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SALT LAKE CITY -- When looking back on stories from the decade that are considered important, many were about tragedies or were negative in tone. But here's a look at some stories--in no particular order-- that had a positive ending.
In February 2002, Utahns beamed with pride as they welcomed the world for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic games. After years of planning, athletes, the president, foreign dignitaries and visitors from around the world converged on the Beehive State. To this day, members of the International Olympic Committee say no one has staged a better Olympics.
In 2004, we learned of 29-year-old Peter Jensen of Cedar City. He had one of the worst cases of Tourette syndrome that doctors had ever seen. He suffered from physical and vocal tics so severe he could hardly function.
He underwent experimental surgeries at a Cleveland hospital that included implanting electrodes deep in his brain, in hopes of stopping the spasms. The surgeries were successful.
"Really it's like having a rebirth of life," he said.
Jensen eventually returned to college to finish an engineering degree, something which had been totally out of the question for him a few years earlier.
Aron Ralston probably shouldn't be alive.
The avid outdoorsman from Colorado became trapped in a slot canyon in southern Utah in 2003. An 800-pound boulder pinned his right arm. He used a pocket knife to amputate it.
He survived, of course. Now, the movie about Ralston's ordeal, called "127 Hours," is getting favorable reviews with some talk of an Oscar possibility.
In sports-- a true Cinderella story unfolded in 2009. Real Salt Lake, in its fifth year as a franchise, became Major League Soccer's world champions. The team won in a shootout over the big boys -- the L.A. Galaxy and David Beckham.
And who can forget Ken Jennings? The Murray resident set a TV game show record in 2004, winning 74 straight times on "Jeopardy" and pocketing more than $3 million in the process.
Another happy ending: The survival of Tom and Tamitha Garner of Kearns. Their truck got stuck in the deep snow in a remote area of Nevada in January. They were missing for two weeks.
"The food was low. By that time we started to eat dog food," they said.
After making snowshoes out of seat cushions, they walked for two days before a snowplow driver clearing a rural road discovered them.
Utah opthalmologist Branson Call takes annual medical missions to Haiti. He was caught in the huge earthquake that struck there last year. Relatives back home didn't know if he had survived until they saw a photo of him on a website. When he finally phoned home, he said he was just busy helping those in need.
Other notable stories of the decade include Kevin Bardsley, whose 12-year-old son Garrett disappeared during a camping trip in the Uintas and was never found. Kevin started a foundation to aid other families searching for missing children.
With his help, others did have happy reunions. In 2007, Reader's Digest Magazine named him "Hero of the Year."
And, a cocker spaniel named Rocky traveled 1,500 miles. He mysteriously vanished from a backyard in Ogden in 2007. Over the next year, he traveled from Utah to San Diego to El Paso. A couple there found him. After checking his ID chip, they put him on a plane and sent him home for a very happy reunion.
Also making the list of the decade's stories - the return of Elizabeth Smart after nine months and the recent guilty verdicts of her kidnapper, Brian Mitchell.
E-mail: kmccord@ksl.com
