On June 1st, Pablo Villavicencio was working at his job as a pizza deliveryman when he received an order from the Fort Hamilton military base. He'd delivered pizzas there multiple times before, and had always used his ID NYC (something that is available to all New Yorkers, regardless of their immigration status) in order to gain access to the base.

This time, however, he was asked to provide a second form of identification. When he couldn't, a staff member there called ICE. Villavicencio was arrested immediately. His wife, Sandra Chica, was alerted about the situation, but she didn't know how to tell her two young daughters - aged two and three - that their father would not be coming home.

For days, Chica told her children that Villavicencio was simply away on a job, and that's why he hadn't been coming home at night. On Wednesday of this week, however, Chica was in a laundromat with her three-year-old, Luciana, when a story about Villavicencio came up on the news - and the little one realised immediately that her dad was in trouble.

"She started crying immediately like she was scared," Chica told Buzzfeed News. "This is going to affect her one way or another ... deep down she knows something is happening to her father."

Villavicencio is currently in ICE custody in Manhattan, and is expected to be deported to back to his native Ecuador. He has a pending green card application, and his wife and children are all US citizens - but none of that helps his case at all.

Chica is understandably outraged by what happened.

"This came to light because of an act of racism; he had gone to that military base numerous times with that ID. Why ask him these questions now?" she said. "I can't stay quiet, because of the desperation of my girls whose dad was just working when he was taken away.

"He wasn't doing anything. I'm willing to take this as far as I can go."

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According to ICE spokesperson Rachael Yong Yow, the father-of-two was "granted voluntary departure" eight years ago. When he did not leave the states, however, "his voluntary departure order became a final order of removal, and he is an ICE fugitive."

When asked whether Villavicencio's arrest would affect his green card application, Yow stated, "I want to say it shouldn’t affect that, but that is a [US Citizenship and Immigration Services] question. I have no idea if it affects that. But I know on our end that isn’t one of those pending things that affects if they are removable."

It is still not clear whether his application has been invalidated by his detainment.

In an impassioned appeal to authorities, Chica said:

"We're asking that they at least give him an opportunity to continue his petition here in this country so he won't be separated from his daughters. From one moment to the next I was left with the responsibility of being the mom and dad without any answers for my daughters. My outlook right now is very dark. I'm really worried about my daughters."

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In the meantime, a friend of the family set up a GoFundMe to help raise money for Chica and her daughters, who will be left without an income if Villavicencio is not released.

"Hi everyone [my] husband Pablo was arrested last friday while he was working," Chica wrote on the page. "He went to a militar[y] base in Brooklyn and they asked him ID because he didn’t have it they called ICE and they took him."

She continued:

"We are alone in this country, [we] have two daughters and we take care of them. Now I'm by myself. I hope you can help us because it's really hard you never know what you can feel until the day that you have to live this [kind] of situation. ... I hope we are not one more family separated or one more number in the statistics."

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Local politicians have now called for an investigation into the unusual arrest, as the restaurant manager at Villavicencio's workplace said that the military base had placed a number of orders from them before - even though they're 90 minutes away from Fort Hamilton.

To many, it appears that the pizza delivery was an elaborate ruse to lure the man away from his wife and family, and to take him while he was most vulnerable.

Whether or not he will be deported remains to be seen.

Judging by the experiences I've had during the short time I've been able to drive, I'd be willing to bet that a solid 20 percent of people on the road do not deserve their licenses. I've seen accidents caused by drivers on their phones, fits of road rage break out over a lack of turn signal or poor execution of a three-point-turn, and - as a pedestrian - I'd bet that I've narrowly avoided death by dangerous driving at least a few times in the last year alone.

Despite the obvious dangers posed by incompetent drivers, though, some people are so determined to get behind the wheel that they'll stop at nothing to get that pass certificate.

Christian Whiteley-Mason, a Care Home Manager from England, has probably put in more effort than most. Over the past quarter of a century, the 42-year-old has made 33 test attempts, got through 14 different instructors, and paid for a total of 85 lessons - and he's only just passed.

"I can't believe I've actually finally passed after all these years," he said. "I'm still in shock!"

Whitely-Mason took his first test way back in 1992 - during which time it was ostensibly easier to pass due to there being no theory section - but quickly entered into a pattern of rapid failure. At first, he blamed it on a particularly harsh test examiner, but, after dozens of lessons and no change in results, he started to realize that his "bad luck" on tests might have actually just been down to a lack of skill.

"I had 56 lessons with my first instructor and eventually he told me to just give up as I would never pass," the Care Home Manager explained.

Eventually, by 2003, he admitted (temporary) defeat and gave up on taking the test.

However, when life started to change for the hapless driver, he came to see that he didn't just want to pass - he needed to.

"I had to either get taxis or rely on other people and it was costing me a fortune. So in January that was it, I just decided I was going to go for it," he said. "Everyone laughed at me and said I'd never do it, I'd get bored again. But I was absolutely determined I was going to show everyone."

Even Whitely-Mason's husband, who has been married to him for 10 years (and presumably doubled up as his taxi driver during that time), said he wouldn't pass. "You're an accident waiting to happen," he joked.

But he proved them all wrong - and he couldn't be happier for it.

"I'm so proud of myself. It's changed my life, to be honest. I felt like I'd achieved everything I really wanted to achieve, this was the one thing left I had to do.

"My motto was always been don't stop believing."

In celebration of his victory and his newfound freedom to roam the roads, the 42-year-old splashed out on a car for himself. But, considering he'd already spent a good £10,000 ($14,250) on tests and lessons over the years, the purchase probably felt like a bargain.

Viewers of the UK version of the TV quiz show The Chase have hit out at the show on social media for an "unfair" question given to a blind contestant.

During his appearance on the hit ITV game show earlier this week, contestant Rob - along with his guide dog, Bobby - told host Bradley Walsh that he sadly lost his sight within a three-day period back when he was 17 years old.

His teammates had already managed to amass a respectable £11,000 ($15,100 USD) in the bank, with Rob then answering five correct questions in the first-round cash builder.

However, rather than sticking with his decent £5,000 ($6,870 USD), Rob decided to accept Chaser Paul Sinha's high offer of £45,000 ($61,800 USD) in the head-to-head.

After losing his sight, Rob revealed how he became a Paralympic athlete and hoped to use some of the prize money to purchase a £5,000 computer that is specially designed to help individuals who live with visual impairment.

Credit: ITV

Despite an impressive run up until this point, Rob's luck changed when he was asked the question: "How many numbers usually appear on a standard UK barcode?"

Not sure, Rob guessed 'nine' - but he was outdone by the Chaser, who correctly answered '13'.

Prior to exiting, Rob told Bradley that he'd had a "great" time on the show and that he had no regrets about going for the higher offer.

Nevertheless, some viewers took to social media to brand the question "unfair".

One person tweeted: "Giving a blind guy a question about a barcode is poor #thechase".

A second added: "Another unfair question for a blind contestant #TheChase how hard is it to adapt them?"

A third Twitter user sarcastically tweeted: "A nice level playing field on #TheChase, let’s ask a blind contestant [how] many numbers there are on a barcode."

"Asking a blind contestant how many numbers are there on a barcode is totally absurd! How on earth would they know," another tweeted.

However, some viewers were quick to defend the show on social media, with one person responding: "You do realize blind people are capable of knowing things without seeing them right?"

Another person added: "I think the questions are random. That would be reverse discrimination if they didn’t let the questions fall where they land. So well done ITV."

Featured image credit: ITV

Dogs, like people, are susceptible to all kinds of disabilities. But you'd hope that the same unconditional love we have for our friends and family who live with disabilities would extend to our beloved pets too.

Unfortunately, this isn't always the case.

In fact, a three-year-old dog is now looking for his forever home because his original owners gave him up after he became blind.

According to PEOPLE, Louis, a gorgeous Lab-Shepherd mix, arrived at Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, California, at the end of December after being given up by his owners.

When Louis developed an eye infection, his former owners decided to have his eyes removed rather than pay to treat it.

Shortly after the procedure, the canine was left at a pound in Calexico as his owners were not able to adjust to caring for a blind dog.

Louis was then brought to Helen Woodward Animal Center, where a medical check-up revealed that he had sustained untreated injuries - potentially as a result of being struck by a vehicle.

"It is incredibly important that people who consider getting a pet know the obligations they take on with these animals," Helen Woodward Animal Center Adoptions Director Hella Tyler said in a statement.

"When people get their pets for free off of Craigslist, they don't seem to realize that pets come with responsibilities and a monthly expense for their caretaking, including medical care," the statement continued.

"In turn, these pets will provide their owners with unparalleled love. They pay it back tenfold. It's just devastating to see an animal treated the way Louis was treated."

Louis is currently living at a foster home, adjusting to life after his loss of sight.

Helen Woodward is still hoping to find a suitable forever family for Louis. Ideally, his new owners would live in a one-story house, and work from home.

Louis is looking for a family who is "prepared to provide patience and special care" as he "learns his way around a new home," according to Helen Woodward.

"Louis is extraordinary," Tyler added. "He really suffered at the hands of his former owners but he shows no malice towards humankind. He is ready to love the perfect family and he certainly deserves one."

A woman from Seattle lost her vision after performing a string of cartwheels with friends.

The woman was just 19 years old when she suffered damage to her eyes after doing 13 cartwheels on the beach. Credit: Colin Roberts / Getty

Deborah Cobb, now 42, was just 19 when the frightening ordeal began during a summer outing in 2002.

Challenging herself for fun, Cobb decided to see how many cartwheels she could do in a row - reaching 13 before collapsing with dizziness.

“I decided to see how many cartwheels I could do in a row just for fun,” she told Newsweek. “So I started doing them and got to 13 and fell over super dizzy. My eyes were kind of spinning so it took a moment to realize that my eyes weren’t focusing.”

At first, she dismissed the disorientation as temporary. But when she looked at her friend’s face and saw only “a giant orange blur,” she knew something was wrong.

“There was no pain, and my peripheral vision was fine, but everything I looked directly at was blocked by an orange blur,” Cobb said. “I was panicking inside, but not outwardly so my friends didn’t think anything of it.”

"I couldn't drive, I couldn't see myself in the mirror... I couldn't even watch TV". Credit: deborahcobb_ihp/Instagram

By the next morning, Cobb’s vision had not returned. She headed to the hospital, where doctors initially suggested she may have “sunburned” her retinas.

But a retinal specialist soon diagnosed her with hemorrhaging in both maculas - a rare and serious condition, particularly in someone so young.

“My central vision was completely gone... I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t read, I couldn’t see myself in the mirror... which meant I couldn’t put on makeup... I couldn’t even watch TV,” Cobb said.

“It was the first time it fully hit me how limited I was and how dependent I was on other people for simple things like reading, which I had completely taken for granted,” she added. “I started sobbing.”

Dr. Rajesh C. Rao, an ophthalmologist who specializes in retinal surgery, explained that the condition is highly uncommon in healthy young people.

“The head being upside down abruptly or repeatedly can also increase pressure in veins in the retina, and some at-risk individuals can be prone to macular hemorrhage,” he told Newsweek.

After three months, Cobb’s vision gradually returned - but not without lasting effects. Even two decades later, she continues to experience light flashes and dark floaters caused by retinal jelly detachment.

“The only option is surgery,” she said. “But surgery almost always causes cataracts, which would only mean another surgery. So I’m okay to just live with it.”

Today, Cobb works as an integrative health practitioner and nervous system regulation coach, and says the experience gave her a renewed perspective on life.

“We so often focus on what’s going wrong in our lives that we miss all of the things that are going right,” she said. “There are so many simple gifts that could be bringing us joy every day, if we just learned to appreciate them. That’s what this experience taught me: never stop being grateful.”

Featured image credit: Colin Roberts / Getty