It's been quite the week for the news. But it's time for a break. And whether you're overjoyed or heartbroken after last week's election results, today's newsletter stands on its own as a shining, politics-free reminder of all the good in the world.

Let me know which sections and stories are your favorites. I love hearing from you! Have a fantastic week.

- Kailyn

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today's newsletter takes ~2.97 minutes to read (792 words).

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I have everything I need already inside of me

In May 2017, a newly married Jake Haendel had "everything going for him"...when he was told he had a few months to live.

• Following a few weeks of odd symptoms, he had received the devastating diagnosis of acute toxic leukoencephalopathy (ATL), a rare and often fatal brain disease caused by exposure to toxic substances.
• “I woke up and there was a whole team of people in the room,” he recalls of the moment he found out of his condition. “A doctor was sitting on the foot of my bed, put his hand on my knee and was like, ‘Jacob, we're extremely sorry. You have a rare terminal and progressive brain illness.'” 
• He was given six months to live.

Over the next few months, Jake deteriorated rapidly, first losing his ability to walk, then speak. Within six months, he was bedridden and believed to be in a coma. December was the first time Jake heard someone refer to him as “brain dead.”

Wait… isn’t this Positive DONUT? 

Here's where it gets better. Jake lived in his coma-like state for ten months, but what doctors didn’t know was that his brain was still fully intact.

• Jake was suffering from “locked-in syndrome,” a condition in which the brain loses access to all muscles in the body except for the eyes. He could still fully hear, think, and feel – but was “locked” in his body.

No one other than Jake knew. And he made it his goal to get out.

Around a year after his initial diagnosis, Jake found the strength to move his wrist. One of his doctors noticed and asked him to do it again. “I kind of had this rush go through me and I was like, ‘Wow, this is my one and only shot,’” he told People. "I tensed up my entire body and I didn't think it was working, but then I heard, ‘Wow, he is actually doing it.’”

💪 From there, Jake started seeing progress every day. He learned how to use a letter board to communicate using eye movements. The first thing he said to his doctors was “I can hear you.” The first thing he said to his family was “I love you.”

Fast-forward to today, and Jake has made almost a full recovery. He’s one of only a handful of people to ever recover from locked-in syndrome.

• He’s now dedicated his life to disability awareness and accessibility, creating an app called Ahoi that helps users with disabilities find places that meet their specific needs, like accessible parking, entry ramps, elevators, automatic doors, etc.
• “I have such a different perspective on what's important in life. And going through what I went through has definitely made me stronger,” he told People. “It feels amazing and a big part of why I'm telling my story and have this company is to help people and help the world.”

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Neal Slavin has dedicated his career to group portraiture. After he traveled the US to capture pictures of unique communities (like this one of pugs and their owners from 1991 👆), Neal’s book, When Two or More are Gathered Together, became a trailblazer for color photography in the '70s. Now, 50 years after its release, Neal is republishing the book with over 50 new group images – some as recent as 2023. And yes, most of them are just as quirky as this one.

🥇 An adorable hero… Bo the bloodhound was just named American Humane’s Hero Dog of the Year. The 18-month-old pup has saved multiple lives with his impressive sniffer, tracking down missing people, including children and seniors, and offering them comfort and sloppy kisses once they're found.

🍑 Meet the Iron Butts… A movement has been started in China by young adults addicted to traveling – and they proudly call themselves the Iron Butts. Rather than taking planes to their destination, the Iron Butts are committed to traveling by bus, sometimes for days at a time, to reach their final stop. This down-to-earth way of traveling is tough, but full of heart and community.

❤️🐐Just because it's cute… Check out this video of a baby goat being rescued by good Samaritans after four days of being stranded on a cliffside in Hawaii.

Positive DONUT OGs know I'm a big believer in meditation. The simple practice of sitting with your breath has been proven time and time again to have positive effects on our minds and emotions.

• There are countless types of meditation, but my personal favorite is usually visualization. This is where you're guided to some sort of unique environment in your mind's eye. I always enjoy letting my imagination take over as I relax into the practice for a few minutes.

🧘‍♀️🚶‍♀️🌳 Relax. Visualize. Breathe. This guided forest walk meditation had me feeling so calm and at peace, I really felt like I was on a beautiful hike surrounded by nature. Give it a shot today and let me know what you think!

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“What a smart way to revolutionize the credit card industry.. not taking advantage of beginners or those who need some financial literacy.”

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Welcome to What’s Your Win, the section of the newsletter where we celebrate all of the good things happening right here in our Positive DONUT community. Big or small, there’s always something to celebrate. Check out this week’s submission below:

🇺🇸 Sie H. from the USA is a proud first-time voter…

• “I went and voted for the first time!! I’ve had anxiety for years, and for a while there, I wasn’t leaving my house at all. That’s recently been so much better (thanks to therapy), so this year I went out to vote.”

Whether you had an energizing conversation with a friend, beat a sickness, met a milestone at work, or booked a trip you were always dreaming about, we want to hear about it. 

There is always something to be grateful for, and no win too small. And who knows? Sharing a bit of positivity from your own life could inspire someone else to recognize the good in theirs🥰.

So what are you waiting for? Submit your wins here for a chance to be featured in next week's newsletter. We want to celebrate you!

Share your accomplishments – big and small – here.

Because trivia is back🤩. Today’s theme is general knowledge.

What is the last book in the Twilight novel series?

• Breaking Dawn
• Life And Death: Twilight Reimagined
• Midnight Sun

Who is the most-followed person on Instagram?

• Kylie Jenner
• Taylor Swift
• Cristiano Ronaldo

Before gaining independence, what was Bangladesh called?

• Ceylon
• Formosa
• East Pakistan

Which US state has the smallest population?

• Alaska
• Wyoming
• Vermont

What is the highest-grossing film of all time?

• Avatar
• Avengers: Endgame
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens

(keep scrolling for the answers)

👆 Check out the referral prizes you can get, just for introducing people you know to little old us. 

What to do: Copy your unique link below, then send it to anyone who you think would like Positive DONUT. Once you hit each milestone, you'll get an email with a link to claim your prize.

Start referring.👇

1. Midnight Sun: The 2020 novel tells the story of Twilight from Edward’s perspective.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo: The football icon has a staggering total of 641 million followers
3. East Pakistan: East Pakistan seceded in 1971, creating the independent state of Bangladesh
4. Wyoming: The state has a population of 576,851 people, according to the 2020 census
5. Avatar: The film grossed a grand total of $2,923,706,026

Hit that reply button and let me know, I read every response. Have a great week!🥰

–Kailyn

P.S. Enjoying this newsletter and want to support my work? It'd mean the world if you told a friend or two about Positive DONUT. You can even win sweet, sweet prizes for each person you refer using your unique link (found two sections above).