A Special 'First Dance': 5 Most Uplifting Stories

A determined groom and an amazing baby elephant were among the week's most uplifting stories:

• Paraplegic Veteran Stands Up for First Dance: An Afghanistan war veteran who lost all feeling below his chest after a 2012 motorcycle accident had one wedding-day goal: to stand up for his first dance with his wife. He pulled it off, with help from friends.
• Baby Elephant Survives Lion Attack: A 1-year-old elephant wandered off from his mother at a safari camp in Zambia, and 14 lions attacked him—but, somehow, this story avoids an unhappy ending.
• Dog Hitches Ride on Ambulance With Owner: When an ambulance loaded up 85-year-old Texas rancher JR Nicholson and set off for the hospital, Nicholson's dog had no intention of being separated from his pal. The faithful dog jumped onto the vehicle's side step, and the ambulance crew didn't realize until a motorist flagged them down 20 miles later. This one has a happy ending, too.

• Pope Takes Action After Man's 'I Smell' Comment: After a homeless man declined an invitation to dine with a bishop in Rome because, as the man said simply, "puzzo"—or "I smell"—Pope Francis approved the installation of three public showers at St. Peter's Square. They'll be available for the homeless, and one is just feet from the pope's apartment.
• Elderly Woman Wakes Up From 'Dead': A family in Poland began planning a 91-year-old woman's funeral after a doctor signed her death certificate and dispatched her to the morgue. After being there for 11 hours, the woman awoke and complained about feeling a little chilly. Soon, she was back home eating soup.

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