The “Ike Special” touchdown, and more

The “Ike Special” touchdown

Ike Ditzenberger, a high school varsity football player with Down syndrome, last week scored a winning touchdown, albeit for his losing side. Ditzenberger’s Snohomish High School Panthers, in Washington state, were down 35–0 with 10 seconds left in the game when the coach called the “Ike Special.” Ike was given the football and rushed for 51 yards, weaving around opposing players who energetically failed to tackle him. He ended his rush with a dance of joy in the end zone. “They gave him the gift of normalcy,” said Kay Ditzenberger, Ike’s mom.

Lost in the desert with a hat

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Edward Rosenthal, 64, was hiking in Joshua Tree National Park when he made a wrong turn, straying 13 miles before stopping, alone and lost. The real estate broker and amateur poet had no paper, so he passed the anxious hours scribbling messages on his hat. He wrote the names of clients he wanted thanked in his behalf, told his family how much he loved them, and planned his funeral. “He had certain poems he wanted read,” said his wife, Nicole Kaplan. After six days, a weak and dehydrated Rosenthal was finally located by rescue workers. His ink-stained topper is now destined for framing on his very grateful family’s wall.

Boyfriend drops engagement ring off Brooklyn Bridge

Trey Turner of Florida was on bended knee before girlfriend Kelsey Kramer on the Brooklyn Bridge when he accidentally dropped the .6-carat diamond engagement ring in his hand. The couple watched in horror as the ring tumbled downward, but luckily, it landed on a scaffolding platform instead of plunging into the East River. Two days later, bridge worker Doug Reese spotted the ring and brought it to the city Department of Transportation. With Turner out of town, a DOT employee had the honor of placing the ring on Kramer’s finger. Her fiancé’s clumsiness was no deterrent: Kramer said, “Yes.”