These 2024 stories warmed the hearts of many in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - There are days in the world of reporting news where good news seems hard to come by, however, WSMV4 was glad to share some heartwarming stories with our audience in 2024.

As the year winds down and 2025 is set to begin, we wanted to share and reflect on some of our favorite feel-good stories of the year.

Murfreesboro bus driver saves crossing guard’s life thanks to a typical parking spot

In September, a Murfreesboro school bus driver saved a crossing guard’s life. When Murfreesboro City Schools bus driver Millie Rodriguez got to Hobgood Elementary, she saw her friend Geneva McKnight, who’s the school crossing guard. But McKnight was not in her usual parking spot — which alerted Millie to her car.

“I said Miss Geneva, how are you doing today,” Rodriguez recalled.

McKnight then got out of her car and headed for the school, with Rodriguez following close behind.

“She says, ‘Millie, I think I’m having a heart attack,’” Rodriguez said.

McKnight was taken to the hospital, where doctors confirmed that she was having a heart attack. While she was kept in the hospital for a week, no more than three weeks later she was back on Baird Lane, making sure students crossed the street safely, all thanks to a now lifelong friend.

Franklin wife donates kidney, saves husband’s life

Franklin couple is recovering at home after undergoing kidney surgeries.

Amy Bredfeldt donated one of her kidneys to her husband, Stephen, who doctors said kept him from dialysis or possibly an even worse fate.

After dozens of tests, doctors at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital met to determine whether Amy could donate a kidney to Stephen.

“It seemed impossible that we would be a match. Like that’s, that’s really difficult,” Amy said. “There’s a lot of things that have to match up.”

Indeed, the odds of two unrelated people being a perfect kidney match are 1-in-100,000.

Amy underwent numerous tests, preparing to donate a kidney to a stranger to move Stephen on the transplant list. However, she received a call confirming she was a partial match for Stephen himself.

“I was so happy. I actually left the office, went in my car and cried, then pulled myself together, and then I called him,” Amy said.

Tennessee doctor among ‘6 people having their minds blown’ during space launch

Vanderbilt cardiologist and Nashville resident Dr. Eiman Jahangir was part of a six-person crew that launched into space Thursday morning aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft.

The roundtrip flight launched from Blue Origin’s West Texas base and returned to Earth by parachute, according to the company.

Jahangir and his crewmates were in space above the Karman Line, the invisible boundary recognized as where space begins, and separated from the base of the rocket before returning back into the Earth’s stratosphere.

The six civilians landed safely in their pod and their screams of joy were heard over the broadcast.

Jahangir, an associate professor at Vanderbilt University Medical School and graduate of Metro Nashville Public Schools, won the coveted spot in a contest for a digital currency organization after applying through NASA and being rejected five times.

Custom comic books transform Tennessee special education students into superheroes

A group of long-time friends is helping hundreds of kids across the Midstate realize their full potential. The “Every Kid Is A Hero” foundation makes special education students the stars of their own tailor-made stories.

Britt Maxwell is the President of the Every Kid Is A Hero organization. He came up with the original idea and built on it with friends Drew Van Huss, Lee Colvin, and Matthew Walden. Van Huss and Maxwell write the comic storylines together, Walden does the original artwork, and Colvin handles the fundraising.

Students are asked ahead of time to choose the color of their hair, eyes, and skin to represent their individuality for the comics.

The Every Kid Is A Hero Foundation also raises money for special education teachers to support them in the classroom.

It just launched an opportunity to sponsor special education students, so they can receive a new comic book four times a year.

‘No one wants to hire a felon’: Nashville man helps change lives in unlikely place

As crowds gather and lines build outside of Broadway bars, visitors to Nashville’s most famous street sway to the music wafting from open windows played by cover bands inside. Live music and the assured good time keep people coming back to the honky tonks. While the bars are full, eventually everyone visits one particular place inside each establishment: the restroom.

“Eventually, we gotta go to the bathroom,” says Alonzo Cheeks, owner of So Fresh So Clean Hospitality Services, a restroom management company that staffs Broadway bars with restroom attendants who keep spaces clean. They also greet guests and provide any necessary items like hygiene products or lotions.

WSMV4 followed Cheeks during a shift at the new Broadway bar Chief’s, named after country artist Eric Church. In addition to Chief’s, he currently staffs attendants in two other downtown bars: Whiskey River and Pushin’ Daisies. A typical shift for Cheeks begins at 3 p.m. and lasts until 2 a.m.

“I pay attention to everybody who walks through that [bathroom] door,” says Cheeks. “So I know how you were 3 hours ago and then I can say ‘I think you don’t need anymore, that’s your last drink.’”

Cheeks calls himself the ‘Man in the Can,’ which refers to a restroom now, but nearly 20 years ago ‘the can’ referred to his stint in prison. Cheeks was incarcerated for four months between 2005 and 2006 for attempting to steal a vehicle.

“I was homeless before and I was kinda like livin’ on the streets under the bridge,” explains Cheeks whose attempted theft was because he wanted a place to sleep for the night. “I made wrong choices! Bad decisions!”

While he was in jail, Cheeks made a promise to live differently.

“I was like ‘God, when I get outta here, I’m gonna change my life around. I’m not gonna be the same person.’”