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CNN 5 Good Things
How about a break — for your ears? At CNN, we know the news can be a lot to take in. So each week, 5 Good Things offers you a respite from the heavy headlines and intense news cycle. Treat yourself to something fun and uplifting every Saturday as we share the bright side of life from all over the globe.
The Groundbreaking Surgery That Spanned Continents
CNN 5 Good Things
Aug 2, 2025
A pilot surprises his grandmother with the flight of a lifetime. The rivers in this nation are so clean, locals utilize them for their commute. This group helps visually impaired people ride bikes through New York City. Creative writing classes are helping incarcerated people process their pasts and imagine new futures. Plus, this remote surgery didn’t just connect two countries – it could close healthcare gaps worldwide.
Episode Transcript
Krista Bo
00:00:01
'Hey there, need a reason to smile? Well, I've got five. Let's get into it. We've got some stories for you that are all about rethinking what's possible, whether it's on two wheels, across two continents, or working towards second chances. You'll meet a woman who didn't learn how to ride a bike until she was in her 40s, and now she's clocking 100-mile rides, helping other people with disabilities do the same. Plus,
Dr. Vipul Patel
00:00:25
Imagine if we could help people in underserved areas or areas that don't have surgeons, remote areas of the world.
Krista Bo
00:00:33
A doctor, a robot, and a patient almost 7,000 miles away. Hear about the groundbreaking surgery that could rewrite the rules for healthcare globally. From CNN, I'm Krista Bo, and this is 5 Good Things.
Justin Shurtz on flight 4383
00:00:51
Good afternoon everyone, welcome on board American Airlines flight 4383.
Krista Bo
00:00:56
When passengers boarded a flight from Memphis, Tennessee to Chicago in late July, they had no idea they were about to witness a heartwarming reunion.
Justin Shurtz on flight 4383
00:01:05
This is a very special flight for me. A little back story about me, I was born and raised here in the Memphis area.
Krista Bo
00:01:11
Justin Shurtz is a commercial airline captain, but on this day, he was also a proud grandson, fulfilling a lifelong dream.
Justin Shurtz on flight 4383
00:01:19
So my grandparents raised me. They supported me.
Justin Shurtz
00:01:22
I've always wanted to get the opportunity to fly my grandparents just to show my success, show that I couldn't have done that without them being there to help me.
Krista Bo
00:01:31
When his grandma Carolyn called to say she was flying out to visit him, he had secretly arranged to pilot the flight she would be on. She was heading to Las Vegas from Memphis, but had a layover in Chicago.
Justin Shurtz
00:01:42
It was a lot of coordination. I had to go into this to make sure to pull this off. So then I had the fly to DC, meet up with the airplane and fly from DC to Memphis so that I would already be on the airplane, and she would have no idea I was already there.
Justin Shurtz on flight 4383
00:01:55
Unfortunately my grandpa passed away earlier this year, so he never got the opportunity to fly with me. But this amazing crew that I'm flying with here today was able to help me pull it off to where my grandmother got the opportunity to apply to Chicago with me today and I will be the captain. So we do appreciate everybody.
Krista Bo
00:02:13
The moment was as emotional as it was joyful for everyone on board.
Justin's grandmother
00:02:18
I love you.
Justin Shurtz on flight 4383
00:02:19
I love you too!
Krista Bo
00:02:21
It had been months since they'd seen each other. The last time was at his grandfather's funeral in April.
Justin Shurtz
00:02:27
It was absolutely amazing, and I wish that my grandpa was still around so that he could have been there. I know that, I mean, he was sitting by my side. He was there with us the entire flight. I know that he was.
Krista Bo
00:02:38
After landing in Chicago, Grandma Carolyn did have some feedback for Justin.
Justin Shurtz
00:02:43
She kind of joked with me and she goes, it could have been a smoother landing. And then she, then she started laughing. She said, no, it was a great flight. She enjoyed it. But, uh, yes, she was definitely my favorite passenger.
Krista Bo
00:03:00
What if instead of catching a bus or a train to commute to work, you could catch a current? In Switzerland, locals trade cars and bikes for swimsuits and inflatables to travel to work, swimming and floating down rivers like the Aare in Bern or the Rhine in Basel.
Alex Herrmann
00:03:20
Switzerland is maybe one of the few places in the world where every river and every lake is clean enough to swim.
Krista Bo
00:03:26
Alex Herrmann is the director of Switzerland Tourism for the UK and Ireland markets, based in London.
Alex Herrmann
00:03:33
It's just such a lovely way to refresh yourself and then go back to the office or go for dinner with someone. They're also a perfect basis to explore different parts of the country.
Krista Bo
00:03:42
In the 50s or 60s, swimming in the rivers wasn't recommended.
Alex Herrmann
00:03:46
But in the 60s, 70s, the city's really invested a lot in the infrastructure to make sure that the water is clean.
Krista Bo
00:03:55
But be warned. It's chilly. The rivers are fed by glacial meltwater from the Swiss Alps, so the temperature is usually between a cool 64 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. City officials have marked entry and exit points for people's safety, and local shops even sell waterproof bags to keep electronics and other valuables dry. And while there are plenty of adventurous commuters, most locals come to the river to relax and unwind.
Alex Herrmann
00:04:19
You can't imagine how relaxing and how much fun it can actually be.
Krista Bo
00:04:23
I don't know about you, but when it's this hot and sticky in the summer, this green and healthy commute sounds awfully refreshing.
Krista Bo
00:04:33
It's been about a decade since Maria DiMeglio discovered she could do something she once thought was impossible.
Maria DiMeglio
00:04:39
I was 44 the first time I ever got on a bike. I'm not fast, but I'll bring the power.
Krista Bo
00:04:44
Up until then, the Bronx, New York native never dreamt she'd be able to ride a bike. Born with a degenerative eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa, Maria has been considered a visually impaired person all her life. She has a better name for it though.
Maria DiMeglio
00:04:59
I tell people, I'm a VIP, but I get a kick out of it.
Krista Bo
00:05:03
'With the help of a New York City-based nonprofit called InTandem, she took her first bike ride in Central Park. Maria was paired with a sighted rider on a tandem bike. She sat in the back seat where she can help power the bike. The other rider sat in front and steered.
Maria DiMeglio
00:05:19
'We fitted my seat, got my helmet on, and went off and did a six-miler.
Krista Bo
00:05:25
The organization has provided tandem cycling programs to people who are visually impaired or can't ride independently because of other disabilities since 2013. You could say Maria has become an expert. She's now on InTandem's board of directors and trains visually impaired riders and sighted mentors to do something most of us take for granted.
Maria DiMeglio
00:05:46
'I just try to explain to them, you're a team out there, you do everything 50-50, try to make it as safe and as comfortable for them as possible. And usually they come back with the biggest smiles and love it.
Krista Bo
00:06:00
'The group says it wants to train more visually impaired youth to become disability advocates, and Maria's taking on new challenges herself, from 100-mile bike rides to participating in other adaptive sports, like kayaking, rowing, and baseball.
Krista Bo
00:06:16
It's just let me find the confidence within myself to step up and want to do more and help more and become involved more with disability awareness. I always try to explain to people there's not that much difference between all of us it's just we do things sometimes have to approach things very differently.
Krista Bo
00:06:35
After spending more than a decade as a crime reporter, Debra Des Vignes wanted to volunteer at a prison to better understand the people she reported on.
Debra Des Vignes
00:06:44
I didn't really understand humanity as I should have as a young reporter in my early 20s. It wasn't until much later that the faces had stories and had names.
Krista Bo
00:06:58
Debra ended up teaching a victim impact class and asked the students to write a letter to the victims of their crimes. She said the men really opened up and their writing was pretty impactful.
Debra Des Vignes
00:07:08
'I saw the raw talent and that's what led me to create this 12-week creative writing curriculum.
Krista Bo
00:07:15
Deborah launched the Indiana Prison Writers Workshop in 2018 to help incarcerated individuals process their pasts and express themselves, all through the power of the pen.
Debra Des Vignes
00:07:25
My goal with Indiana Prison Writers Workshop is to create a sacred space and let their shoulders down and just write and just talk and just get out all of that frustration.
Krista Bo
00:07:35
'The non-profits program is run by volunteers, social workers, and writers, and can now be found in eight different correctional institutions in Indiana, Alabama, and Illinois.
Debra Des Vignes
00:07:45
It's not, you know, your grammar's not right, this is wrong. It's write about your favorite childhood memory, write about a time you persevered. What makes you worthy? Those type of things that help them reframe their thoughts, find hope, find value in their lives.
Krista Bo
00:08:04
'Jordan Dabbs is serving a 10-year sentence at Putnamville Correctional Facility for drug-related charges. He says the class has helped him process his life choices and the loss of several family members.
Jordan Dabbs
00:08:16
Here, we all come together and, you know, people just let their souls bleed out of their pens onto that paper. And for two hours a day, everyone can just truly be themselves.
Krista Bo
00:08:30
Debra says the workshop doesn't excuse any wrongdoing, but she hopes it will help students heal and build skills.
Debra Des Vignes
00:08:36
We know they're victims, we understand that, and we honor that through our writing. You know, chances are they're going to get out one day, they meaning the prisoner, and why not equip them with skills that could help them, you know, have an easier or better transition out.
Krista Bo
00:08:54
'Up next -
Dr. Vipul Patel
00:08:56
It was as if I was operating on a patient that was in the room with me. I couldn't tell any difference. But when we finished, we realized the global implications were massive.
Krista Bo
00:09:06
This groundbreaking surgery spanned continents and could open doors for millions without access to care. Stick with us. We'll be right back.
Krista Bo
00:09:20
Dr. Vipul Patel just made medical history, doing a procedure he's done over tens of thousands of times before. Except this time, he did it nearly 7,000 miles away.
Dr. Vipul Patel
00:09:32
We were able to do an operation where we connected the United States to Africa, to the country of Angola, where my team and the robot were in Africa with the patient and I was in Orlando.
Krista Bo
00:09:47
Using a robotic console in Florida with advanced visuals and controls, Dr. Patel performed a surgery on a patient with prostate cancer in Angola, a first of its kind clinical trial approved by the FDA.
Dr. Vipul Patel
00:09:59
It was as if I was operating on a patient that was in the room with me. I couldn't tell any difference. But when we finished, we realized the global implications were massive, that everyone realized that the field of surgery has changed overnight.
Krista Bo
00:10:15
Dr. Patel is the medical director of the Global Robotic Institute at Advent Health based in Orlando, Florida, and the executive director of the Society of Robotic Surgery. He said he had a team of doctors on standby in the operating room in Angola, just in case things went south. But the hour and a half long procedure back in June was a success.
Dr. Vipul Patel
00:10:35
So in Angola, there's very limited access to any kind of surgery, radiation, any kind or treatment. So operating remotely gave this gentleman a chance to get his cancer cured.
Krista Bo
00:10:47
The idea of telesurgery isn't new, but a surgery like this has only been done once before, back in 2001. It was called Operation Lindberg, named after the pilot who took the first transatlantic flight in 1927. A doctor in New York successfully removed the gallbladder of a woman in Strasbourg, France.
Dr. Vipul Patel
00:11:06
The robotic technology 24 years ago was pretty primitive, and so we needed to have better communication, better cable, and we needed to be ready as a culture to embrace remote surgery. So a lot of things had to change.
Krista Bo
00:11:22
Dr. Patel said he and his team are waiting on the FDA to review the data from the surgery and give any feedback. And once that happens, they'll book nine more remote surgeries to finish out the clinical trial.
Dr. Vipul Patel
00:11:32
The ultimate goal of telesurgery is to really help health get equity globally, to help underserved areas, remote areas, more patients will get access to surgeons with higher levels of expertise and that should improve outcomes.
Krista Bo
00:11:53
'All right, that's all for now. Join us tomorrow for the next edition of CNN One Thing. Host David Rind speaks to former EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman about the Trump administration's plan to provoke a key scientific finding that human-caused climate change endangers human health and safety. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Krista Bo
00:12:13
Five Good Things is a production of CNN Podcasts. This episode was produced by Eryn Mathewson and me, Krista Bo. Our senior producers are Felicia Patinkin and Faiz Jamil. Matt Dempsey is our production manager. Dan Dzula is our technical director, and Steve Lickteig is the executive producer of CNN Podcasts.
Krista Bo
00:12:31
We get support from Joey Salvia, Haley Thomas, Alex Manasseri, Robert Mathers, Jon Dianora, Leni Steinhardt, Jamus Andrest, Nichole Pesaru, and Lisa Namerow. Special thanks to the CNN Heroes team. And thank you, especially, for listening. Take care. Till next time.
