Joy Drop: Some truly inspiring stories from Beijing Olympics

Friends, we know that when the Olympics are in full swing, it is hard to ignore all the highs and lows. It was challenging to pick only a couple of amazing things to share but I will absolutely give it my best. Here is your weekly roundup of joy!

One of my favourite stories from Beijing is the triumph of Max Parrot. Parrot won Canada's first gold medal at these Olympics, winning the men's snowboard slopestyle.

But the most incredible win for Parrot was in beating cancer. In 2018 he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Although he missed the entire 2018-2019 season, he beat Hodgkin's and came back to win gold. Not only is Parrot humble, but his attitude is incredibly sincere and encouraging.

Earlier this week, Canada beat the U.S. in one of the most exciting rivalries in sports: women's hockey.

In addition to taking the 'dub', Canadians pulled through to support women's hockey in a HUGE way. CBC reported that the peak audience of the game was 1.3 million viewers. I love this for all of us. But let's continue supporting women's hockey even after the Olympics! 

While sport is connecting folks from all parts of the world, there is another team that certainly worked toward a wonderful result.

SPCA International collaborated with animal rescue organizations to evacuate animals left behind in Afghanistan when their families fled during the Taliban takeover last August. I have a cat and even the thought of leaving my little fluffy queen behind is devastating to me.

Christa Dao of Global BC reported on the hundreds of animals from Kabul that made their way to Vancouver airport (with a pit stop in Iceland) where many were reunited with their happy and grateful humans. This undertaking required much coordination, a lot of