Beverly just returned from her first two-day trip to her previous hometown of Fremont, CA. Most of you know her disappointment when she realized, following her accident, that she wouldn't be able to travel to her grandson's high school graduation. She had been looking forward to celebrating this day with him for years and had always promised him she'd be there. As she began to get stronger and her courage began returning, her three sisters and her physical therapist began convincing her she could do anything she set her mind to do. So Thursday morning early Leonard dropped Beverly and Chris off at the Tulsa airport to begin a whirlwind trip to Christopher's graduation ceremony in California. The people at Southwest Airlines (especially Roosevelt) made Beverly and Chris feel comfortable with the ordeal of getting her transferred onto the plane and taking good care of her power wheel chair as they placed it in the baggage compartment. Janie arranged for flights that would not require a change of planes and it just so happened both flights had a stop in Phoenix - so Janie joined Beverly and Chris! We also found a handicap van to rent much like Beverly's van. The van is actually THE important component that made the trip possible. Beverly's son, Ken picked up the van, met us at the airport and delivered us to a wonderful suite hotel he found near his home.
Beverly spent Thursday afternoon and evening visiting with Ken, Nelly, Christopher and Samantha. Also her many friends and co-workers in Fremont found out she was coming, dropped by to visit and brought more food and drinks than we could possibly consume. Then on Friday more friends and some returning ones visited until time to leave for the graduation ceremony. Beverly was shocked and thrilled that so many people wanted to see her and give her their love and good wishes.
Christopher's actual graduation ceremony seems to pass quickly and Beverly was the proud, tearful Grandma. It was touching to see how much love and respect Christopher has for his grandmother.
In order to make the early flight Saturday morning, the alarm was set for 3am! Again, Southwest Airlines took good care of Beverly and she even slept some on the return trip.
The really amazing thing is that SHE DID IT! And it wasn't really that difficult! It wouldn't have happened without Chris managing all the details of traveling, Pauletta taking care of the airline tickets, and Janie finding the handicap-accessible van.
You must ask HER what she thought of the trip and find out where she'll want to travel to NEXT!
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