This Girl Who Died Fulfilling Her Bucket List By Saving a Friend Has Inspired Many

Kiss in the rain. Fly to Spain. Save a life.

Those were the items Rebecca Townsend put on her bucket list for a high school assignment in December 2012.

Over the next two-and-a-half years, the teenager checked off the two items on her list.

One day, the 17-year-old from Connecticut fulfilled the final item by pushing her friend, Benjamin Arne, out of the way of an incoming car.

Unfortunately, it came at a terrible price – her own life.

It’s always a sad thing when a good soul passes away.

This post is about Rebecca Townsend, a 17-year-old student loved by many for being very friendly. She’s also an extraordinary young woman who sacrificed her own life to save a friend from a car accident.

On July 2, she was walking home with Ben Arne near the campus of Western Connecticut State University right after a fireworks show when she noticed a car speeding down their direction. Rebecca bravely pushed her friend away to save him. Sadly, it was her who took the hit very badly and the tragic incident led to her premature death.

During her sophomore years, Rebecca wrote a letter for her future senior self.

During her sophomore years, she wrote a letter for her future senior self. In the letter dated December 2012, she included three things she wanted to accomplish which were;

1. Kiss in the rain
2. Fly to Spain
3. Save a life.

She was able to fulfill all three during her lifetime. She and her boyfriend kissed during a rainy day, she went on a Spanish vacation with her parents, and on July 2, 2015, she was able to save someone’s life.

“Rebecca, above all else, was kind,” wrote her sister on Facebook. “She had experienced bullying and meanness when she was young, and channeled that energy into befriending everyone around her.”

Rebecca is mostly known in school for being the founder of their school’s She’s the First chapter which is an organization that helps provide funding for poor girls who couldn’t afford their education.

She was also an excellent student who was already anticipating her attendance to the Notre Dame University.

Upon hearing about Rebecca’s passing, her friends joined together to start a She’s the First fundraiser under her name. They noted “In Rebecca’s honor, we ask that you tell others about her, pass on acts of kindness and treat everybody around you the way Rebecca would have, and truly live every day with joy and gratitude.”

They have set up a Facebook page called Remembering Rebecca to encourage people to “remember Rebecca by going out and doing something that matters,”

The response to the Facebook group has been overwhelming.

…some paying it forward at Starbucks

…some set up blood drives.

“The best we thing can take out of the story,” Hofstetter said, “and really the most important part of it, is Rebecca was full of love, and we have so many opportunities to show this love.”

This is really a sad story but it’s amazing to see how Rebecca’s example has inspired more people to be good.

Go check out She’s the First and GoFundMe sites if you want to help out. You may also follow the Remembering Rebecca fanpage along with an Instagram account dedicated to her memory.

Let’s all spread the word about this precious young woman.

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