Because of the very nature of the world, newspapers often trade in tragedy. As a result, we are sometimes accused of ignoring the "good news" stories. It is an unjust charge we put down to the fact that it is the tragic stories which tend to stick in the reader's memory.

We carry as many positive, upbeat stories as come our way, and are glad to do so. And we are particularly pleased when stories which start off as potential tragedies turn out to have happy endings.

Two stories of that type are in the T&A today. One is a report of the remarkable recovery of Bradford grandmother Janet Rylance, who collapsed with three blood clots on her brain at Tokyo airport while she was on her way home from visiting her father in Australia.

Thanks to the speed and skill of Japanese doctors, she is now making a good recovery back in Bradford and declares that she has not been put off travelling.

It is that sort of fighting spirit which can help some people to fight back from accident and illness. Bradford lawyer Roger Thomas was also helped by it after suffering terrible injuries in a ski-ing accident three years ago. It forced him to take a year off work but then he fought back to a full recovery, later working 70 hours a week to make up for lost time.

On May 3 his reward will come when he is sworn in at the House of Lords as Queens Counsel.

We wish both Mrs Rylance and Mr Thomas well as splendid examples of how people can sometimes battle back against the odds.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.