HICKORY, N.C. (WXII) – A good Samaritan returned to his hometown of Boone, North Carolina, to help with the cleanup from Helene.
What he found within the mud and debris ended up being valuable and irreplaceable for one family.
The saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” but no words can describe the moment Brittany Wilson met the good Samaritan that found her family’s photo album filled with childhood memories.
“Sadness, but happiness,” Wilson remarked. “I see my family. There’s my mom and my cousins and everything, you know, my great-grandma. I miss her dearly. I was 19 when I lost her, but I do thank you.”
Shawn Vestey went up to his hometown a week ago to help with the cleanup from Helene only to find so much more within the mud and debris.
“It was kind of devastating because I didn’t know if it was the people we were right beside because there was a house right beside it, or I didn’t know if it was upstream,” Vestey said. “My first thought was I need to post this and find the owner because I knew somebody would probably want these photos back.”
Vestey then posted the missing photo album on Facebook, and within hours, he received a response.
“I’m just scrolling through Facebook and I had to stop for a minute because my heart sank,” Wilson said. “I seen my great-grandmother in one and I’m like, ‘There’s no way.’”
Wilson and Vestey met for the first time in Hickory to reflect on the photo album that swept through the waters of Helene.
The pages and crinkled pictures now add a whole new perspective.
“My aunt and uncle lost their whole shop, and it even went into their home and flooded their home, too,” Wilson added. “Obviously, they still can’t even find their shed that just completely washed away.”
The unexpected reunion served as a reminder that even in the midst of devastation, there are still moments to be grateful.
“It warmed my heart knowing that a complete stranger, that all he had to do was to throw them away. I mean, he had no connection to my family’s photos, could just post that and take the time out to do that, so I really do appreciate that,” Wilson said.
The story does not stop there.
Wilson says another stranger found even more photos of her family after the storm. She plans to connect with that good Samaritan soon to retrieve those.
“It gives you kind of hope and purpose in a way, which is nice,” Vestey said.
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