* From GoFundMe…

Ashley Aldridge is a young 19 year old mom who was cleaning up lunch after feeding her children and heard someone yelling for help. She saw a man whose wheelchair was stuck in the railroad tracks. She ran next door and asked her neighbor to watch her kids when she heard the clanging of the gate warning of an approaching train.

Running over she tried to lift the Hoverround out of the tracks and looking to the side she saw the train approaching. She rushed to the front and with her 130 pound frame she lifted the 200 pound man, his body clearing the wheelchair just as the 80 mph Amtrak demolished the chair.

When interviewed Ashley has insisted that she is just happy he’s alive and that she doesn’t have to live with wondering “what if”, what she neglects to say is that her house was broken into just weeks before with her bill money and savings being taken, she neglects to say that she and her young husband struggle as he works a roofing job with varied hours. This site is to give people a chance to give back to someone whose story and courage has so blessed a community and even a nation.

Click here to donate.

*** UPDATE *** SJ-R…

The story of Ashley Aldridge’s heroic efforts to save a man’s life in Auburn last week was told on the floor of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, recounted the story during a three-minute speech during which Aldridge’s photograph stood on an easel behind him.

“In a world in which we often hear the message we should only be concerned about ourselves and our own families, Ashley is an inspiration,” Durbin said. “Without a moment’s hesitation, this brave young mom risked her own life to save the life of a man she never met.”

Video of Sen. Durbin’s speech is here.

Donations have surged since I posted this earlier today, so click here if you haven’t yet.

* Related…

* Teen Saves 75 Year-Old Man Caught on Railroad Tracks: “I thought the train hit his feet. It was that close” said Aldridge.

* Auburn woman risks life to save man stuck on train tracks

* Brave Teen Saves Man Whose Wheelchair Was Stuck In Train Tracks

* Young Woman Saves Man Stuck On Railroad Tracks