The week's good news: October 25, 2018

1. 6-year-old sells pumpkins to help pay for his diabetes alert dog

Ian Unger, 6, wanted to be able to ride the school bus with his friends, but to do so, he either needed an adult assistant or a service dog that could alert him if his blood sugar dropped. The first-grader from Sand Lake, Michigan, has Type 1 diabetes, and his family decided it would be best to get him an alert dog. Because of the high price tag — $25,000 after training and fees — they knew it would take a few years to save up, but Unger announced he was going to start earning money himself. In the summer he sold lemonade, then he switched to pumpkins, which his family grows. "He's quite the little salesman," his mom, Katrina Christensen, told People. "We had hundreds of people in the driveway." Word spread online, and strangers ultimately raised $24,890 for Unger. He will get to meet his dog when training is over in 10 months.

People

2. Shoeshiner donates $202,000 in tips to children's hospital

For more than three decades, Albert Lexie shined shoes at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Children's Hospital, and every single tip that he received went straight to the kids. Lexie charged $2 to $5 for a shoeshine, earning about $10,000 annually, and while he could have used his tips, he instead donated them to the hospital. By the time he retired in December 2013, he had given the hospital $202,000, with the money going to the Free Care Fund, which covers medical treatment for kids who either don't have insurance or are under-insured. During his time at the hospital, Lexie worked Tuesdays and Thursdays, traveling 90 minutes on three buses to get there. He died on Oct. 16 at age 76, but because of his selflessness, he won't soon be forgotten. "His kindness and generosity were and continue to be an inspiration for all of us," Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh President Christopher Gessner said in a statement.

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Today

3. After canceling her wedding, woman donates venue to grateful couple

Without the generosity of a stranger, Halie Hipsher and Matt Jones would not have been able to move their wedding up to ensure Halie's grandfather could attend the joyous day. Kolbie Sanders of Tyler, Texas, was set to get married on Oct. 20. The wedding was called off, and she wasn't going to get the $3,500 venue rental fee back, so she announced on Facebook she was giving the venue away for the day. Messages came flooding in, and Jones and Hipsher were the lucky couple chosen. They planned on getting married in 2019, but Hipsher was afraid her grandfather, who has stage 4 pancreatic cancer, might not make it another year. They jumped into planning mode, and a photographer and other vendors donated their services. "Walking down the aisle was breathtaking and I wouldn't want to change one second of the day because it is all I dreamed of and more," Hipsher told GMA.

Good Morning America

4. Political opponents finish debate by making music together

At the end of their debate earlier this month, two candidates for a Vermont state House seat asked the moderator for a few extra minutes — not to make last-second appeals for votes, but rather to make a little music. Lucy Rogers, the Democrat, grabbed her cello, while Zac Mayo, the Republican, picked up his guitar. They started performing "Society" by Eddie Vedder, much to the surprise of everyone in attendance. "It strikes a chord," Mayo told CBS News. "To say to the world that this is a better way." Rogers and Mayo agreed early on while campaigning in Lamoille County that they were going to be civil and treat each other with respect throughout the race, and when Rogers asked Mayo if he wanted to play a song with her, he thought it was a fantastic idea — as did the voters who attended the debate.

CBS News Seven Days

5. Teen invents artificial intelligence treatment for pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer deaths, and Rishab Jain has invented a treatment that could change that. The 13-year-old Oregon resident won the Young Scientist Challenge with his invention, an algorithm that uses artificial intelligence to locate and track the pancreas in real time, Inside Edition reports. It can be difficult to spot the pancreas during radiation treatment, as it can be hidden behind the stomach or other organs, and that often leads to healthy cells accidentally being hit by radiation. Jain's algorithm not only improves the accuracy but also increases the impact of the radiation treatment, Young Scientist Challenger organizers said. He only started working on the project last year, when he discovered how lethal pancreatic cancer can be. "At the same time, I was also doing artificial intelligence programming, so I wondered if I could combine my knowledge in both areas," he told Inside Edition.

Inside Edition