Global News Podcast - The Happy Pod: A teacher's life-saving gift

Episode Date: June 29, 2024

Preschool teacher Carissa got tested as soon as she heard her former pupil, 5 year old Ezra, needed a liver transplant. She tells us she didn't think twice about donating and wants him to be able to do 'five year old things'. Ezra's mum Karen says she's overwhelmed that someone would be willing to do something so selfless and giving for her son. Also: A new drug that could protect women from getting HIV with just two injections a year. The extraordinary Euro 2024 football victory that's helped a country believe in itself. How volunteers managed to save priceless works of art at the start of the war in Ukraine. We're back in Finland for an equestrian competition with no animals - where people jump and ride wooden stick toys called hobby horses. And we hear from Debbie Wileman - whose lockdown social videos have led to a new career as a Judy Garland impersonator. Our weekly collection of happy news and positive stories from around the world.

Hello, this is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service, with reports and analysis from across the world. The latest news seven days a week. BBC World Service podcasts are supported by advertising. If you're hearing this, you're probably already listening to BBC's award-winning news podcasts. But did you know that you can listen to them without ads? Get current affairs podcasts like Thank you. Amazon Music with a Prime membership. Spend less time on ads and more time with BBC Podcasts. You're listening to The Happy Pod from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Oliver Conway. We are recording this on Saturday the 29th of June.

Coming up, an incredible act of kindness. I just wanted to be able to help him. I mean, I had what this five-year-old needed. To think of somebody being willing to do that for him, I can't even imagine how proud her mother must be. The preschool teacher donating part of her liver to her former pupil. The groundbreaking injection that prevented HIV infections. The zero just really made my hair stand on end

because we just haven't seen anything that effective in the whole of the AIDS epidemic. And we're back in Finland for a rather unusual sporting event. Never be afraid of trying something new because you never know what you will like and what type of hobbies you will fall in love with. Also in this podcast, the unexpected victory that's boosted Georgian pride. It was the first time in my lifetime I could see my national flag on BBC and it's not about some catastrophic event that's happening there. We are in news in a positive way. And...

Literally, it's all stemmed from me sitting in my car filming myself on an iPhone in lockdown. The woman whose online videos led to a new career. Now, as the more observant of you may have noticed, this is my first time presenting the happy pod. In fact, it was suggested that I might be too grumpy for the job, but here I am, and what better way to brighten my mood than 25 minutes of cheerfulness? And this first item certainly took my breath away. Imagine being a young child needing a liver transplant, and your teacher turns up at your front door offering to share hers. Well, that is what

happened to five-year-old Ezra from New York. We'll hear from him and his mum in a moment, but first to his former preschool teacher, Carissa Fisher, who was delighted to find that she was a perfect match for the liver transplant. You know, he was one of those kids where he walks into the room and he kind of just lights up the room. So I just wanted to be able to help him. I mean, I had what this five-year-old needed. Honestly, there was not a second thought about it. They finally called me and they were like, hey, you got approved. Congratulations. So I immediately made Ezra a sign and headed over to his house the next day to tell his family. It was emotional. And I think Ezra's mom didn't really process it at first.

Like she, I think she was just in total shock at that point. She was really excited. And, and Ezra, you could tell he kind of knew like what was going on. If I were in that situation, I would want someone to do it for me. That's what it comes down to. This is a five-year-old little boy and he can't do five-year-old things. And I want him to be able to do those five-year-old things. I want him to be able to pay it forward and help somebody else make the world a better place. Carissa Fisher and Karen and Ezra told me more about that amazing day. Do you remember the day when Miss Carissa came to our house?

Yeah. Yeah? How did you feel that day? Happy. What did she come here to tell you? I have a liver. That she has a liver for you? What did she bring with her for you? A teddy bear with balloons. A teddy bear with balloons. What else? What was the big paper she had? Do you remember what it said? Would you like to share my liver? Yeah. And what did you have to do with the marker?

I need a drawing so I can have the liver. Yeah, to say yes? Yes. And now you're going to be kind of joined with her forever because you'll have part of her liver. Isn't that amazing? Yes. And Karen, how did you feel when Carissa rang on your doorbell that day?

Shocked, really. I thought they were coming by to drop off maybe a gift or a donation or a collection of some sort. So when they explained, I was just overwhelmed. What an amazing moment, a complete change for your life and for Ezra's life. Absolutely. We would do whatever we needed to for our own children, but to think of somebody being willing to do that for him,

we knew that that was, you know, a great thing to ask of anybody. And I can't even imagine, you know, how proud her mother must be to have a child who would grow up and be willing to do this completely selfless and giving act. How difficult is it to get a match? He was placed on a transplant list. And so we knew that we could be waiting, you know, until he really was so sick that there was nobody more sick than he is. That was kind of a scary place to be. We got to skip all of that and just kind of settle and breathe and we won't

just be waiting and waiting and waiting. It was just an extra special thing that she's somebody who, you know, had a connection to him already. And final words to Ezra. How do you feel about all this now? Better. Better. He's very carefree and just doing his thing and living his best little life. But it was really sweet. We ran into Miss Carissa and her mum at a local event. He saw her and ran right up and gave her a big hug. We told her she's stuck with him now. She's like family.

So it'll be really neat that she can watch him grow, you know, and do well. Five-year-old Ezra and his mum Karen. After all our years of sadness, this is truly surreal. I got cold shivers. The words of South African professor Linda Gale-Becker on seeing the outcome of a new trial into combating HIV. According to the most recent figures, around 1.3 million people around the world became infected with the virus in 2022, nearly half of them women and girls. Professor Becker, head of the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, has spent years working with some of Africa's poorest people to try to reduce infections.

She told me why it was so significant that a new injection given twice a year had been shown to give women total protection. I think over, you know, the 30 years that we really have been battling HIV in the East and Southern African region, we have not really seen incidents come down in young women. And a primary prevention option that young women can use themselves in an independent fashion in a discreet way has been something we haven't had in our hands. Taking an oral pill daily turns out to be actually quite a lot of hard work for young people as well, for many social and structural reasons. And so we just haven't seen the results we've been hoping for, that perhaps others have seen in other parts of

the world. And so this breakthrough really is very, very important. Because still, today, 4,000 young women become infected with HIV every week around the world. And how did you feel when you saw the results of this trial? Well, I want to say, you know, the zero just really made my hair stand on end because we just haven't seen anything that effective in the whole of the AIDS epidemic. When you say zero, you mean there were no infections? Correct. 100% efficacy. How surprised were you to see that? Delighted. I guess we had many hopes that something that was injectable, that people could reliably come and receive. We were very hopeful that we would get very good results. But I think seeing 100% efficacy is always a real bonus

and one that we're extremely excited about. Now, when we hear about new medical breakthroughs like this, it's often very expensive and it's going to take a long time before people can really benefit from it. Where does this go from here? Well, at this point, we have seen press statements from Gilead Science, who are the pharmaceutical company that has been developing Lenacapavir. First of all, they've said that they are committed to global access. Secondly, that they will manufacture sufficiently that we don't have a shortage in the short term. And they are prepared to offer the licenses to generic pharmaceutical companies. And we know from past experience that once antiretrovirals go to generic

companies, we do begin to see the price come down. I think there is a real sense of urgency. Hopefully, in the next few months, this will be going to regulators. And what will this mean for those communities that you've been working with in Africa for decades? I think for them, it really is a mixture of excitement and relief. You know, listeners might not appreciate that in a country where almost 8 million people are living with HIV. You know, we all know somebody who is either living with the virus, or, you know, people are constantly aware that they may be at risk of acquiring the virus. And so having something that is efficacious to this extent is just huge. Linda Gale-Becker, head of the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation,

and Professor of Medicine at the University of Cape Town. Now, I hope you enjoyed our special edition from Finland recently, but did you know that every year the country stages the world's biggest hobby horse championships? For the uninitiated, a hobby horse is a children's toy made up of a wooden stick with a hand-crafted horse's head. But enthusiasts, or hobbyists as they're known, take it a lot more seriously, with events like dressage and jumping modelled on real equestrian activities. Lucy Archerson has been talking to some of this

year's participants. The jump is now 140 centimetres high. All right, Finnish championships, let's go. Everybody's going, everybody's coming together, everybody's having fun. There's always like this warm and very lovely and friendly atmosphere. This event has captivated the nation, drawing participants of all ages who ride and perform with their handcrafted hobby horses.

Meet Alec and Emi, two of the masterminds behind the event. They started by a couple who decided that now is the time to make the championships. And the first championships were held at a school and now it has grown over the years. It's so nice to see the growth every year and the producers and arrangers of the championship. the team is like amazing. Finland's Hobby Horse Championships is the biggest event of its kind in the world with nearly 2,000 hobbyists competing this year. And it's not just Finns who are enchanted by the sport. In the championships, we had over 20 countries competing this year. I think that

that's really cool and it brings the sport to other countries as well. Alegria came all the way from Argentina. Not only did she compete in the event, but she also sold handcrafted hobby horses. I'm from Argentina and we don't have a lot of hobby horsing there. The traveling is exhausting, but it's the biggest hobby horse event in the world and it's just like the goal to go there. Like I think every hobby horse's goal is to go to the championships. I got to sell to girls that were just like loving the horse, they couldn't stop using it, they just fell in love with it and that was a huge highlight.

I had the chance to speak to Netta, a hobbyist who won the Halted Show pony ring. I kind of knew that I was going to get good placements because I have already won the award of Hobby Horse Maker of the Year 2023. Number first and second. They weren't announced yet. And next to me is one of my most dearest hobby horsing friends, Dakota. And we were looking at each other like either one has just won. We even shook hands and hugged and we already started to congratulate each other. I would have shared the win if I could.

Hobby horse might seem quirky and unusual to some. to congratulate each other. I would have shared the win if I could. Hobby horse might seem quirky and unusual to some, but competitions like this bring people together, fostering a sense of community. Hobby horses are for everyone, I think. Everyone who wants to experience the community and do something fun. The atmosphere is so warm, it just makes it so unique. Never be afraid of trying something new because you never know what you will like and what type of hobbies you will fall in love with. Always have an open mind and try everything. With colourful handmade hobby horses, elaborate routines and boundless enthusiasm, the Hobby Horse Championships in Finland are more than just a spectacle.

They're a testament to the power of community and the joy of pursuing a passion, no matter how niche. Lucy Archerson. And still to come on The Happy Pod. We're making tourism that's ethnotourism, an indigenous tourism, telling our history, our past, our present, and also what we see in our future. A new type of tourism helping indigenous people in Colombia. If you're hearing this, you're probably already listening to BBC's award-winning news podcasts. But did you know that you can listen to them without ads? Get current affairs podcasts like Global News, AmeriCast and The Global Story,

plus other great BBC podcasts from history to comedy to true crime, all ad-free. Simply subscribe to BBC Podcast Premium on Apple Podcasts or listen to Amazon Music with a Prime membership. Spend less time on ads and more time with BBC Podcasts. Now, football is one of the things that can make me happy, though, of course, as an England fan, there's always a chance of disappointment as well. But for Georgia, the final group game of the European Championships

brought unconfined joy, as their 2-0 shot win over Portugal meant they reached the last 16 in the knockout stages in their first ever major tournament. Tamara Edgar from the capital Tbilisi sent us this voice note about what it means for her and for Georgian identity. I don't know if you watched the game, but it was just spectacular. Clara Tellier for Georgia. What a start.

And it's just so much bigger than football because it just changes the paradigm, the narrative of our story. It changes the whole national mindset because we always have this like, yes, we're brave and yes, we're tough. We always lose, but we're going to go fighting. There's this mindset that we know we're never going to win. And I'm thinking about all those Georgian kids who are going to now grow up with this idea, no, we can't just win.

We win against Portugal. We get Ronaldo kicking off and leaving the pitch because of how annoyed he is by how great we are. It was close to mission impossible, but Georgia have succeeded when no one thought they could. It was the first time in my lifetime I could see my national flag on BBC and it's not about some catastrophic event that's happening there. We are in news in a positive way.

I can't concentrate today. I'm just... it's incredible. With apologies to Portugal and thanks to Tamara. And if you'd like to share something that's made you happy, send us an email or a voice note to globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. For more than 500 years, the indigenous people of northern Colombia have lived in relative isolation, with visitors sometimes seen as unwelcome outsiders.

But a new initiative is allowing these tribes to benefit from the money brought in by foreign travellers. It's an example of what's known as ethnotourism, which encourages visitors to respect local communities while exploring and understanding their cultures. Sophie Smith has been to meet some of those involved. We're walking up the Sierra Nevada, and on the left there are mountains, on the right there are mountains. I'm quite out of breath because it's a very steep walk.

In northern Colombia, small groups of western tourists trek for four days to reach the lost city nestled in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada to Santa Marta. Here, 1,200 metres above sea level, the Ahuaca, Wiwa, Kogi and Kankuamos make their homes. This land has not always been recognised as their territory though. For centuries the tribes have suffered at the hands of colonisers, guerrilla soldiers and drug traffickers. But the Sierra Nevada, like the rest of Colombia, is changing and so-called ethnotourism is playing its part. José Benjamín Gutiérrez Villafana is an Arhuacan guide who works for We Were Tours, the first and only tour operator to be entirely owned and operated by indigenous people in these mountains. The history of Colombia is a history with a lot of conflict, riddled with war and drug trafficking.

For example, in this village, everyone used to work on drug farms or in drug labs. Now the people are tour guides, they're chefs for tour groups. This is a proper tourism, an indigenous tourism. It's totally different when we talk about ourselves. So it's telling our history, our past, our present, and also what we see in our future. Tourism has not only brought employment and protection to the people, but also to the biodiversity of the region. For the Arhuacans, the Sierra Nevada is the heart of the world.

They believe it's their duty to protect the land from the people who come to exploit its rich minerals. And tourism allows them to show its beauty and its worth to others. The Sierra Nevada, above all, is a unique mountain in all of the world. For us, the Ahuaca, it has minerals that are like a person. Mother Earth has gold, petrol, minerals, like an organ of our bodies. So if we take these minerals, after time we will destroy everything. We'll destroy the rivers, we'll destroy everything. I think it's very important for others to come and learn about Mother Earth, the mother of nature, and how important it is to protect nature.

While the Sierra Nevada has seen great progress, there are still changes to be made. A new government scheme uses government resources to buy back land currently owned by non-indigenous people on the mountain and return it. This scheme allows the people to move to the lower parts of the mountain and gives them the guarantee they'll be able to remain here where they belong. For my part, I'm always very happy to meet new people every day on this trek. It's very important for me to be able to meet you and to share the experience with you. You're taking our words, our history to somewhere in the world I would never be able to visit. But for me, it's

very moving to be able to share it with you and know that you will share the history of our land. That report by Sophie Smith. Now to a remarkable exhibition of modern art rescued from Ukraine even as the bombs were falling. Nicky Cardwell has been along to the Royal Academy in London to see it and hear about the many challenges that needed to be overcome to save these priceless paintings and sculptures. So we are in the first room of exhibition. Katya Denisova is one of the cur are in the first room of the exhibition. Katya Denisova is one of the curators of In the Eye of the Storm. I want to show you this relief by Vasily Yermilov. We're standing in front of a carved, layered and painted relief.

The raised and lowered sections throw shadows that give it dimension and change its appearance depending on where you're standing. It's stunning. There is metal, there is wood, there is a combination of textures, but it's extremely to self-portrait, and so it's kind of, there's still an element of figuration to it, but it's extremely textural. There are all these different angles. Yes, you want to touch it. I want to touch it. Yeah, I know. That's why it's in a box, presumably. Exactly, you're not the only one who wants to touch it. Instead of being on display, these works could have been locked away in a cellar in Kiev.

My name is Francesca Tissen Bonamizza, and I am the founder and chair of TBA21, which is a contemporary art foundation in Madrid. She says it became clear that cultural spaces were being targeted. It became very obvious maybe get the paintings out would be a priority but Zelensky was so determined never to show any possible defeatist attitudes that taking things out of the country for safety sent completely the wrong signal. At this point the art historian Konstantin Akinsha stepped in. While Francesca dealt with matters in Madrid, he set about persuading President Zelensky and working out how to transport everything.

There is no insurer in this war who will be ready to insure anything moving through Ukraine. So we got support of the presidential administration of Mr. Zelensky. We got military convoy and state guarantee and we started to move this art to the Polish border. And that's when the challenges really began. We were moving this in November of 2022 and during that period Russians constantly were bombing Kiev on Mondays and we decided that we will be smarter than them and we will move it on Tuesday. Of course, to our luck, this Tuesday became the day of the most intensive Russian missile attack on the whole territory of Ukraine. With missiles flying overhead, the convoy of trucks made its way to the Polish border, only to find it closed. They were stuck for days. In Madrid, Francesca started making calls.

Very luckily, the Ukrainian ambassador in Madrid used to be the ambassador in Poland in Warsaw and knew everybody and all the government and he moved mountains to get that border reopened, to get that truck out. I was just crying for joy when they got into Poland. That was just such a relief. The plan is for this exhibition to continually tour the world until it's safe for the works to return to Ukraine. For Konstantin Akinsha, who planned and helped transport the works, seeing this exhibition has been emotional. I'm very proud that they're here, that people can see them, and that they're safe. Art historian Konstantin Akinsha ending that report by Nicky Cardwell. Now, maybe this should be our theme tune.

Forget your troubles, come on, get happy You better chase all your cares away Sing hallelujah, come on, get happy It was sung most famously by Judy Garland, but that particular performance was actually by a woman who's found fame for her impersonation of the American star. It all started when an agent saw her singing online to cheer up friends and family during Covid.

Since then, Debbie Weilman has performed at New York's Carnegie Hall twice. She's recorded an album and now has a show opening in London's West End. Debbie told Nuala McGovern that her day job had stopped the newfound success going to her head. I did this amazing show at Carnegie Hall in December in New York and then four days later I was taking photographs of people's pupils. So, you know, I can never get too fancy. But did you want to do it then professionally?

Oh, I did. I mean, yes, I had dreams. It didn't happen and I had to get a job. And that was that, you know, I got married, had a little girl. And in the pandemic, just to cheer up my friends, I made some videos on Facebook. And I wouldn't have done it otherwise, because I would have thought it was showy-offy. And on day three, I posted a Judy Garland song.

And all because of the man that got away. I tagged it to a Judy Garland Facebook group, and people just started watching, and it was a big surprise, and it went a bit viral, and then an agent from America contacted me. And I was making these videos on my phone in my car because we had a neighbour at the time who'd hammer on the wall. It's been amazing. You know, I'm here. I mean, some people are calling us uncanny.

You've got the whole package speaking in the way she speaks too. Now, today it is Mother's Day. And, you know, we've all had them. So we can, you know. What was, I don't know, the fascination with her in particular? Well, I saw her first when I was about six years old. And I've just always been a fan. And then when I was like 12, I discovered I could do a sort of impersonation, singing-wise, of her.

And I did it for my grandma. I was like, hey, Nana, listen to this. I'll give you a little burst. I love a piano, I love a piano. I love to hear somebody play upon a piano, a grand piano. Let's talk about Carnegie Hall. What was that like? It was amazing.

It was honestly just crazy. You know, I was, what, 38? Yeah, I thought my chance was gone, you know. And, yeah, for the first time you ever sing in New York, for it to be at Carnegie Hall, it's a bit mad. It was just such an amazing night. We recorded an album as well, which was nuts. It's imagined songs.

So it's songs that Judy never actually got the chance to do, done in a style as if she did. And we've worked out these arrangements of songs like Back to Black by Amy Winehouse, for instance, but done as if Judy Garland had done it. But was it from being online, sticking up those songs a day and the agent from America that that got you to Carnegie Hall? Somewhere over the rainbow... Literally, it's all stemmed from me sitting in my car,

filming myself on an iPhone in lockdown, going, hello, right, I'm going to do another song today. Literally, it's come from that. And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true. Debbie Wildman and she was talking to Nuala McGovern. And that's all from the Happy Pod for now, but if you have any stories to share, our email address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. This edition was mixed by Massoud Ibrahimkhail

and produced by Holly Gibbs and Rachel Bulkley. Our editor is Karen Martin. I'm Oliver Conway. Until next time, goodbye. If you're hearing this, you're probably already listening to BBC's award-winning news podcasts. But did you know that you can listen to them without ads? Get current affairs podcasts like Global News, AmeriCast and The Global Story, plus other great BBC podcasts from history to comedy to true crime, all ad-free.

Simply subscribe to BBC Podcast Premium on Apple Podcasts or listen to Amazon Music with a Prime membership. Spend less time on ads and more time with BBC Podcasts.