A few days ago, our family experienced one of the scariest nights of our lives when my brother, Matt, became separated from my cousin, Nick, on Eagle Rock Loop and spent the night alone in the Ouachita Mountains. That night, as his photo was being shared thousands of times on social media and across the news, Ashley Smith of Langley had a feeling that she needed to go look for him. She called into work the next morning, grabbed her dog, Buckey, and headed into the Winding Stairs area from Musgrove Hole. Ashley knows the area well and has plenty of hiking experience, but she had never met Matt or any of us. She simply knew someone was missing, trusted her instincts, and went to help. Ashley and Buckey found Matt safe at Winding Stairs and brought him back out to us.

There really aren’t words to describe what it’s like to spend a night wondering where someone you love is, nor are there words to describe the feeling when you hear that a kind stranger and her dog found him and he is okay. Ashley gave our family the news we had spent all night praying for, and we will never be able to fully repay her for that. What we can do is try to show up for her the way she showed up for us. Ashley has some upgrades and repairs that need to be made to her home, including a new deck and some roof work. Our family is giving the first $500 toward the cost of materials, labor and whatever else is needed to get it done.

Ashley didn’t go looking for recognition, and she didn’t expect - or ask - for anything in return. She saw someone in need, and she acted. We witnessed firsthand how quickly strangers can become people you will remember for the rest of your life, and Ashley and Buckey are now part of our family’s story forever. If you would like to help us give something back to the woman and dog who gave us our son, brother, cousin and friend back, every donation will go toward making these repairs happen.