Human Interest Story

Tania Hayes was just twenty two years old and very much in love with her fiance Warren. They were young, healthy, successful and happy. Then one day eleven years ago, Warren lost his balance when he was out walking, and less than a week later he was in hospital being treated for a massive brain tumour, an acoustic neuroma, extremely rare in men under thirty years old. Warren was twenty nine. The surgeon later told Tania when he first opened Warren up he was "confronted with the most horrifying sight he had ever seen". The good news was that it wasn't malignant. Nonetheless, after all the operations and treatment Warren was left in a wheelchair, and Tania now cares for him round the clock.

Warren gave Tania a get-out clause: "If things get too tough, I'll set you free, no strings attached", but Tania wasn't interested. She said she would stick by him forever, no matter what.

In 2006 the CEO of "Carers Australia" read a short story by Tania about her experience with Warren. She was so moved they approached her to become an ambassador. Tania says the role has given her the opportunity to meet so many other carers around the country who have actually inspired her with their own stories. So many of them, like Tania, are carers taken completely by surprise. Her experience shows it truly can happen to anyone, at any time.

Alphabet Story

The apathetic child of Lillian and Silver Harper, Jasper, was born in a euphoric world. Befuddling, he wasn't the perfect, bright, and happy child you would have thought. The clandestine child always kept to himself and locked himself in his room, rarely leaving the comfort of his confinement. During his childhood, Jasper never had much interaction with other children his age. Every other child would run around and play, like every child should, while he quietly observed, but never joined in on the fun. Far from how the many children at his school behaved, Jasper was not rambunctious. Greatly influenced by his parents, his attitude was demure. An honor student, Jasper was also well ahead of his class. Intelligent and very handsome, he wasn't outcasted by his classmates, but rather liked to seclude himself and be a dilettante in almost anything you can imagine. Jasper was very ambitious. Korea was where he learned to play the gayageum. Lost in a sea of people, he had decided to refuge to art. Mostly left at home, babysat by his neighbor, Jasper developed a love of metal music and morbid art. No one could break through his shell, but then she came along. October, no not the month, the girl, was one of a kind. Probably the prettiest girl Jasper had gotten to know, he came to care a lot about her. Quaker oats was what they had for breakfast every Monday. Randomly, they fought, but they always made up. Spontaneously, they would take off and go to concerts.

It's a Dog's World

"My name is Daisicle and, yes, I am a ninja chihuhua. I was trained as a pup by master Chifu. Over the past years as a ninja I've fought zombies, vampires, werewoles... you name it, I killed it. I remember one mission in particular...

"It was a cold, dark night... My fellow ninjas and I were on a mission to defeat a group of radioactive zombies. The clouds over head signaled a storm was also on the way, we had to stop those zombies before the humans woke up or were attacked, preferably under dry conditions! The ninjas and I used our stealth and carried ourselves with our scruffy, but graceful paws over the cold and pebbled alley ground. It's silent... too silent.

"I turn around and a green, gooey, extremely yucky mess of a person- or what used to be lunges at us; we scramble away as fast as we can to regain our composure. One of the ninjas, attacks the zombie with his huge samurai sword and slices the zombie in half. Whew... that was a class one!

"One zombie down... many mo-"

"Daisy! What are you doing out here in the backyard at dark?" says a human, as she scurries me into her arms.

Of course, I was completely called off guard... What does she think she's doing? My ninja days are over, woman! The moonlight from the backyard sparkled in the human's eyes as she looked at me with immense love reflecting back at me...

Okay, so maybe she's my owner!
And I was never really a ninja... but a chihuahua can dream.