How many friends do we really need to be happy?
On my quest for more meaningful friendships, I took a hard look at the people in my life. Then things got a little weird.
By Billy Baker Globe Staff,Updated January 6, 2021, 10:53 a.m.
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john s. dykes for the boston globe
I removed some artwork from a wall in my office at home, got a fresh Sharpie and a stack of Post-it notes, and started writing down names.
I began by picking through the contacts in my phone, then scrolled through my 1,335 Facebook friends. Many of the choices for names to put on the wall were easy. My wife. My parents. Grandma. My younger brother in California. The Danimal, my freshman roommate. Two girls Iâd first met in fourth grade. My sister-in-law, most days. Six people Iâd met through my kids. Twenty-three journalists, which is way too many, including six from grad school. Seven people I grew up with in Southie, which is definitely too many. Eight people I went to high school wit
Diagnosed with cancer at age 8, Mateo Goldman needed something like a miracle. He got two
A German strangerâs stem cells became the Massachusetts boyâs first bridge to life. But when his body rejected the treatment, where could he turn?
By Linda MatchanUpdated December 22, 2020, 11:27 a.m.
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It wasnât supposed to be a puppy.
Not that he didnât love puppies. But what 9-year-old Mateo Goldman was really hoping for when he was referred to the Make-A-Wish Foundation in January 2018 was much more unusual than a pet.
Make-A-Wish grants wishes to critically ill children, and 14 months earlier Mateo had been diagnosed with leukemia. Most kids in his situation ask for trips to Disney World, computers, gaming systems, online shopping sprees, playhouses, or room redecorations. Or puppies. Mateoâs request was the kind that Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island doesnât often receive.
Epidemiologists wage a battle against more than just the virus
Updated December 13, 2020, 2:30 a.m.
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Theyâre looking out for all of us, and yet they get death threats
Re â âMakes you ask why the hell we even botherâ â: In her front-page article last Sunday, Hanna Kruegershines a light on some extremely painful and honest feelings voiced by several epidemiologists in our area. Dr. Ashish Jha, Dr. Michael Mina, Dr. Sara Suliman, and Dr. Caroline Buckee, all putting in massive hours of work for these many months, share their personal and professional frustrations and even dejection.
Some of these medical experts even have to cope with death threats and now have to worry about their familiesâ safety. This is outrageous. When did so many in this country become so disrespectful and unwilling to listen to science? For those with children, how do they explain their actions?