podcast
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.
He Forgot They Were Married, So He Proposed Again
CNN 5 Good Things
Feb 14, 2026
A man with Alzheimer's marries his wife of nearly 40 years a second time. The Buddhist monks completed their 2,300-mile “Walk of Peace” and left us with a mindfulness ritual we could all try. This engineer aims to give breast cancer survivors their bodies back. This Nebraskan quit her job to row across the Atlantic by herself and set a race record. Plus, from the ice to the slopes, the incredible Olympic moments from this week.
Sign up for the CNN 5 Good Things newsletter here.
Host/Producer: Krista Bo Polanco
Producer: Eryn Mathewson
Showrunner: Faiz Jamil
Senior Producer: Felicia Patinkin
Editorial Support: Victor Blackwell, Kit Maher, Waan Chomchuen
Episode Transcript
Krista Bo Polanco
00:00:00
Hey there! Happy Valentine's Day! Sending you all the love. I'm Krista Bo Polanco and this is CNN 5 Good Things.
Katie Weimer
00:00:08
Cancer is a really tough journey. And if we can provide a solution that makes the reconstruction easier, one less thing the patient has to worry about for the rest of their life.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:00:17
After losing her mother to breast cancer, this biomechanical engineer is reconstructing hope for survivors. Plus, she quit her job, signed up for a race with zero experience, and earned a spot in the record books.
Taryn Smith
00:00:30
I think it's important to show ourselves that we can be resilient and take on these grand adventures and grand challenges.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:00:38
'And we've got more inspiring athleticism to come. Have you heard about the Olympic backflip on the ice that made history? Well, here with the Olympian who put the move on the map first -- thinks about it. When we come back...
Linda Feldman
00:00:49
He just lit up the whole time. That really made it special for me. Tis the season for a love story that refuses to fade, even through this couple's toughest chapter.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:01:05
Michael O'Reilley has proposed to Linda Feldman a few times. He once hollered a proposal in a Hawaiian canyon. He made plans to do it during a college football game another time, but his most recent proposal to Linda, his wife of 39 years, was last November.
Linda Feldman
00:01:20
'You know, Michael was an Irish Catholic, ex-cop, former varsity football player, very much of a daredevil. And I am a neurotic, mousy Jewish girl. I'd be reluctant to do anything that was the slightest bit scary. So we sort of balanced each other.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:01:42
Linda first said yes in 1987. They met as public defenders in Berkeley, California. They got together and raised three children from their previous marriages. But it was the most recent proposal that took Linda's breath away.
Linda Feldman
00:01:55
Michael was holding me and he just looked at me and said, will you marry me? Early on, dealing with Alzheimer's, I probably would have said, we are married. But I didn't. I just said, yes!
Krista Bo Polanco
00:02:08
Michael was diagnosed with Alzheimer's about seven years ago. He now lives in an assisted living and memory care center in Berkeley, California. Linda visits him there a few times a week and says some days he doesn't remember her name. But their love for each other hasn't faded. So she decided to plan their second wedding.
Linda Feldman
00:02:25
Michael says, I love you to me whenever I visit him. I actually have trouble getting him to walk because like every six or seven steps, he wants to stop, give me a hug and say, I love you, I think you forgot that he had just said it.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:02:38
The center hosted the ceremony and reception on January 10th in front of family and friends.
Linda Feldman (wedding video)
00:02:44
We both loved each other a lot, and we just made it work through perseverance and a sense of humor, right? We always laughed, right?
Michael Feldman (wedding video)
00:02:53
Yeah, pretty much.
Linda Feldman (wedding video)
00:02:56
Yeah, pretty much, pretty much. That's the story of our life.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:02:58
Linda says even though Alzheimer's has been a challenge, she's going with the flow and cherishes every beautiful moment they share together.
Linda Feldman
00:03:07
Well, it was pretty magical. You know, with Alzheimer's, a lot of the time, you're kind of vacant, or you can be, and maybe not understanding quite what's going on. And he just came to life, totally, I think, got that this was a special day for us, and he just lit up the whole time. That really made it special for me.
Monk
00:03:36
May I be well ...
Krista Bo Polanco
00:03:39
'After 109 days, 19 Buddhist monks have completed their walk of peace. They first arrived in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, all the way from Texas. An incredible 2,300-mile journey across 10 states on foot.
Monk
00:03:54
May I be free.
Venerable Bhikku Panakara
00:03:57
Let peace bloom and flourish among all of us so that this world can become the better place for all beings to live.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:04:09
The group's leader, Venerable Bhikkhu Panakara, spoke on the steps of the Washington National Cathedral.
Venerable Bhikku Panakara
00:04:15
To free peace, to unlock that box, we supposed to have a key and we must have that key to unlock it. And that key is mindfulness.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:04:26
'Here's the morning mindfulness ritual he proposed - don't touch your phone when you first wake up. Instead, try focusing on tasks like making your bed, getting ready for the day, and writing down intentions.
Venerable Bhikku Panakara
00:04:37
Tell the universe that today is going to be my peaceful day so that no one in this world can mess it up except ourselves.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:04:46
Huge crowds of people showed up to the nation's capital to watch as the monks and their rescue dog, Aloka, walk to the Lincoln Memorial.
Specatator 1
00:04:53
'It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The joy and the calm that they just seem to instill on everyone. I don't think you have to be of the same faith to understand their message and what they are trying to represent.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:05:07
The monks made a pit stop in Annapolis, Maryland on Thursday before heading back home to Texas, but this time in the comfort of a bus.
Venerable Bhikku Panakara
00:05:14
This walk will not end here. Remember that. We have to walk until we die. That is how peace stay with us.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:05:29
'For breast cancer survivors, lumpectomies or mastectomies can be life-saving procedures. But the surgeries to remove part or all of the breast can also mean damage to a woman's confidence. This biomechanical engineer wants to change that.
Katie Weimer
00:05:43
One in eight women will have breast cancer, so that pretty much means everybody knows somebody who has fought this unfortunate disease.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:05:52
'Katie Weimer was just 15 when her mother died of breast cancer at 50-years-old.
Katie Weimer
00:05:57
At the time, what I do remember is it being a really traumatic experience, obviously fighting the disease. And I definitely remember her not getting reconstructed. But the point is like, that was just acceptable, right? It was acceptable to not get reconstructed as a woman. And as women in general, breasts are such an important part of our identity. There's such a psychological impact to having breasts and getting a full reconstruction.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:06:20
'So she founded Genesis Tissue in 2024 to offer dignity and hope to women after breast cancer surgery. They've been developing a 3D-printed, personalized breast tissue designed to help patients rebuild their bodies using their own fat cells.
Katie Weimer
00:06:35
I'm sure you've heard of liposuction. Many people have. Typically, you think of it as a way to just remove fat. Instead of throwing those amazing cells away, what we do is they take in the same surgical procedure. They'll do the liposuction from the patient and inject it in our 3D printed personalized scaffold inside the breast that is the shape of the tissue that was removed. Our scaffold degrades, and all the patient is left with is just their own tissue.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:07:01
'Some 170,000 lumpectomies take place in the US every year. The most common breast reconstruction options today include silicone or saline-filled breast implants. But the FDA warns implants come with various health risks, including possibly cancer.
Katie Weimer
00:07:16
It's time, right? It's ripe for a new, innovative solution.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:07:20
Genesis Tissue is still in the development stages, but Katie says preliminary data shows promising results. And the company's preparing for potential clinical trials.
Katie Weimer
00:07:28
Cancer is a really tough journey and if we can provide a solution that makes the reconstruction easier it's one less thing the patient has to worry about for the rest of their life.
Taryn Smith interview
00:07:41
So my goal actually was to make it back by February 8th because I wanted to see Bad Bunny perform in the Superbowl.
Krista Bo Polanco interview
00:07:48
Oh my god that's a good goal.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:07:51
'25-Year-old Taryn Smith rode 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean all by herself and did it with plenty of time to catch the Benito Bowl. On January 29th, she reached the finish line in an annual race called the World's Toughest Row from the Canary Islands to Antigua, becoming the first American woman to have ever rode this race solo. Taryn was one of 43 teams competing. She set off on December 14th, and 46 days later, she set a race record. What makes it even more impressive is that she only learned how to row three years ago.
Taryn Smith interview
00:08:23
I grew up in Nebraska. I grew up in me most landlocked state in the country. And when I was in college, I went out to the mountains in Idaho and spent a summer working at a little lake lodge there and fell in love with the mountains, fell in love with adventure. And then one summer I read an article in Vogue about a team of women that rode from San Francisco to Hawaii. And I thought ocean rowing sounded like the most amazing adventure in the world. And so with no ocean row experience, I signed up.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:08:52
So in 2023, Taryn quit her job as an HR manager to train for the race of a lifetime.
Taryn Smith (rowing recording)
00:08:58
Good morning from day four of rowing. Day 16 of rowin. Day 21 of rowi. It is day 32 of my solo.
Taryn Smith interview
00:09:06
So the first five weeks of the crossing were really joyful, very happy for me. We had a following breeze, pretty nice conditions, and I was having the time of my life. And so I didn't feel like I had to be very tough until about week six.
Taryn Smith (rowing recording)
00:09:19
Closing out day 40. Today we had really big waves, pretty confused seas, rain all day, walls of rain.
Taryn Smith interview
00:09:28
But made it through. One of my hardest days, a pod of dolphins came and visited me and that was a special moment.
Krista Bo Polanco interview
00:09:36
Giving you some encouragement, I bet.
Taryn Smith interview
00:09:39
Exactly.
Krista Bo Polanco interview
00:09:40
That's awesome. So it's a grueling race physically, but how do you prepare yourself mentally for something like this?
Taryn Smith interview
00:09:48
A lot of my mental preparation for the row stemmed from a yoga practice. I'm a yoga teacher and the yoga and the row, they're very intertwined for me. It was a meditation and that's what I wanted it to be out there. Recognizing that all weather passes and that is really what it was. I sat on a boat, watched literal weather pass, watched figurative mental weather pass and I think my yoga practice really set me up for success.
Taryn Smith interview
00:10:16
Reaching Antigua was the happiest moment of my life. I worked really hard to get to that point and I think it's important to show ourselves that we can be resilient and take on these grand adventures and grand challenges.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:10:41
Coming up, from the ice to the slopes, the Winter Olympics this week gave us an incredible gold medal winning move that used to be illegal, a full circle historic goal, and a finish line surprise. Stick around.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:10:54
U.S. Men's figure skating star Ilia Malinin, aka the "Quad God," executed a jump no one else competing against him even attempted. He was the first to legally land a backflip on one skate, an achievement that still deserves its flowers, even if he didn't end up with a medal in the men's single figure skating final. But technically, someone else did it first.
Surya Bonaly
00:11:14
People's mentality and the judges back in 1998 were much more narrow, people didn't have open minds.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:11:22
French figure skater, Surya Bonaly, illegally did a backflip landing on one blade at the Nagano Games. It was the last competition of her skating career. She even received a deduction for performing the trick. Originally banned for being too dangerous, figure skating finally gave the move its blessing in 2024.
Surya Bonaly
00:11:38
I wanted to leave a good note, but, you know, I wanted to finish strong and still people talk about it. I'm like, wow, I guess people did acknowledge what I did. It warms my heart.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:11:52
She told CNN she's happy to see the "Quad God" carry the backflip torch.
Surya Bonaly
00:11:55
Backflip is something that somebody had to say, okay, I can do it. Especially after a lady who did it years ago. And I'm grateful that skating finally step it up and everyone's happy.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:12:10
Staying on the ice, last week we told you how Laila Edwards became the first Black woman to make the U.S. Olympic hockey team. Well, now she's buried not just one, but two Olympic goals this week. The first was in the prelim match against Team USA's longtime rival Canada, helping her team secure a shutout victory. The goal is extra special because she told CNN watching this rivalry in the 2014 gold medal game is what inspired her to become an Olympian in the first place.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:12:34
'Laila's second goal was on Friday against Italy in the quarterfinals, where the U.S. dominated once again 6-0. The Americans have only let one team score one goal so far this entire Games, and that was the Czech Republic.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:12:48
On the slopes, love was in the air. Team USA skier Breezy Johnson is going home with a gold medal and an engagement ring. During the Super G race on Thursday, she crashed out and didn't finish. But the silver lining is, by the time she got to the bottom of the mountain, her fiance, Connor Watkins, was down on one knee. Breezy told the IOC, quote, "I think most people want to peak at the Olympics. I just extra peaked."
Krista Bo Polanco
00:13:11
All right, that's all for now. Thank you so much for listening. I hope you're feeling the love, peace, and happiness after listening to this episode. And if so, send it to a friend so they can too. There's more goodness where that came from if you sign up for the CNN 5 Good Things newsletter. The link to subscribe is in our show notes and join us tomorrow as always for the next edition of CNN One Thing, wherever you get your podcasts. Take care, til next time.
