If this doesn't move you, you have no heart OR soul

Seriously.

Seven-year-old Mya Bartlett [of Carolina Beach] doesn’t like to talk about the accident that fractured her skull and left her with traumatic brain damage. It happened on April 8, 2010.

She was kicking a soccer ball, fell backward, and hit her head. The Hello Kitty ponytail holder she was wearing damaged her fragile skull.

“As the doctors said, it was as if she had a rock and a knife in her head when she fell. The rock was the plastic, and the corners and edges acted as a knife,”  said Mya’s mother, Tristen Waters.

Waters thought it was a freak accident, but after doing some research, she learned that injuries from hair accessories are fairly common, especially for girls who are very active.

Now Mya and her sister, Kyra, are turning an injury into an investment. They are making and selling safe hair accessories.

“They got no plastic and no metal,” said Mya of her accessories. She and Kyra design and sew the bows themselves, with a little help from Mom.

Waters said Mya struggles with ADD, ADHD, and memory loss among other things, as a result of the injury, but she’s proud that her girls are helping to prevent similar problems, one hair bow at a time.

“The product that they are making is going to save lives.  And because the product their making is saving lives, they are saving the world.”

The girls used the money they made from the bows and bands to pay for summer camp. 

Now they are deciding what charity to help out with the rest of the money they made

CB gets into the "banning smoking on the beach" discussion

Carolina Beach is exploring the idea of banning smoking on the beach, according to WWAY. The reviews are mixed so far.

"I don't think we should be Gestapo," said Lou Belo, who is against a smoking ban on the beach. "It's outside, it's no problem, if people would only clean up after themselves.
"I'm not a smoker, but I'd support it," Keith Hargrave said. "I mean, I walk up and down the beach. You can look in the sand right here there's cigarette butts all over the place. People don't respect the rules."

The town council will hold a public hearing on a possible smoking ban at the beach during its next meeting Tuesday.

Debate over a smoking ban at the beach is nothing new. In november, Wrightsville Beach residents will have a chance to vote yea or nay for a smoking ban along their shores.

Carolina Beach Councilman Lonnie Lashley put the item on next week's agenda after getting several complaints from residents. He would not talk to us on camera, but he says it has nothing to do with Wrightsville Beach. ...

The public can give their feedback during the town council meeting Tuesday night. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at Carolina Beach Town Hall.

Count me as someone who is all for the ban.