17-year-old Rebecca Townsend, of Brookfield, Connecticut, had a bucket list… even at her young age. And it was a short one: 1. Go to Spain; 2. Kiss in the rain; and 3. Save a life.
Those first two sound easy enough… she was young and looking at a long life ahead of her. But that last one… things like that don’t come along to everyone. As a matter of fact, she was able to go to Spain and kiss in the rain before she graduated from high school.
During her time in high school, her parents took her on a great trip to Spain, where she met her boyfriend, Niko, and she kissed him in the rain.
Then, she found herself preparing to head to college. But first, she attended a pre-Fourth of July fireworks show. When it was over, she was crossing the street with a friend when a car came barreling at them, and that’s when that third item on Rebecca’s bucket list was accomplished.
She quickly pushed her friend out of the way, surely saving a life. But, in doing so, the car hit Rebecca instead, and she died soon after.
The young girl’s friends and family were not surprised by her completely selfless act. Rebecca’s cousin wrote about the incident on Facebook, saying her cousin was vibrant and happy. And then she reminded everyone to: “Hug the person you don’t always hug, and then do it again. And then say “I love you” to the person you don’t usually tell, and then say it again. Because we are many, many days over 17, and each day we get a chance to say “I love you” to the ones we love is a blessing.”
