The week's good news: December 6, 2018

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1. UPS driver takes home shelter dog who hopped into his truck
2. Moments after learning stranger needs kidney transplant, nurse steps up as donor
3. California nurse adopts baby left at his hospital
4. Police track down newly-engaged tourist who lost ring in Times Square
5. In scientific breakthrough, woman with uterus transplanted from deceased donor gives birth

published 6 December 2018

1. UPS driver takes home shelter dog who hopped into his truck

Ernie picked the right UPS truck to jump into one morning in October. The pitbull-terrier mix had been at the animal shelter in Buffalo, New York, for two months, and was on a walk with volunteer Cindy Grisanti when suddenly, he made a bee-line for Jason Coronado's UPS truck, which was stopped during Coronado's break. "After quite a few snuggles, I tried to get him out to continue our walk, but it definitely took some doing," Grisanti told The Dodo. "He wanted to stay in the truck with his new friend." After they parted ways, Coronado couldn't get the dog out of his mind, and when he saw on social media last month Ernie was still at the shelter, his family decided to adopt him. "He's very joyful," Coronado said. "I'm upset I didn't take him home earlier."

Lisa Schumacher knew nothing about Pam Cassidy when she decided to donate a kidney to her. Schumacher is a labor and delivery nurse at Edward Hospital in Naperville, Illinois. In February, she overheard Dr. Brett Cassidy say his wife's kidney was failing. Then and there, Schumacher announced she'd be the person to help. "It was a time in my life to do something for somebody," Schumacher told The Courier-News. Schumacher and Cassidy bonded instantly, and soon discovered how many things they have in common — both are about the same age, they each have teenage children, and before Cassidy got married, she was also a labor and delivery nurse. Schumacher is "special," Cassidy said, and both feel if sharing their experience will "get one person to donate a kidney ... then it is worth it."

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As soon as their eyes met, Robin Kohls knew the baby was going to be part of her life forever. Her husband, Joshua Kohls, is an ER nurse at St. Bernardine Medical Center in San Bernardino, California. In 2016, a woman gave birth to a healthy baby boy at the hospital, then went outside to smoke a cigarette. She never came back. Joshua called his wife to tell her about what happened, and "it was heartbreaking," Robin said. "I couldn't sleep, I couldn't cope with it. ... It just sat on my heart." The couple, already parents to two children, sent an email to the baby's social worker, and two days later, Logan was brought to their house. "I saw him and knew right then that he was going to be mine," Robin said. She was right — last month, the Kohls officially adopted Logan through San Bernardino County Children and Family Services.

John Drennan and Daniella Anthony now have the perfect story to share at their wedding. While visiting New York City from England, Drennan proposed to Anthony in Central Park. The ring was a little loose, and while walking through Times Square late Friday night, the bauble slipped from Anthony's finger, falling down a utility grate. Officers from the New York Police Department's Emergency Service Unit opened the grate and searched for an hour, but couldn't find the ring. Two more officers picked up the search Saturday morning, and they discovered the ring, but since Drennan and Anthony didn't leave their contact details, the NYPD released surveillance footage of the couple in Times Square. Friends recognized them, and passed along the good news. Drennan thanked the officers, promising them "a few cold beers when we come back to NYC."

In a global first, a woman who received a transplanted uterus from a deceased donor welcomed a healthy baby last December, a team of Brazilian doctors revealed on Tuesday. The mother, a 32-year-old psychologist, was born without a uterus, and seven months after the transplant, she went through in vitro fertilization and became pregnant. She gave birth via C-section to a healthy baby girl. Doctors from the University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine published their report on the breakthrough in the medical journal The Lancet, and they plan on doing two more transplants for the study. Co-author Dr. Cesar Diaz told AP such scientific advancements help researchers understand the intricacies of pregnancy at every stage.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.