A 17-Year-Old Connecticut Teen Is Inspiring Acts Of Kindness After Her Death Earlier This Month.

15 Jul, 2015 by Greg Campbell

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With her last act on this Earth, Rebecca Townsend completed her bucket list by saving her friend’s life. It’s a truly heartbreaking, but inspirational, story:

On July 2, 2015, Rebecca Townsend attended a fireworks show in Danbury, Conn. with her friend, Ben Arne. As the two were walking back, a vehicle struck them. According to BuzzFeed News, Ben told the family that he remembered Rebecca pushing him out of the way just before the impact. Ben was hospitalized; Rebecca was killed.

The accident is still being investigated, but authorities told NewsTimes the crash involved a 23-year-old Brookfield, Conn. driver.

After Rebecca’s death, the family said they were reminiscing in her bedroom when they discovered a bucket list. The list was assigned to Rebecca — who was slated to attend the University of Notre Dame this fall — during her sophomore year at Immaculate High School in Danbury, Conn. It was returned to her after graduation.

The family shared it on Facebook:

Rebecca’s sister, Victoria Townsend, told BuzzFeed News that they traveled to Spain together as a family and that Rebecca kissed her boyfriend in the rain.

But it was not until they found the note — all laid out for them on her bed — that they realized she had fulfilled her last wish.

“It was a little sign that she was OK,” Victoria told BuzzFeed News.

The Townsend family has since created a Facebook page called “Remembering Rebecca” to honor the teen and encourage others to emulate her compassion by paying it forward — “whether paying for a meal, volunteering time or donating to a cause.“

This story is just so sad, but there is a lesson here: life is finite and we don’t always know when it will end. Use this time on Earth to be kind and never take a moment for granted.