There are times I really get tired of my job. You probably know the feeling; you wake up one particular morning and your head hurts at the prospect of another day at the office.
Yet though I might complain from time to time and have days where all I want to do is stay in bed and watch TV, I never have to worry about my work putting me in harm’s way.
There’s a lot to be said for that, even if it’s not something most of us stop to consider every day. Indeed, it’s easy to forget that there exist professions out there that aren’t just mentally challenging, but also actively hazardous for the people who do them.
Being a firefighter is one. Personally, I don’t think firefighters get enough credit for the bravery they show simply in turning up for their shift each day, but there’s a photo doing the rounds online at the moment that quite rightly pushes firefighters – and awareness as to the insane conditions they’re sometimes expected to operate in – to the fore…
When I was younger, I dreamt of being a firefighter – if my NBA career never took off, that is – but these days I’m rather happy to have other people doing it in my stead.
Call me cowardly, but there are few things I’d relish less than the task of charging headfirst into a burning building.
Fortunately for society, not everyone is of the same mindset as I am. There are brave souls who regularly risk their lives to save others and limit casualties whenever fires break out or serious accidents occur.
And we’re not only referring to pulling people out of burning cars of entering apartment blocks engulfed in flames – both heroic acts, it must be said – but also those times when firefighters are tasked with combatting one of nature’s most terrifying, destructive forces: wildfires.
If you live in a country where wildfires occur, you’ll likely be all too familiar with the damage they can cause. Of course, they don’t simply stop burning on their own, and left to run riot they will destroy virtually everything in their path.
That’s where firefighters come in. Instead of fleeing the affected areas, as everyone else is advised to do, they charge in to do their utmost in an attempt to halt the advance of the fires, saving countless lives in the process.
A few years ago one such wildfire was raging in Portugal, requiring the skills of a combined 1,150 firefighters to slow its spread.
The apocalyptic scene was frightening to behold, but it did produce a rather incredible photograph that paid testament to the incredible work firefighters do to keep people safe.
As per reports, a man named Pedro Brás posted the image, along with the caption: “After a night and a day fighting the Góis Forest Fire we were entitled to 25 minutes of river beach, although it was covered by smoke.”
The picture in question showed a group of firefighters sleeping on a lawn, so overcome by exhaustion that they had pretty much dropped where they stood in order to get some rest.
According to Pedro, the firefighters took a short break of 25 minutes after working nonstop for 24 hours to fight the wildfire.
Albino sisters born 12 years apart become modeling sensations
They may have been born more than a decade apart, but these siblings still have one remarkable thing in common.
Albinism is a rare genetic disorder that causes a lack of pigmentation in the skin, eyes and/or hair, giving albino people a unique look:
It’s very rare to have an albino child… which makes it remarkable that one Kazakh couple had not one, but two albino children 12 years apart.
Meet Asel and Kamila, the incredibly unique siblings that have turned into in-demand models:
Asel is the older sibling at 14. Her mother, Aiman Sarkitova, said she was stunned when she was born albino.
“When I gave birth to my eldest, genetics were not so developed with us,” she told the Daily Mail. “It is developing only now. The doctors were shocked.”
Imagine their surprise when, 12 years later, Kamila was born with the same condition.
It’s an incredible, striking sight to see these two siblings together—so the two teamed up and became a modeling duo.
Asel has already been modeling since she was 10, but with her 2-year-old sister at her side she’s become even more in-demand. The pair have over 33,000 followers on Instagram.
While their albinism has led to big success, it’s not always easy. The condition is also associated with medical conditions like a sensitivity to sunlight.
“If I go outside in the afternoon, then I definitely apply sunscreen, put on clothes to protect my skin, headgear or use an umbrella,” Asel said.
“In the evening, when there is almost no sun, it’s much easier for me.”
But through whatever ups and downs life throws at them, they’ll always have each other.
The condition is so rare that albino people can feel alone, but these two sisters are lucky that they’ll always have a family member just like them.
And hopefully, their success as models will shed some light on albinism and show how uniquely beautiful albino people can be.
“Many people do not know what albinos are,” Asel said.
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