A SC woman lost a ring made in memory of her young son. Then a stranger drove 3.5 hours to help
The ring was one of the few things Ashley Henry still had of her son, Aiden.
In it was a lock of hair that belonged to the 6-year-old West Columbia boy, who died in August.
“It was extremely, extremely important to me,” Henry said.
Then suddenly, it was lost at Lake Murray.
A few days later though it was found — and by a complete stranger who drove 3.5 hours to the lake solely to help Henry in her time of need.
“He did not want anything for himself,” Henry said. “It shows what a good heart he has.”
Henry was visiting the lake a couple of weeks ago partially in memory of her son. She hadn’t been there since his death. It was a place he loved to visit.
Aiden’s spinal cord was injured in a car crash when he was 2 years old, paralyzing him from the neck down. And though that limited him in many ways, it didn’t limit his love for life, Henry said.
“He loved going to the lake and the beach also,” she said. “He was happy as can be … he loved Disney … loved his Disney movies.”
After Aiden’s sudden death, Henry had the ring made. However, it was made a little too big for her fingers, so she soon started wearing it with a locket around her neck.
“I was at the picnic table and took the necklace off to swim and anytime I take that necklace off, I usually remember to clasp it,” Henry said. “But with it being my first time I went to the lake since I lost my son, I must have forgotten to clasp it.”
And so, when her husband later retrieved the necklace, the ring slid off and fell by the lake.
It was a few days later before Henry realized the ring was gone. She immediately realized it was probably still by the lake and returned to search for it. But despite her best efforts, it was nowhere to be found..
Henry then posted her story about the precious ring on several Facebook group pages, hoping desperately that someone had seen it or might find it in the future.
One of the people who saw her plea for help was Zachary Allen, a North Carolina resident who Henry didn’t know and had never spoken to before.
“He said he did metal detecting and said he’d go look for the ring,” Henry said.
Allen then drove 3.5 hours just to look for a tiny ring for a woman he’d never met.
And he found it.
It was under the picnic table, a little dirty, but still in good condition.
“He sent me a picture of the ring and I said, ‘yes, that’s it,’” Henry said. “I freaked out.”
The two quickly scheduled a meet up at the Walmart in West Columbia so Henry could get the ring.
“I just kept thanking him and talking to him — I was just so happy and relieved,” she said.
And it was through talking that Henry learned about Allen; that not only was he a Good Samaritan, he was helping her while fighting his own battle with cancer.
“That just added to my shock,” Henry said. “He’s on disability.”
To do something for Allen, Henry has since created a GoFundMe to help raise money for him and his care. To date, the GoFundMe has raised more than $500.
“I hope and pray he gets many more donations,” she said. “He’s not very open about what he needs.”
Henry said she hopes Allen knows how thankful she truly is and that the ring is more precious to her than ever.
“I’ve been wearing it ever since and have not taken it off,” Henry said with a laugh.
To donate to the GoFundMe for Zachary Allen, click here.
