LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In the midst of one of Louisville’s worst winter storms, came an inspiring story of community heroes rising to the occasion to help a family in need.
The heartwarming story will soon be the focus of a film releasing on Feb. 23.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Above video originally aired on Sept. 26, 2023
In January of 1994, Louisville was buried in more than a foot of snow. Major roadways shut down for days and the only way to get through the city was by trudging through the thick snow.
Michelle Schmidt’s family spent two years waiting for the 3-year-old to receive a liver transplant. And in the middle of that paralyzing winter storm, they finally got the call.
The young girl's grandmother, Barbara Schmidt, told then-WHAS11 reporter Bill Menish she was ecstatic when they got the call that a donor had finally been found.
“And then I said, how are we going to get there?” Schmidt said.
WATCH THE ORIGINAL 1994 REPORT:
Nearly 16 inches of snow stood between the young girl and the donor’s liver in Omaha, Nebraska.
Teresa Amshoff heard about the family’s predicament and called the WHAS Radio asking why a helicopter couldn’t land in a nearby parking lot.
“They said it would have to be plowed, and I said, ‘that would be no problem, I could get a whole street-load of people to come and help plow,’” Amshoff said in 1994.
In total, more than 200 neighbors, shovels in hand, dug out Southeast Christian Church’s parking lot to create a makeshift landing pad for the helicopter to land and take Michelle to the hospital.
It was one of the most heartwarming stories to come out of the infamous winter storm of 1994 and will be the focus of an upcoming film, “Ordinary Angels”, set to release on Feb. 23, 2024.
Check out the trailer for the film, starring Allen Ritchson, Hilary Swank and Amy Acker, below!
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