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CULVER CITY, Calif. () — What began as frustration over a noisy upstairs neighbor has turned into a viral story of friendship and kindness between a Culver City woman and her 86-year-old neighbor with Parkinson’s disease.
Just last month, Heidi Widmer packed up her life in Buffalo and moved to Los Angeles after a divorce, looking for a fresh start. The middle school teacher and budding influencer said her first night in her new home was difficult after hearing strange sounds from the apartment above her.
“This poor lady can barely get down the stairs, and I’m wondering what the bowling ball sound is. That’s her walker,” Widmer said through tears in a social media video.
“My first night was a little rough. There was a loud neighbor, noisy neighbor above. And having no sleep and having driven across the country with my dog for seven days, I was stressed, and I just remember filming. I didn’t send it to anybody, but filming my ceiling and the bowling sounds that were coming from it,” Widmer told Eyewitness News.
Weeks later, Widmer met the source of the noise when her upstairs neighbor, Carole, dropped her recyclables right outside Widmer’s apartment.
“And it spilled everywhere because of how bad she was shaking. So obviously, I got up and was like, ‘I got it, it’s OK,'” Widmer said in a social media video.
Widmer soon learned Carole had Parkinson’s disease and had been living alone for years, too proud to ask for help.
“Hey, Carole, you got family?” Widmer asked in an interaction filmed in one of her social media posts.
“No,” Carole replied.
“You got no family here?” Widmer asked again.
“No… I’ve been alone for years now,” Carole said.
Carole is British and came to the U.S. in the 1960s, when she worked as an au pair for families in California and around the country.
Widmer said Carole’s living situation has been difficult.
“Her quality of life her quality of life is, it’s rough. It’s rough… and I asked her two days ago, I said, ‘My girl, what would have happened if I didn’t find you?’ And she just looked at me straight in the eye and said, ‘I would’ve struggled until somebody did,'” Widmer said.
Widmer began helping Carole with cooking, cleaning, medical benefits and lawyers. She also said the landlord has stepped in to help.
“He’s also getting her an AC unit, he’s replacing the carpet, putting a screen door in, and even a stove,” Widmer said in a social media update.
Widmer’s social media posts about Carole have received nearly 30 million views. Letters have also been sent to Carole from around the world.
“Hawaii, oh my goodness, I didn’t even notice that one. Columbus, Ohio; Hartford, Connecticut,” Widmer said, filing through a stack of letters.
A GoFundMe page has raised more than $50,000 for Carole.
Carole did not want to appear on camera, but agreed to speak to Eyewitness News by phone.
“Heidi has come into my life, and I am deeply grateful,” she said.
Carole described Widmer as family.
“She’s actually my granddaughter,” Carole said.
“Yeah, I’m her granddaughter,” Widmer replied with a laugh.
“She calls me grandmother, so I bet she’s my granddaughter,” Carole said.
When asked what she wanted to tell Widmer, Carole said, “Yes, Heidi, I’m deeply grateful for all you have done for me, and I love you dearly.”
“Oh, my girl. I love you. I would do it again in a heartbeat, grandmama,” Widmer replied.
Widmer said the friendship has changed her life, too.
“She’s given me purpose. She’s given me purpose,” Widmer said. “I thrive off of helping other people, and someone like Carol, the most selfless of women — do you know how often she thanks me? It’s almost every other sentence. I’m like, ‘Carol, we are friends now. Stop thanking me. If I need something, I’ll come see you.’ So yeah, she’s definitely saved me. I wouldn’t say that I’ve saved her. I’m just helping her out, but yeah, she’s definitely saved me.”
Widmer, an eighth-grade teacher, said she has not yet spoken to her students about the experience, but said it is only a matter of time before she does. Her story has also led to her being recognized on the street as her social media following has grown to over 200,000 followers on Instagram.
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