Meet the Superhero Spreading Joy in All 50 States - CNN 5 Good Things - Podcast on CNN Podcasts

CNN

a day ago

Krista Bo
00:00:00
Hey there, welcome, welcome. Let's jump right into the good stuff. We highlight two epic journeys that made history. One around the globe in search of happiness and the other down a newly restored river to come back home. And across the pond.
Announcer
00:00:18
All up!
Krista Bo
00:00:18
'A centuries-old tradition where these birds get the royal treatment.
Yuri Williams
00:00:22
I'm willing to travel anywhere by plane, boat, whatever I need to do to make an impact on somebody's life.
Krista Bo
00:00:29
'He's a real-life superhero, sparking joy across the country in costume and in memory of someone he loved. From CNN, I'm Krista Bo, and this is 5 Good Things.
Krista Bo
00:00:43
The newest member of the Philadelphia Phillies doesn't swing a bat or throw a pitch. This puppy is carrying on a legacy while training to save a life.
'Jess Wisnieski-Hagen
00:00:52
Tugger is just a few months old. He is a yellow lab and he is working hard to become a service dog. So he's currently a service in training for a veteran in need.
Krista Bo
00:01:04
'Jess Wisnieski-Hagen is chief of operations and comms at Team Foster, a nonprofit that raises money to connect injured or disabled veterans with highly trained service dogs. Through a partnership between Team Foster for your canine connection who trains the dogs and Phillies Charities, Tugger has just started the roughly two-year process towards becoming someone's lifeline.
'Jess Wisnieski-Hagen
00:01:26
Service dogs save lives. They help veterans live more independently. They help with PTSD, nightmares, seizures, mobility issues.
Krista Bo
00:01:38
'Tugger's name isn't just cute. He's named after one of Philadelphia's most beloved legends, Tug McGraw, who died in 2004 from brain cancer. Tug was a two-time World Series champ and a proud U.S. Marine Corps Reservist. He enlisted after his rookie season and served from 1965 to 1971. The pup was born on April 24th, just two days before the 50th anniversary of Tug joining the Phillies roster.
Matt McGraw
00:02:03
He was so proud to be a Marine on top of all the other things that he did in his life, obviously being a great baseball player, but serving his country was extremely important. And now that this little pup gets to kind of carry that legacy on is pretty cool. I think he'd, you know, he'd love it.
Krista Bo
00:02:18
Tug's youngest son, Matt McGraw, met Tugger during the Pups' big league debut earlier this month. Or he was easily the MVP of the day.
Matt McGraw
00:02:25
Scooped him up, gave him a big hug, kind of felt like I was giving my dad a hug. He'd be so proud, so happy that that's sort of like the mission that has came from his name.
Announcer
00:02:40
All Up!
Announcer
00:02:40
Every July on the River Thames in England, there's a royal tradition that's been happening for centuries.
David Barber
00:02:48
'Swan upping - it dates right back to the 12th century and of course in those days it was a very very important food served up at banquets and feasts. Of course today, swan is no longer eaten and it is a protected species.
Krista Bo
00:03:07
David Barber is the king's swan marker, a job he's held for 32 years. He and his crew just wrapped up this year's Swan Upping, where six crews in traditional wooden boats gently capture families of mute swans and their babies called cygnets to check their health.
David Barber
00:03:24
'Today, swan-upping is all about conservation and education. It's a five-day journey, 79 miles we travel, trying to protect these birds from some of the environment problems that we have.
Krista Bo
00:03:40
And the animal tradition comes with quite a catchphrase.
David Barber
00:03:43
And when you see a family of swans with young cygnets, the first boat that spots them will shout out.
Announcer
00:03:54
All Up!
David Barber
00:03:54
All up! And that is the signal that we're going to have a swan catch.
Krista Bo
00:03:59
They'll take the swans and their babies to shore, measure them, weigh them, check them for any injuries, and release them. And David's excited about this year's results.
David Barber
00:04:10
The figures have gone up to 115 cygnets, so all the swans and the young cygnets were in absolutely lovely condition, which we're extremely pleased about.
Krista Bo
00:04:24
That's up from last year's figure of 86. He credits the rebound to a drop in bird flu cases in the area and earlier than usual spring flooding. So the swans and spirits are all up.
Krista Bo
00:04:40
'That was the greeting a documentarian got when he stepped back onto U.S. Soil, ending a record-breaking whirlwind journey around the globe.
Michael Zervos
00:04:49
It was a feeling much in the way of waking up from a dream. It was very special to me. My name is Michael Zervos and I recently broke the record to be the fastest person to travel to every country in the world.
Krista Bo
00:05:04
Guinness World Records just confirmed he visited 195 sovereign countries in only 499 days, almost two months faster than the previous record holder. And while he was in each country, he asked people just one question. What's the happiest moment of your life? It's a journey we've covered on the podcast before called Project Kosmos with a K. It started in Russia in January of 2024 and ended in the U.S. On May 30th this year.
Michael Zervos
00:05:32
'I asked people as young as 11-years-old and as old as 104 years old this question and got wildly different answers that surprised me.
North Korea
00:05:43
When I was reunited with my mom, I was then living in the countryside of North Korea, and my mom escaped six years before that. Suddenly, she began sending brokers to rescue me. So finally, we were together again.
Krista Bo
00:06:02
He said marriage, parenthood, and childbirth were big ones.
Michael Zervos
00:06:06
'Another common one was moments that were very representative to a watershed, life-defining moment. It is something that defines them, their purpose, their passion. The 11-year-old was in Jordan, and he said his happiest moment was he had been obsessed with space his whole entire life, ever since he was young, and he wanted to send a letter to NASA.
Jordan
00:06:31
So I emailed them that I wanted to be an astronaut with them when I grow up. So then they gave me a membership of being as their members. And they also gave me a ticket that they are going to send to Mars with my name on it in 2026 and the one to the moon this year.
Krista Bo
00:06:51
Michael said this experience changed him for the better, and now he's writing his first book to share the stories of happiness he's collected.
Michael Zervos
00:06:58
I hope that it grows a curiosity for people in the world to learn more, to ask questions, and to explore. And the other thing is that I hope that people are able to use some of these moments to then reflect upon their own lives, but that you also have commonalities across the world. You don't have to compare it to your neighbors. Your moment is good enough.
Krista Bo
00:07:25
Ruby Williams will never forget her 18th birthday. That's because she spent it paddling down the Klamath River with fellow young indigenous kayakers on a historic 310 mile long journey.
Ruby Williams
00:07:38
It really made me learn that I really love my friends on the river and how the river will never cease to amaze you.
Krista Bo
00:07:47
'It was the first time in 100 years anyone could make the trek from the river's source in Southern Oregon all the way to the Pacific Ocean in Northern California uninterrupted, thanks to the recent removals of four dams. And for Ruby and her fellow paddlers, this month-long excursion was a huge victory more than four decades in the making because it means a lot to her people, the Karuk and Quartz Valley tribes.
Ruby Williams
00:08:11
It's my home river. It's a family member to me. You grow up hearing about how our river's sick and there is a way to fix it. If we take care of it, it'll take care us.
Krista Bo
00:08:23
The four major dams were installed to generate electricity for the region. But in the process, they created conditions that heated the water, created toxic algae blooms, killed thousands of fish, and hurt local communities.
Krista Bo
00:08:37
Experts say since the dams were removed the water quality improved and the fish populations grew. Ruby started the journey on June 12th with about 14 other young people she didn't know with the help of a program called Paddle Tribal Waters.
Ruby Williams
00:08:52
It wasn't as hard as I thought it was gonna be, but it was obviously still very challenging. But overall it was amazing. I wouldn't wanna do it with any other group of kids, you know, we're like a family.
Krista Bo
00:09:04
They had their closing ceremony on July 12th. And Ruby says this is just the beginning of her environmental activism.
Ruby Williams
00:09:10
'I just want more free-flowing rivers, honestly, and I want more kids to have these opportunities to see these things that I've seen and do the things that i've done.
Krista Bo
00:09:25
Up next, not all heroes wear capes, but this one does. He actually has a lot of them. Hear how this superhero saves the day for people who need it most. Stick with us, we'll be right back.
Krista Bo
00:09:42
'Some superheroes fly, others can shape shift or read your mind, but this superhero from Long Beach, California uses his powers to help people who are struggling with life-threatening illnesses.
Yuri Williams
00:09:54
'I came up with the idea of dressing up as super heroes, Storm Trooper, Spider-Man, Deadpool. I go get dressed and then that's when the magic begins.
Krista Bo
00:10:05
'By day, 48-year-old Yuri Williams is a dad and juvenile corrections officer. But in his spare time, he runs a nonprofit called, A Future Superhero and Friends. Which is why he's getting a CNN Heroes salute.
Yuri Williams
00:10:18
I'm trying to uplift as many human beings and animals as possible. I visit the houseless community, veterans, the elderly, children with special needs, disabilities.
Krista Bo
00:10:28
Since 2017, Yuri has traveled across all 50 states at least five times to deliver items like backpacks, blankets, and food to people in need. He visits them in hospital rooms and homes, and he does it all in costume. To date, he says he's visited more than 25,000 people.
Yuri Williams
00:10:46
I'm willing to travel anywhere by plane, boat, whatever I need to do to make an impact on somebody's life.
Krista Bo
00:10:54
Her specialty is delivering toys to kids.
Yuri Williams
00:10:57
I brought you some gifts today. How you doing? You like Lego? Yes. Can I get a high five? Superhero! There we go. Oh go Emily! You're welcome. You're Welcome. Have a good one.
Krista Bo
00:11:07
Yuri was inspired to start the nonprofit after his mom died in 2009.
Yuri Williams
00:11:11
'My mother was a loving individual. Everyone respected her. I fell into a five-year depression period where I almost lost myself. What I did was come up with this nonprofit to honor her and to thank her for being the mother that she was.
Krista Bo
00:11:25
To learn more about how you can donate or volunteer, you can find a link to the organization in our show notes.
Krista Bo
00:11:37
All right, that's all for now. Join us tomorrow for the next edition of CNN One Thing. Here part two of the series exploring the role psychedelics can play in therapeutic settings. Host David Rind speaks to a science journalist to discuss why the politics of psychedelics have shifted over the decades to the point where even some Republicans are now more open to the possibility. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Krista Bo
00:12:00
Five Good Things is a production of CNN Podcasts. This episode was produced by Eryn Mathewson and me, Krista Bo. Our senior producers are Faiz Jamil and Felicia Patinkin. Matt Dempsey is our production manager. Dan Dzula is our technical director. And Steve Lickteig is the executive producer of CNN Podcasts. We get support from Joey Salvia, Alex Manasseri, Robert Mathers, Jon Dianora, Leni Steinhardt, Jamus Andrest, Nichole Pesaru, and Lisa Namerow. Special thanks to the CNN Heroes team and Nell Lewis. And last but not least, thank you especially for listening. Take care. Till next time.