NCAA Bends Rules for a Special Player

A college basketball player who's become an inspiration and a newborn who managed to save her mom's life are among the week's uplifting stories:

• NCAA Moves Up Season Opener for Dying Player: The NCAA normally doesn't let its teams open their seasons in early November, but Mount St. Joseph will do so against Hiram College on Nov. 2. The reason for the exception? The Mount's 19-year-old Lauren Hill, who has an inoperable brain tumor. It may be her last game, but she refuses to be anything but upbeat.
• 'Miracle' Baby Saves Mom's Life: Jenny Purvis calls her daughter "Miracle Mae," and with good reason: In giving her daughter life, the Georgia woman's own life was saved. Or as Purvis puts it, Mae "came to save her Mama."

• Soldier Killed in WWII Buried in Arlington: A teenager who was killed in World War II and lay in a shallow grave for 70 years finally got a proper burial this week at Arlington. Army private Cecil Harris, who was killed in battle on Jan. 2, 1945, was laid to rest with full military honors. His grateful family has a French hiker to thank.
• Couple Married 73 Years Die Hours Apart: Joe Auer lived 100 years, surviving the Depression, a stint in World War II, and no fewer than 10 kids. But when his wife of 73 years died last week, his children think he didn't want to be without his beloved Helen. He died 28 hours later, and the joint funeral became more a celebration of their lives than a mourning.
• Female UPS Driver's Feat: 4M Miles, 0 Accidents: If you're a professional truck driver, it's a rare achievement to log 4 million miles over 40 years. It's rarer still to manage it without a single accident along the way. Now this exclusive group is no longer an-all boys' club.

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