before they became kings. So we settled upon Khannkhuuluu, which means the Prince of Dragons.
Krista Bo
00:06:11
Discovered in a fossil collection in Mongolia that hadn't been touched since the 1970s, the Khankuuluu helps explain how the tyrannosaurs evolved from smaller, speedier hunters into massive apex predators we see in the Jurassic Park films.
Jared Voris
00:06:26
I jokingly refer to them as predatory horses, because they're about the size of a horse. They were pretty big, but compared to what they were going to be or what their descendants would be, which are elephant sized, they were still quite small. They had these really long, shallow skulls, kind of like horses do. Their teeth were actually designed for cutting through flesh, so different than what you see with T. Rex teeth, which would have been able to crunch through bone. So, Khankhuuluu didn't have that capacity yet. And it also had these really long limbs. So it was actually probably an animal that was built for speed.
Krista Bo
00:06:58
So if you're not a dinosaur fan, you might be asking why should we care?
Jared Voris
00:07:03
Paleontology teaches us about our past. By understanding how ecosystems of the past have changed over time, that can help us to understand what the future might hold for us.
Krista Bo
00:07:15
'It's pretty common to hear about dogs that give mail carriers a hard time. But fortunately for long-time postal worker Ian Burke, that's not the case.
Ian Burke
00:07:24
Good boy. Good boy. Come on, go this way.
Krista Bo
00:07:27
Ian lives in Denton, Texas, which is just outside of Dallas. And last week he told CNN affiliate WFAA that he had adopted a dog straight from an old delivery route.
Ian Burke
00:07:38
Probably one of the best things that the postal service inadvertently issued me.
Krista Bo
00:07:41
The dog's name is Floyd, and today he weighs 70 pounds. When Ian first met him on the job three years ago, Floyd was just a puppy who belonged to an elderly Vietnam veteran. And Ian just looked forward to seeing him.
Ian Burke
00:07:54
And he got out the door and he like charged at me, right? A little puppy.
Krista Bo
00:07:58
Ian lost touch with the dog and his owner when his route changed about a year and a half ago. But when the veteran died, the postman who took over the route let Ian know that Floyd had been taken to a local animal shelter.
Ian Burke
00:08:09
I kind of felt responsible to, to take care of him. This is a dog that was loved and cherished by a former customer of mine. I think he would, he'd be pleased to know that his former mailman is taking good care of his, of his dog.
Krista Bo
00:08:25
It didn't take Ian long to make his next move.
Ian Burke
00:08:28
I went down to the shelter at about 10 a.m. Because when they opened, I got there at 9:50 to make sure I was first in line.
Krista Bo
00:08:35
And he was! Ian left the shelter with Floyd. As the two start a new chapter in their lives together, Ian says he hopes to inspire others to adopt shelter dogs.
Krista Bo
00:08:48
'All right, pop quiz. What's the last song Frank Sinatra sang in public? The winner of a Sinatra sing-off in his hometown sang it, so the answer's after the break. Stay with us.
Krista Bo
00:09:07
In Hoboken, New Jersey, Frank Sinatra's spirit lives on in ways that are just as timeless as his voice.
Geri Fallo
00:09:14
He was born in Hoboken, December 12th, 1915. They named the street after him. The post office is named after him, the park, the waterfront park is named after him and there is, you know, a statue of him now.
Krista Bo
00:09:31
Gerri Fallo spent more than 30 years as Hoboken's director of cultural affairs and now serves as a trustee on the board of the city's historical museum. She's the one who spearheaded the citys' annual Sinatra singing contest.
Krista Bo
00:09:43
It was first launched in 2007 to celebrate Hoboken rich musical roots. And since then, people all over the world have contacted Jerry over the years to try to compete.
Geri Fallo
00:09:53
Last Thursday, with the New York City skyline as the backdrop, 10 contestants competed in the 16th annual My Way Sinatra Sing Off. At Hoboken's outdoor Sinatra Park amphitheater. Gerri says this year's event had something extra special.
Geri Fallo
00:10:07
I would say we've had singers 18, 19 years old, but never this young.
Krista Bo
00:10:21
'10-Year-old Joseph JoJo Trusso was the youngest contestant ever to compete in the competition. He belted out Sinatra's 1964 rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon," from the DECA record label with a full-on swagger. And while he didn't win, Gerri said the judges thought the fifth grader has a long, promising career ahead of him. The first place winner, however, had some special ties to the city and Sinatra.
John Rennell
00:11:00
I am John Rennell. I live now in Ellentown, Florida, but I was born and raised in Hoboken. I've been performing live music since I'm 14, and I'm 70. But music can keep you young, and especially so with me. Always loved Sinatra's music. It's done a lot for me. I stand on the shoulders of what the styles he invented.
Krista Bo
00:11:27
And using a golden mic he said was once used by the iconic singer himself, John sang his 1964 hit, "The Best Is Yet To Come," from the record label Reprise.
Krista Bo
00:11:44
Fun fact, "The Best Is Yet To Come," was the last song Sinatra sang in public before he died in 1998, and the phrase was originally inscribed on his tombstone. In the city where he got his start, Sinatra's songs still inspire fans of all ages, doing it their way on a summer night in Hoboken.
Krista Bo
00:12:24
All right, that's all for now. Join us tomorrow for the next edition of One Thing.
Krista Bo
00:12:28
FIve Good Things is a production of CNN Audio. This episode was produced by Eryn Mathewson and me, Krista Bo. Our senior producers are Felicia Patinkin and Faiz Jamil. Matt Dempsey is our production manager. Dan Dzula is our technical director, and Steve Lichteig is the executive producer of CNN Audio.
Krista Bo
00:12:45
We get support from Joey Salvia, Robert Mathers, Jon Dianora, Leni Steinhardt, Jamus Andrest, Nichole Pesaru, and Lisa Namerow. And special thanks to Wendy Brundige. And thank you, as always, for listening. If you liked the show, please consider giving us a good rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or sharing it with a family member or a friend. That's the best way we can spread the good vibes. Take care, till next time.

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