We’ve brought you a few chapters (here, here, and here) in the story of Addie Killam, the college student soon to be returning home to West Seattle to continue her rehabilitation after a bizarre surfing injury left her with a physical disability. The outpouring of help brings this message from Carrie Rasmussen, who e-mailed it to people including us, and gave us permission to share it here:

*As many of you know a few months ago we had a good family friend who is only 20 years old become paralyzed in a spring break surfing accident. At this point her prognosis is permanent paralysis from the ribs down. If there were ever a young woman that I would want my daughter to aspire to be like it would be our friend Addie. She posses many amazing qualities; kindness, dedication and through this all has maintained a positive attitude that God has a different plan in mind for her.

Over the past few weekends there have been several people; family friends, schoolmates from Our Lady of Guadalupe and Holy Names Academy, fellow Girl Scouts, her brothers friends from Boy Scouts, her parents co-workers etc. who have been working on a home in West Seattle, getting it wheel chair accessible for when she comes home. It is inspiration enough to see all these people who know and love her and her family working countless hours to get things ready.

We as well have spent some time over the past few weekends helping out and Hanna sold lemonade for donations to put into Addie’s account. There have been so many people it is hard to know who is who and how they are connected. This past weekend I saw a gentleman who, when he wasn’t helping build the back deck, was taking some pictures. I had seen him there the previous weekends working but not known who he was, but then again, there were several people I didn’t know. I asked him if he would mind emailing them (the pictures) to me so I could add them to the work party blog (http://addiespeeps.blogspot.com) I am maintaining.

As I was getting ready to update the blog I referenced back to one of the original postings done on Addie and her story on the West Seattle Blog. I noticed that there were new comments and had seen aside from emailing me the pictures the gentleman, whom I now know as “Steve”, had posted a link with the photos to his personal blog.

I realize my story is getting long but bear with me because here is the really inspiring part. I went to Steve’s personal blog and read that he *did not know* our friend Addie, he had *never* met her or her family. He had simply seen her story on the WS Blog and he along with several other friends (6 adults and 1 baby) from his church group decided to spend their Memorial Day weekend at her home pitching in. They then came back this past weekend (with 2 new volunteers) and with the help of some donations from their church, planted a beautiful garden outside of Addie’s new bedroom window so she will always have something beautiful to look at. Amazing!

I must say when I discovered that total strangers rallied together and have spent not just one, but multiple weekends to help someone they do not know and are not connected to is some way, I was inspired. How incredibly full their hearts must feel to purposely make time for others………they do not know……….just because. How cool is that!

That group has given me a gift, one that I hope I can pass along. We all have been given the same amount of time in a day, how you spend it is what matters. That group of people will be my inspiration to seek out doing good for others, just because.