An Internet campaign has come to the [rescued / rescue] of an 80-year-old man in the USA who was [reduced / reducing] to selling firewood on the roadside to pay for his wife's medical [billing / bills] . Octogenarian Kenneth Smith spent [hours / hour] a day selling kindling for $5 a bag. He started last year and was then helped by his wife [of / at] over 30 years, Helen, who was dying of lung cancer. Tragically, she [lost / loses] her battle in October and Mr Smith was left with crippling hospital [fee / fees] , which wiped [out / in] his life savings. A local woman, Jessica Pittman, saw Mr Smith and posted a Facebook message [urging / urgently] people to help him. Her post has been shared over 9,000 times and [motorists / motors] have stopped their car to give Mr Smith some cash.
Ms Pittman's kind [deed / indeed] encouraged Mr Smith's son to go a [step / stair] further and set up an online appeal. He created a page at the website GoFundMe and donations soon came [floods / flooding] in from all [corners / edges] of the Earth. The online campaign [risen / raised] $20,000 in three days. Ms Pittman told the BBC that she had "no clue" her actions would prompt such [generous / generosity] . She said: "Although it will not [lessen / least] the heartache of losing his wife, I am thankful it will at least take a little worry off of his [saucer / plate] and help him make ends [meet / agree] ." Mr Smith said he has been "overwhelmed" with the response. He added that even though his wife wasn't by his side, he still feels her [presents / presence] , "because she's looking down on me," he said.
