Kansas
Triumph over darkness: Kansas City man shares journey of faith, family, healing
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas Citian Geoffrey Arbuckle is sharing his message of hope this holiday season, crediting his family, faith and community for helping him find fulfillment after a lifelong battle with mental health.
“It is an absolute miracle in the way this community and this city have come around me, and I just want to show them it was worth it,” Geoffrey said.
At the age of 20, Geoffrey found himself fighting for his life after a drunk driver put his college baseball career on hold.
The crash left him with a broken neck, his left side paralyzed and in a constant state of excruciating pain.
Geoffrey Arbuckle
“I spent months in the hospital and months in rehabilitation, learning how to walk again. Having recovered from that, I think that I carried the weight of that accident for decades and I really didn’t pay attention to my mental health,” he said. “I think the miracle of surviving a broken neck, paralysis and recovery was a weight that I was too immature and maybe too young of a Christian in my faith to bear.”
Eventually, Geoffrey’s mental health struggles led him to lose hope, slowly chipping away at his desire to live.
On May 5, 2023, he attempted to end his life, but destiny had different plans.
“I credit my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who was with me in the garage when I made that fateful decision,” he said. “I didn’t realize I would live, I didn’t realize that I would be saved, but I did know that He would never leave me and that faith permeates every aspect of my life.”
Once again, Geoffrey found himself fighting for his life. But this time, he was surrounded by the unwavering support of his guardian angel China, his wife.
KSHB 41
“It’s no different than if our spouse got a medical diagnosis that was debilitating or they lost their job,” China Arbuckle said. “We don’t just leave them, we’re there unconditionally through thick and thin, through the good and the bad times, and I just knew that our relationship was strong enough that we could make it through anything and I love him.”
The attempt on his life left Geoffrey with permanent vision loss, but the Arbuckle family was determined to illuminate a new path.
Geoffrey’s son, Chandler, came across Missouri’s Vocational Rehabilitation Services, which offers a program called the Business Enterprise Program.
At its core, the program is known for creating job opportunities for visually impaired Missourians by developing business sites in state, federal and other locations.
Geoffrey applied and was admitted into the program in February.
“I went through an interview process, I went through some testing and then was immediately put into their training program,” he said. “And after graduating, I was then given the opportunity to own and operate my own business.”
KSHB 41
By October, Geoffrey was given the green light to own and operate a convenience store inside a downtown Kansas City federal building.
Due to federal regulations, KSHB can’t disclose the location of his store, but Geoffrey believes faith and hope have returned every time he shows up for work.
“This is the best time of my life. I am doing exactly what I want to do every day,” he said.
From balancing business margins to ensuring the store is stocked and in top shape, Geoffrey is able to give his customers a unique experience.
Each customer’s selection fuels his family’s miracle and dispenses hope to a man who now walks by faith rather than sight.
“This miracle, I bear differently. I share it, actually, with the community; I don’t hide it,” Geoffrey said. “I will no longer hide my disabilities. I may work with less, but I’m not less. I’m more blessed to be here, I’m more blessed to be in this community, and I wouldn’t trade my spiritual sight and my spiritual health for my physical sight or physical health.”
The Business Entrepreneurs Program under Missouri’s Vocations Rehabilitation Services helps blind persons achieve success as self-employed entrepreneurs.
As Kansas City continues to embrace the holiday season, a time when loneliness and darkness are often most felt, the Arbuckle family hopes their community remembers there are angels all around to guide you through life’s darkest steps.
“There’s a lot of depression, especially this time of year,” China Arbuckle said. “It’s a joyous season for me, but I understand that there are a lot of people that don’t see it that way, and they just need to get help. Call someone, call a friend, call us, call a help hotline; help is there.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or suicidal thoughts and actions, text or call the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988.
—
KSHB 41 Traffic anchor/reporter Daniela Leon covers all sorts of transportation topics across Kansas City. Have a story idea to share or a question about something in your neighborhood? Send Daniela a news tip.
Stormont Vail Healthcare is in a legal battle with the state government, alleging the Medicaid program was wrong to refuse payment for the hospitalization of a pregnant patient with complications.
At issue is a disagreement between the Topeka hospital and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment over whether inpatient health care services were medically necessary for the Medicaid patient’s last two weeks of pregnancy.
The Kansas Court of Appeals did not resolve that dispute, but it did side with Stormont Vail in a May 8 decision. The unanimous three-judge panel reversed a decision by Shawnee County District Court Judge Thomas Luedke and vacated an order from KDHE’s State Appeals Committee. The matter now goes back to the appeals committee for reconsideration.
The appellate panel was comprised of Judges Jacy Hurst, Thomas Malone and Stephen Hill, which heard oral arguments on Aug. 5. Hurst wrote the court’s opinion.
The lawsuit stems from a 2018 case of a pregnant patient, who is not named in appellate court documents. She was 28 years old at the time and had an intellectual disability among other complications, including rapid weight loss caused by hyperemesis gravidarum.
The woman was originally admitted at Newman Regional Health in Emporia before she was transferred to Stormont Vail. Part of the hospitalization during her third trimester was covered.
But the final two weeks were not because Sunflower Health Plan, one of the managed care organizations in the state’s privatized Medicaid program known as KanCare, refused to reimburse for the patient’s continued hospitalization through the day the child was born via cesarean section.
“We are here because the Kansas Medicaid program has wrongfully refused to pay for some of an inpatient hospitalization while a Medicaid beneficiary was at Stormont Vail,” said Amanda Wilwert, an attorney for the hospital, during oral arguments. “Stormont believes the inpatient care was medically necessary as defined by the Kansas Medicaid regulations.”
Court records and oral arguments show the state expected Stormont Vail to look into having a home health agency care for the patient in Emporia instead of continued hospitalization — even though home health generally does not take care of pregnant patients and her doctors believed the expectant mother was not stable enough to discharge.
“The way it’s supposed to work,” said Darren Sharp, an attorney representing KDHE, “is the managed care organization, in this case Sunflower Health, on behalf of KDHE reviews the medical records, asks about the appropriate level of care and whether there’s any other interventions that would be more cost effective or appropriate depending on the level of or depending on the patient’s records and the patient’s status.”
Sharp argued medical records showed the patients was getting better because of total parenteral nutrition, or TPN.
“This is when a tube, a PICC, is inserted and your minerals and your electrolytes and all of your nutrition is then intravenously provided,” Sharp said.
He said the treatment “was eliminating her vomiting, her diarrhea, she had no fever, her glucose levels were stabilized.”
In their ruling, the judges indicated the KDHE appeals committee primarily cared about the cost saving of using home health versus hospitalization while disregarding the treating physician for insufficient reasons and ignoring evidence on potential benefits or harms to the patient.
But the judges declined to resolve the dispute. Rather, unless the decision is appealed to the Kansas Supreme Court, the matter goes back to the KDHE administrative process.
There, the agency’s appeals committee must reconsider the case consistent with the Court of Appeal’s ruling. The published decision sets new precedent interpreting state laws and regulations on the Medicaid program.
“While this court provides no opinion on whether the disputed inpatient healthcare services met the definition of medical necessity,” Hurst wrote, “the record shows that some of the (appeals committee’s) factual findings were not supported by the record as a whole and that the (appeals committee) inaccurately applied the law when it failed to consider (the patient’s) individual characteristics and assess the harms and benefits of the healthcare intervention.
“In making a medical necessity determination, the reviewing agency must make an individualized determination based on the record as a whole.”
Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.
The Kansas Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 7, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 7 drawing
Midday: 6-2-2
Evening: 0-5-9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning 2 By 2 numbers from May 7 drawing
Red Balls: 07-15, White Balls: 02-16
Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 7 drawing
05-08-21-44-48, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Kansas Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at select Kansas Lottery offices.
By mail, send a winner claim form and your signed lottery ticket to:
Kansas Lottery Headquarters
128 N Kansas Avenue
Topeka, KS 66603-3638
(785) 296-5700
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a claim form, and deliver the form along with your signed lottery ticket to Kansas Lottery headquarters. 128 N Kansas Avenue, Topeka, KS 66603-3638, (785) 296-5700. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Kansas Lottery.
When are the Kansas Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3 Midday/Evening: 1:10 p.m. and 9:10 p.m. CT daily.
- 2 By 2: 9:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Super Kansas Cash: 9:10 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Kansas editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas, becomes sister city to Concepción, Argentina, ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026
KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland, including Liberty. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.
—
Kansas City, Kansas, is now a sister city to Concepción, in the Tucumán province of Argentina.
The connection that carries deep personal meaning for members of the Kansas City area’s Argentinian community, with less than six weeks until Lionel Messi and their national team play at Kansas City Stadium (GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium).
Kansas City, Kansas, becomes sister city to Concepción, Argentina, ahead of World Cup
The official Sister Cities Agreement was signed Wednesday at Sporting Park, in a ceremony that also served as the kickoff of a broader cultural and economic initiative connecting Argentina and Kansas.
Federico Carmona has lived in the United States for more than two decades. He spent Wednesday afternoon cheering and smiling.
“This is my dream,” Carmona said.
For Carmona, the moment was personal — a merging of the two places he calls home.
KSHB/ Brian Luton
“This is a blessing,” Carmona said.
He continued, “Argentina is my heart. I was born in Argentina. I have so much passion for soccer. I used to play, my kids play. We never thought that Argentina was going to be in Kansas City. So that was a big, big surprise for us.”
Claudia Luna West, chair of the Sister Cities Association and a native of Concepción, Tucumán, was one of the driving forces behind the partnership.
“It means the world to me,” Luna West said.
KSHB/ Brian Luton
She described the pairing of the two cities as a natural collaboration — like the ingredients of a perfect recipe coming together.
“Everything collaborates to be this great thing,” Luna West said.
That recipe metaphor extended to food. The event featured the announcement of a partnership between Kansas BBQ Empanadas and Jack Stack BBQ — a culinary symbol of the two cultures meeting.
“Now, empanadas aren’t going to be just an ethnic food. They’re going to be a landmark of Kansas,” Luna West said.
Mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCK, Christal Watson, said the designation reflects the city’s diversity and its ability to connect with the world.
KSHB
“I think it’s important that we set a global stage on how diverse we are and how beautifully, wonderfully made we are with all the different cultures,” Watson said.
Watson said shared experiences — including food — are what bring communities together.
KSHB
“Food is a common link. Those are the things that get us engaged… those are the things that help us grow and be a better community overall,” Watson said. “We already have a flavor going on.”
Jake Reid, president and CEO of Sporting Kansas City, said the timing of the sister city announcement — with the FIFA World Cup 2026 approaching — felt right.
KSHB/ Brian Luton
“We’ve been planning this for so long. I think to have it on the doorstep now and be probably a month out is becoming very real and exciting,” Reid said. “They’re meant to be from… kind of everything we’ve got going on right now, for sure.”
For Carmona, the day was a long time coming.
“We can’t wait for all this to happen,” Carmona said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
—
-
Culture11 minutes agoBook Review: ‘Selling Opportunity,’ by Mary Lisa Gavenas
-
Lifestyle17 minutes agoHunting For Lexapro Clocks, Viagra Neckties and Other Vintage Pharmaceutical Merch
-
Technology29 minutes agoDyson’s powerful 360 Vis Nav robovac is down to $279.99 for a limited time
-
World35 minutes agoAs Trump forces NATO to pay up, alliance races to close military gap with US
-
Politics41 minutes agoInside the US military playbook to cripple Iran if nuclear talks collapse
-
Health47 minutes agoFitness expert visits gyms nationwide, shouts out 4 clubs for ‘getting it right’
-
Sports53 minutes ago2026 INDYCAR Odds: Alex Palou Clear Favorite for Sonsio Grand Prix at IMS
-
Technology59 minutes agoGlobal scam crackdown leads to 276 arrests