Culver City Neighbors' Unlikely Friendship Inspires $75,000 Fundraiser

CULVER CITY, CA — What began as one Culver City apartment resident's frustration with her noisy upstairs neighbor has turned into an unlikely friendship and a fundraiser that had collected nearly $75,000 as of Thursday to help an 85-year-old woman living with Parkinson's disease.

Heidi Widmer initially thought her upstairs neighbor, Carole, was simply being inconsiderate, writing on a GoFundMe page that some days it sounded as though someone was bowling above her.

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Then Widmer saw her neighbor.

"An incredibly frail, 85-year-old woman shakily making her way down the stairs, struggling just to take out her recycling," Widmer wrote. "Her name is Carole. And suddenly, every noise I'd been complaining about sounded completely different."

Widmer learned that Carole lived alone with Parkinson's disease and that the sounds she had found so frustrating were those of an elderly woman trying to navigate her home and maintain her independence.

"So instead of complaining about the noise, I started listening," Widmer wrote.

She said she began taking out Carole's trash twice a week, cooking a meal for her once a week and spending time with her.

"And somewhere between trash bags, meals, & conversations, the 85- year-old woman upstairs stopped being `my loud neighbor,"' Widmer wrote. "She became Carole."

Widmer later shared their story online, where she said it was viewed by millions of people within days. Thousands of strangers responded by asking how they could help Carole, according to the fundraiser.

Widmer subsequently created the GoFundMe campaign, titled "Help Carole Live With Comfort & Dignity at 85," to assist with needs that she said are not fully covered by Carole's Social Security and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and Medicaid coverage.

The fundraiser had collected nearly $75,000 as of Wednesday afternoon, according to GoFundMe.

Widmer said people who learned about Carole offered groceries, meals, apartment cleaning, visits, financial help and other assistance.

"Maybe the woman upstairs didn't need me to complain less ... maybe she just needed someone downstairs to look up," Widmer wrote.

The fundraiser can be found on GoFundMe.

City News Service