5 Most Uplifting Stories of the Week

A "miracle dog" gets a place of honor in the Rose Parade, and a young man with Down Syndrome is overjoyed after getting some big news:

• Mutt Goes From Gas Chamber to Rose Parade: Two years after he was put in a steel box and gassed with carbon monoxide, a beagle mix with a knack for survival will be proudly riding a float in Pasadena's Rose Parade on New Year's Day. The survival story has led to changes in animal euthanasia laws, says his new owner.
• Down Syndrome Student Learns He's Going to College: It's a video of a young man finding out that he's been accepted to his dream college, but what makes this one special is that student Rion Holcombe has Down Syndrome.

• A Child's Bittersweet Birth—4 Months After Mom's Death: This week brought the moving story of 1-month-old Caralyn Yoho, whose mother, Laura, learned she had brain cancer in advance of her 2011 wedding. Laura's best friend offered to act as a surrogate ... as the tumors returned, and Laura's conditioned worsened. What comes next is a story of sadness and hope.
• Boston Bombing Survivor Engaged to Nurse: The Boston Marathon bombing left James "Bim" Costello with serious shrapnel injuries and burns so bad that he needed pig skin grafts on most of his right arm and right leg—but it also introduced him to the love of his life.
• Lottery Winner Giving Away $40M Prize: Canadian lottery winner Tom Crist says he doesn't need his $40 million prize, but he knows who does—and the 64-year-old Calgary man has pledged to give the entire jackpot away in honor of his wife of 33 years.

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