More than two years ago, teenage girl Rebecca Townsend wrote these on her "bucket list" as part of her sophomore high school assignment: "Kiss in the rain. Fly to Spain. Save a life (not really scary though)."
During the past years, Rebecca was able to travel to Spain with her family. She also met her boyfriend, Niko, whom she kissed in the rain.
On July 2, the girl from Connecticut fulfilled the final item on her list—but at the cost of her own life.
Rebecca died after being hit by a car near the campus of Western Connecticut State University when she pushed her friend, Ben Arne, out of harm's way.
Ben suffered serious injuries from the accident. When he was released from the hospital, Ben immediately visited Rebecca's family, and shared to them the girl's heroic act.
"He [Ben] said, 'The last thing I remember is Rebecca pushing me and telling me to hurry up,' " Rebecca's sister, Victoria, said.
After Rebecca's death, Victoria and some other relatives were reminiscing their moments with her when they saw her bucket lying on her bed "as if laid out." The note had the heading "For Future Rebecca Townsend."
It was then that the family members realised that Rebecca was able to fulfill her bucket list.
"Apparently, this was a high school assignment that was returned to the kids at the end of their senior year so that the students could remember who they were at the beginning of their high school days," Rebecca's sisters, Monica and Victoria, said during their eulogy.
"It was a little sign that she was okay," Victoria added.
Now, Rebecca's loved ones have set up a Facebook page and Instagram account called "Remembering Rebecca." Through these social media accounts, they are encouraging others to share an act of kindness in Rebecca's memory.
"Whether paying a meal, volunteering time, or donating to a cause, we all have the opportunity to pay it forward every day, just as Rebecca strived to do," the social media accounts stated.
