The week's good news: July 23, 2020

1. Sneakers for Soldiers sends hundreds of shoes to troops overseas

Every month, a nonprofit called Sneakers for Soldiers boxes up hundreds of pairs of brand new shoes and ships them out to U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. The sneakers are not just randomly selected — each pair is chosen for a specific soldier, ensuring that they fit properly and are right for the conditions where they are stationed. Sneakers for Soldiers was founded in April 2018 by Deborah Hausladen, whose son was deployed to Afghanistan. Since then, she has received donations from across the United States, allowing the organization to send 300 pairs of shoes out every month. Donations continue to come flooding in despite the pandemic, which means a lot to the recipients — one soldier, Master Sgt. David, told ABC News with so much going on in the world, "just knowing that we're not forgotten while we're out here serving makes the time go by so much easier."

ABC News

2. Antique store owner surprises musical customer with a piano

John Thomas Archer's piano playing struck a chord with employees and customers at a Massachusetts antique store. While shopping at ReMARKable Cleanouts in Norwood earlier this month, Archer, a student at Northeastern University and a self-taught musician, asked a worker if he could play one of the pianos for sale. He started playing "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey, and soon, store employees and other customers stopped what they were doing to listen. One worker filmed the performance, and store owner Mark Waters thought it was "fantastic," he told Good Morning America. Waters was so impressed that he decided to give Archer a piano, and was able to track him down thanks to Facebook. When Archer learned he was going to receive a Steinway, "he went into tears and it brought tears to my eyes," Waters said. "It was one of those feel good moments."

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Good Morning America

3. Researchers developing blood test that can detect early-stage cancer

Scientists are continuing to make progress in their quest to develop a blood test able to detect cancer before patients exhibit symptoms. In a study published Tuesday in Nature Communications, researchers write that a test called PanSeer is able to catch small pieces of DNA that are released into the bloodstream by tumor cells. This test has the potential to detect five different types of cancers up to four years earlier than diagnostic methods now in use, NBC News reports. For the study, researchers retroactively analyzed blood samples collected from 605 asymptomatic people — including 191 who were later diagnosed with stomach, liver, lung, esophageal, or colorectal cancer. The team wanted to see if they could spot DNA fragments indicating cancer, and determined that the test could detect cancer in the blood of asymptomatic patients with 95 percent sensitivity. The test still needs to go through clinical trials, but researchers are hopeful it will one day be an affordable diagnostic tool.

NBC News

4. California's oldest state worker celebrates 100th birthday

With 77 years of working for the state of California under her belt, May Lee has dedicated most of her life to public service. Lee recently turned 100 years old, and is California's longest-tenured employee and oldest worker. A financial analyst with the Department of General Services, she began working for the California government in 1943. She has served under 10 different governors, and is "a state treasure," Yolanda Richardson, secretary of the Government Operations Agency, told ABC Los Angeles. Lee, who has no plans to retire, has traveled to more than 150 different countries, and has photos of her adventures on display in her office. Looking back at the last century, Lee believes she "did the best I could in this world, both in work and life and with the family. So, I'm satisfied with my life. I'm happy."

ABC Los Angeles

5. Young Nigerian dancer aims to change the way people see ballet

Anthony Mmesoma Madu is shattering stereotypes about ballet dancers, one pirouette at a time. The 11-year-old from Lagos, Nigeria, told BBC News he wants people to know that it is "not only for girls." He is always moving, and loves dancing because "the feeling that comes over me, it is as if I am dreaming." A video showing Anthony dancing in the rain recently went viral, after being shared by actress Viola Davis. He is learning ballet at the Leap of Dance Academy, founded in 2017 by Daniel Ajala Owoseni. A self-taught instructor, Owoseni offers lessons for free in order to make ballet accessible for everyone. "We are changing the narrative about the stereotype of ballet male dancers," he said, adding, "Male ballet dancing is here to stay." Anthony's mother, Ifeoma Madu, told BBC News that whenever she sees her son dancing, "I have joy."

BBC News