On September 19, "Crumbs of Comfort" told about Ashley Aldridge, a 19-year-old mother of two from Auburn, Illinois, who saved an elderly man when his wheelchair became stuck on a railroad track as a train approached at 81 miles per hour. Two motorists drove across the tracks as he yelled for help, but neither stopped. So she ran past the lowered crossing gate and pulled him to safety two seconds before the train hit his empty wheelchair. One week later, Sen. Dick Durban (D-IL) honored her on the floor of the U.S. Senate. To refresh your memory, watch his presentation here.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqqABTBpUA0&feature=youtu.be
Since then, we've learned more about the teenage mother. She lives in a mobile home near the noisy tracks. With two toddlers, she's a stay-at-home mom. Her husband works at a local pizza restaurant, but his hours were cut to three days a week. "We've been struggling pretty much since we moved here," she said. Before the rescue, someone broke into their home and stole money meant for bills. "We try to stay positive about it," she said. "We don't want to stress out in front of the kids." Ashley never expected anyone to notice her heroic deed, and was surprised when the Country Market in nearby Chatham offered her a free three-minute shopping spree. An employee pushed her cart as she sprinted from aisle to aisle.
"I got mostly meat," she said. "That was the first thing I went for. Now I can actually feed my kids some real meals instead of macaroni and cheese and ramen noodles." She gathered $187 worth of groceries in three minutes, and the market threw in an additional $50 gift card.
If you'd like to honor Ashley with a modest gift, visit
www.gofundme.com/ashleyaldridge
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