Sharon Stone recently appeared on David Begnaud’s The Person Who Believed in Me podcast, at which point she revisited an unsavory memory from the early 2000s where she found out that she had breast tumors. Even worse than the bleak diagnosis, she recalled, was the reaction she got from her then-husband.  A devastating diagnosis followed by an even more devastating response Sharon Stone. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons “One of [the tumors] was bigger than the size of my entire left breast,” Stone told Begnaud, saying that the doctor who had made a house visit suggested a “bilateral mastectomy,” since her condition likely pointed towards cancer.  Despite feeling like her tumors weren’t cancerous, Stone decided at that moment to undergo the surgery, which made her ex (whom she didn’t name, but many people believe was journalist Phil Bronstein, whom she was married to between 1998 and 2004) “furious.” View this post on Instagram “My husband said, ‘This is ridiculous!’ And got up and left the room,” said Stone.  Seemingly incredulous, Begnaud clarified, “He was mad about the breasts being removed,” to which Stone replied, “Yeah. And so the doctor said to him, ‘If I had more patients like her, we’d have more women alive today. You need to sit down.’ And I said, ‘I make the decisions, not you.’” This reaction, Stone explained, ultimately marked “the end of the marriage.” “That was it. He was done with me then. It was over. He thought it was foolish. He thought I was making too many decisions myself,” she said, although she didn’t, in fact, end up doing the mastectomy because her tumors were benign. View this post on Instagram As to be expected, Stone’s testimony struck a chord with viewers. Many noted how gut-wrenching it must have been to receive the opposite of support “at her lowest moment.” “No one deserves that,” one person wrote, while someone else said, “Heartbreaking to see that the man you thought cared for you only valued your body.” Women share similar experiences The real tragedy here is that Stone’s story is far from unique. On Reddit, it prompted a wave of other women who unfortunately had very similar experiences of partners either overreacting to physical changes that occurred due to a health condition, or solely focusing on how the ailment affected them.  “My aunt…was able to get a breast reduction after having back pain from having big breasts almost her whole life. She was like an H cup or something, and even pulled her back at least twice. She got the reduction done, had ten pounds of breast tissue removed, and her husband left because she didn’t have huge tits anymore.” “When I had a cervical spinal injury, I cut off my hair because it was too much work to wash and brush. It hurt too much to raise my arm. When my boyfriend came home, he asked me if I was ‘mad at him.’ I was befuddled. He thought I cut off my hair to spite him??? Like I even was thinking about him AT ALL.” “I got a suspected diagnosis confirmed and called my boyfriend from the pharmacy, where I had to pick up a prescription and had to calm him down from the ‘your life is over, our life is over, doom and gloom commentary’ for 20 minutes before I had to just tell him stop, the pharmacy is about to close.” “My ex complained in couples therapy about a lack of sex after multiple surgeries to remove cancerous and precancerous cells from my cervix.”  “My best friend got left while she was in the hospital… just after giving birth to their kid. He was in the room with her during the birth and the next day said that watching her give birth changed his view of her for the worse. And he just fucked off. That was like 14 years ago now, and I will never ever forget it because it just blew me away.” It has even been documented in multiple scientific studies that (in heterosexual relationships) men were more likely than women to abandon their spouse should they become sick. However, it’s worth noting that a serious diagnosis reveals and exacerbates existing dynamics within a relationship. There are also plenty of partners out there who want to be helpful, but just don’t know where to start.  What supportive partners actually do to support a loved one in a health crisis  Supportive partners don’t need to have all the answers, but they do need to make an effort to listen, respect medical decisions, and prioritize their loved one’s wellbeing over their own fears or preferences. Healthcare professionals frequently emphasize that patients should feel empowered to make informed choices about their own bodies, especially when facing major procedures or life-altering treatments. Having a partner who offers encouragement, attends appointments when asked, and helps navigate uncertainty can make an already difficult situation feel more manageable. Stone’s experience may be decades old, but the conversations it has sparked show that many people still recognize themselves in similar stories. If there is a takeaway, perhaps it’s that moments of illness and vulnerability often reveal what support truly looks like, and everyone deserves to have that support when they need it most. Watch the full episode of The Person Who Believed in Me below: The post Sharon Stone shares ex-husband’s heartbreaking reaction to her mastectomy, prompting a flood of similar stories appeared first on Upworthy.

Todd Brook, a firefighter in Fort Worth, Texas, for more than 30 years, is battling for his life after receiving a Stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis in October 2025. He was given three to six months to live, but it’s his wife, Jennifer, who is keeping him focused on one last mission: finding her a kidney donor. Todd and Jennifer, who have been together for 16 years, are both facing major health crises. Jennifer needs a kidney transplant after being diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease. The initial plan was for Todd to donate one of his kidneys to her. “With the diagnosis of cancer, I got kicked out of the pool,” Todd told CBS News. Now in the final stages of his pancreatic cancer battle, helping Jennifer is all he’s focused on. Todd’s pancreatic cancer fight The Fort Worth firefighter is battling pancreatic cancer, which the couple believes was caused by exposure to carcinogens during his career as a firefighter, according to CBS News. But with his remaining energy, he continues to spread the word about Jennifer’s need for a kidney donor. “He can’t talk. He can’t open his eyes. He responds some, he’ll squeeze a hand or lift an eyebrow,” Jennifer shared with WFAA-TV. “And as soon as I asked him if he still wanted me to do the interview it was an apparent ‘yes’.” Jennifer added, “I still believe that God could heal him right now and he could get up tomorrow and he could be fine. Maybe that’s not God’s will for him and he’s supposed to go.” With the strength and energy he has left, he is doing everything he can to spread the word. “She is 100% the most important thing in my life, and not being able to be there for her is killing me now,” Todd told CBS News. View this post on Instagram Finding Jennifer a kidney Jennifer shared with WFAA-TV that her kidney function is currently at 22% and that she will become eligible for a transplant when it falls to 20%. She is working with the UT Southwestern Living Donor Program to find a donor. “I always knew the day would come when I would need a kidney transplant. I just didn’t realize it would come now,” she shared with KXAS-TV. If she does not find a kidney donor, she will have to go on dialysis. According to UNOS, the United Network for Organ Sharing, an estimated 90,000 people in the United States are currently waiting for a kidney transplant. “I’m optimistic that God will find me a kidney,” Jennifer told WFAA-TV. “The ultimate goal would be for me to get a kidney but for others to get one also.” She remains hopeful that a donor will be found, but she dreams of receiving a transplant while Todd is still with her. “But I believe I’m very optimistic that I will get the kidney. I just wanted him here for that,” she told KXAS-TV. The post Texas firefighter battling terminal pancreatic cancer has final mission to find his wife a kidney donor appeared first on Upworthy.

Cultivating an optimistic personality can add years of happiness to your life. Positive people enjoy life more than Debbie Downers, but they also have a 35% lower risk of heart attack, cardiovascular death, and stroke. They also have a 40% lower risk of dementia than the most pessimistic people. However, many people question the power of optimism because they see it as a Pollyannaish, pie-in-the-sky outlook that makes positive people appear naive or removed from reality. That type of positivity is actually known as toxic positivity, the type where people ignore the facts and respond to every problem with, “Don’t worry, everything will be okay.” What is practical optimism? Dr. Sue Varma, a psychiatrist and cognitive behavioral therapist based in New York City, has found over her 20-plus years in practice that the happiest people she works with have a common personality trait: Practical Optimism. “Through my research and clinical work, I started to learn that there was something in the secret sauce of optimism,” Varma writes for Medcircle. “It was not only having a positive outlook; it was learning, through actionable, concrete, behavioral skills, how to turn positive outlooks into positive outcomes. And that is what Practical Optimism is—a mindset, skill set, and action set. Varma says that when people use this approach, it can make a huge impact on their lives. “It’s an action set, a skill set, and a tool set that helps you take positive outlooks and turn them into positive outcomes,” she says. She outlines the entire framework in her book, Practical Optimism: The Art, Science, and Practice of Exceptional Well-Being.  Varna also explained why pessimism prevents people from achieving their goals. “The problem with pessimism is twofold,” Varma told The Huffington Post. “You overestimate the risk of bad things happening, and you underestimate your ability to deal with it. Practical optimism helps you get more accurate in your assessment of risk―and then beefs up your coping mechanisms.” For those looking for a simple way to begin this practice, Varma has 4 Ms, the four habits that are non-negotiable if you want to live a happy life with a positive outlook. She explained them on an episode of Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Teens and Tweens podcast, featuring Lisa Damour. Dr. Sue Varna’s 4 Ms 1. Mindfulness “Do whatever you can, a couple of minutes a day to be in the moment. That could be just drinking a cup of coffee uninterrupted. It could be enjoying a sunset, being here present in whatever way. It could be doing a meditation, totally up to you. But [make sure you’re] doing something single-mindedly,” Varma said. 2. Mastery “Doing something that you do just for the fun of it, for nobody else but you. And you don’t even have to be a master to experience mastery. You just have to want to get better at something,” Varma said. A man learning to cook. Credit: Canva 3. Movement “Movement allows the production and release of endorphins, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, giving an instant change in body chemistry. Walk, cycle, garden, run, hike, play with kids, swim, exercise, work out, sports, skating, and many other options. Simply move to see an improvement in your mental health,” she told Providence Behavioral. 4. Meaningful engagement “I feel like a lot of people in relationships, friendships, young people especially, there’s something called the shallowing hypothesis, that they’re not going very deep in their friendships,” Varma said. “So when you do connect with someone, share a little bit, something vulnerable. She added that it’s important to stop being afraid of asking others for help. “That’s how we get close to one another, right? Like sharing our challenges and asking for help, asking for advice,” she said. Ultimately, Varma dives deeper into the idea of optimism and sees it as more than an outlook; it is an action. And the great thing is that when we combine an optimistic outlook with positive action, happiness is sure to follow. The post After 20 years in practice, a psychologist found ‘Practical Optimism’ is key to happiness appeared first on Upworthy.

California has begun construction on a series of wildlife bridge projects that cross state highways, allowing wildlife to safely cross without being struck by motorists. The crossings will also improve biodiversity in the area and allow several species that the highway has separated to reconnect. Most of the projects are in Southern California. However, the first positive results have already happened in Northern California on a wildlife bridge that is still under construction and scheduled to open later this year. On March 24, three mule deer were caught by cameras crossing the Wildlife Crossing Project on U.S. 97 in Siskiyou County, not far from Mount Shasta. The deep arrived 15 hours after workers left the project for the day.  Mule deer crossing the wildlife bridge. Credit: UC Davis Wildlife is already using the new structure “While the contractor is still completing final touches, it’s incredible to see wildlife already embracing the new structure, even with workers still in the area. In addition to deer, a bobcat and other wildlife have also been spotted using it,” Caltrans District 2 wrote on its Facebook page. “This wildlife overcrossing was designed to provide animals with a safer way to cross the highway while helping reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions for motorists traveling through the corridor. Seeing animals use the structure this quickly is an exciting sign of the positive impact this project will have for both wildlife connectivity and public safety for years to come.” The Wildlife Crossing Project on U.S. 97 in Siskiyou County is under construction. Credit: UC Davis The new bridge should significantly reduce wildlife fatalities on the highway. Vehicles killed over 50 deer and 16 elk in the area between 2015 and 2020. “The primary problem on the highway was the mortality,” Fraser Shilling, director of the UC Davis Road Ecology Center, told SFGATE. “There’s truck traffic that goes through there, and they don’t slow down. They hit whatever’s on the road, so a lot of deer and elk were getting killed.” The project also includes a concrete tunnel beneath the highway that provides the animals with an alternative crossing, as well as about 3 miles of 8-foot-high fencing. The goal is to help protect not only deer but also Rocky Mountain elk, a local pack of gray wolves, black bears, and mountain lions. “It’s nice to see all the hard work that everybody’s put into this paying off, and that’s what those deer showed me,” Wesley Stroud, an environmental program manager for Caltrans, told SFGATE. “You build these things in the right location where the animals want to be, and you’re going to get usage.” Early success in Northern Alifonia gives hope to the project down south The first wildlife crossings in Siskiyou County should provide a shot in the arm for the largest wildlife project underway miles south in Agoura Hills, near Los Angeles. The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is an overpass that crosses 10 lanes of the Ventura Freeway connecting the Simi Hills with the isolated Santa Monica Mountains. It’s scheduled to open later this year. “Wildlife crossings restore ecosystems that had been fractured and disrupted. They reconnect lands and species that are aching to be whole. I believe these crossings go beyond mere conservation, toward a kind of environmental rejuvenation that is long overdue,” Wallis Annenberg, who donated $25 million to the project, says on the project’s website.  The post Project designers cheer as cameras capture first mule deer crossing new California wildlife bridge appeared first on Upworthy.

Life is full of simple pleasures, and for plenty of people, that includes dipping their hot and salty fries into a Wendy’s Frosty. The ice cream treat has been around for decades, and it was once available only in chocolate. Fans had been begging for years for Wendy’s to give them a new vanilla Frosty, and they finally caved in the early 2000s. Since then, the Frosty has evolved tremendously, and fans are always excited when a new flavor drops. Wendy’s posted a tease on Instagram that has some fans going bananas. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Snackolator (@snackolator) The New Wendy’s Frosty Flavor Sounds Delicious Even though Wendy’s teased the new flavor on social media, claiming it will drop on June 15. Influencers with inside info, like Snackolator, shared the big secret. “BANANAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Wendy’s looks like they’re about to drop a new BANANA FROSTY SWIRL for the upcoming Minions movie and I’m all over this one!” Snackolator wrote. “Wendy’s teased this earlier today on their account and this image is from another Wendy’s account which looks to confirm that we will be seeing this in the US!” Customers can choose to mix the banana swirl into either a chocolate or vanilla Frosty. The image he shared also features a Minion, suggesting that Wendy’s is collaborating with Illumination on the new Frosty flavor. “Hot diggedy dawg, a banana and chocolate frosty sounds awesome,” a follower wrote. “Chocolate banana,” another person wrote. People really want to try this banana creation. “Omg this looks soo good,” a follower wrote. It looks like the new banana Frosty will hit Wendy’s in the middle of June. We think this sounds like the perfect summer treat, and we’re definitely going to give this a try. This story’s featured image is by m. suhail for Getty Images