Finally, some good news: Heroic Sask. woman saves a life, Lebanese lion cub rescued from airstrikes and liver donor meets boy she helped save

In a world often dominated by challenging headlines, Yahoo News Canada aims to spotlight uplifting news stories both local and beyond. This week's roundup includes a Saskatchewan woman hailed for heroic actions after risking her life to save a boy, a daring rescue effort to evacuate a Lebanese lion cub amid Israeli airstrikes and the discovery of the world's largest coral reef shows hope for the environment.

🎖️ Sask. woman hailed as hero for risking life to save boy

A northern Saskatchewan woman is being called a hero after risking her own life to save a drowning boy.

Elaine Ratt, a member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, had no idea what was coming as she clocked in for her shift at the Sucker River Community Store on Sunday. Her shift was abruptly interrupted by a young panicked boy who rushed in begging for help.

"The fear in [his] eyes scared me," Ratt said in an interview with CBC News.

Ratt rushed after the boy, dialing 911 as he led her to Sucker River Lake, where his friend had fallen through the ice as they were playing.

"I see that he's still above water and that he was struggling," Ratt said. "I went to the edge right where the ice was. I just kept telling the boy, 'keep your head above water, keep your head above water.'"

• READ FULL STORY: 'Water to my neck': Sask. woman called a hero after saving boy who fell through ice

Ratt said the ice got thinner the closer she got to the boy. It broke and she plunged into the icy water.

She said her only focus was getting the boy out of the water, despite the danger.

Ratt said she hoisted the boy onto a solid patch of ice and made sure that he was responsive. He was able to roll toward the shore.

Only then did she turn her attention to her own situation.

"It was a shock. It didn't click to me how deep the water was going to be when I went in," Ratt said.

She finally managed to lift her upper body out and swing her leg over the ice just enough to get up.

Ratt said she then tried to get the boy back to the store, where he could warm up, but he was so cold his legs weren't working properly.

"So I carried him, with all my soaking clothes and his soaking clothes."

The boy was transported to the La Ronge hospital in an ambulance. His grandmother later updated Ratt, telling her that his body temperature had finally been regulated to its normal levels.

Ratt headed back to the store after going home to get a dry change of clothes. When she got out of her truck, Cook-Searson and the emergency crews applauded for her. Cook-Searson said the applause moved Ratt to tears.

"She saved his life and she deserves a medal," Cook-Searson said. "She's our hero."

🏥 Watch: Liver donor meets 1-year-old boy she helped save

🦁 Lion cub evacuated from Lebanon escapes airstrikes and abuse

When Sara first arrived at her rescuers' home, she was sick, tired and covered in ringworms and signs of abuse all over her little furry body.

After spending two months in a small Beirut apartment with an animal rights group, the four-and-half-month-old lion cub arrived Friday at a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa after a long journey on a yacht and planes, escaping both Israeli airstrikes and abusive owners.

Sara is the fifth lion cub to be evacuated from Lebanon by local rescue group Animals Lebanon since Hezbollah and Israel began exchanging fire a day after the Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel by Hamas that ignited the war in Gaza last year, according to a report published by the Canadian Press.

Animals Lebanon first discovered Sara on social media channels in July. Her owner, a Lebanese man in the ancient city of Baalbek, posted bombastic videos of himself parading with the little lion cub on TikTok and Instagram.

Soon after that, Israel launched an offensive against the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah — after nearly a year of low-level conflict — and Baalbek came under heavy bombardment.

Mier and his team were able to extract Sara from Baalbek weeks before Israel launched its aerial bombardment campaign on the ancient city, and move her to an apartment in Beirut’s busy commercial Hamra district.

• READ FULL STORY: A lion cub evacuated from Lebanon to a South African sanctuary escapes airstrikes and abuse

Unaware of the war around her, Sara thrived. She was fed a platter of raw meat daily and grew to 88 pounds. She cuddled every morning with Mier’s wife Maggie, also an animal rights activist.

But the activists faced a major obstacle: How would they get her out of Lebanon?

She was supposed to fly to South Africa in October, but international airlines stopped flights to Lebanon as Israeli jets and drones hit sites close to the country’s only airport.

Animals Lebanon collected donations from supporters and rights groups around the world to put Sara on a small yacht to take her to Cyprus. From there, she flew to the United Arab Emirates before her long journey ended in Cape Town.

Last week, she arrived to the port of Dbayeh, just north of Beirut. Mier and his team were relieved, but also struggling to hold back their tears at her departure.

“She’ll be integrated with two recent lions that we’ve sent from Lebanon, so she’ll make a nice group of three hopefully,” he said. “That’s where she will live out the rest of her life. That is the best option for her.”

🪸 Watch: Scientists discover world's largest coral reef

🏒 TSN anchor makes history with call of Leafs-Senators game

Sackville, New Brunswick native Kenzie Lalonde made hockey history last week, becoming the first woman to call play-by-play for a Canadian NHL team.

Lalonde called the game between the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs as the lead commentator for TSN last Tuesday. Senators centre Josh Norris scored the first goal of the night in a 3-0 Ottawa win, giving Lalonde her first "goal call" as an NHL play-by-play broadcaster.

• READ MORE: Last week in the NHL: Kenzie Lalonde makes history with call of Leafs-Senators game

Special stuff.

"I think when I look at Tuesday night's game, it was a full circle moment for me," Lalonde, who grew up a Senators fan, said after the game.

Lalonde, who was also the first woman to do play-by-play for the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), will continue calling "select regional games" for the Senators this season after her national debut last week.

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