Hilary Swank’s New Faith-Based Movie, ‘Ordinary Angels’, Tells A True Kentucky Story

‘Ordinary Angels’ is the real-life story of a woman from Louisville who helped a little girl get a life-saving liver transplant in the middle of a snowstorm.

Hilary Swank’s new movie is a rare thing in Hollywood: a faith-based film inspired by true events.

Ordinary Angels is based on the real-life story of a woman from Louisville, Kentucky, who helped a little girl get a life-saving liver transplant in the middle of a historic snowstorm in January 1994.

What Is The Real Story Behind Ordinary Angels?

The two-time Oscar winner plays Sharon Stevens, a hairdresser with an alcohol problem, who reads about a family in dire need in the local newspaper. After learning about 5-year-old Michelle Schmitt, whose mother has just died and who now needs a liver transplant, Sharon believes that it is her destiny to raise money for the transplant and to help the girl's father, Ed.

According to Courier Journal, Sharon successfully raised enough money for a private plane to fly Michelle to a children’s hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, where she would receive a new liver when one became available.

The day the phone call finally came for Michelle, however, Louisville was buried under nearly two feet of snow. A storm for the record books. With roads to the airport blocked and time running out, Sharon scrambled to arrange for a helicopter to fly the family to the airport. At the same time she rallied the community to shovel a church parking lot so it could land.

Thanks to Sharon and her neighbors, Michelle was flown successfully to Omaha where she received the life-saving transplant.

What Attracted Hilary Swank To The Movie?

“We need this type of movie right now,” Swank told Forbes, adding that she also had a personal reason for joining the cast.

“For me, my dad had just passed and he was a lung transplant recipient. He’s one of my favorite people and I felt like this was just like a gift from him,” she shared. “I felt like it was sent to me because it deals with organ transplants and how organ transplants save lives—but also, my dad was a Christian and he was all about serving others. He was well-liked by every single person he met. He’s just a great reminder of how to walk in the world, and Sharon reminded me of that.”

Where Can I Watch Ordinary Angels?

Ordinary Angels was directed by Jon Gunn, who is known for his work on previous faith-based films like Jesus Revolution, American Underdog, and I Still Believe.

Ordinary Angels is in theaters now.

For more Southern Living news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Southern Living.