The 96-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran says she is ‘humbled by the sweetness and greatness” of the nation
A retired Navy nurse took her 95-year-old mom, a U.S. Air Force veteran recognized with dementia, on a 26,000-mile journey throughout the United States. Together, they handed by way of 70 cities in 20 states, gathering tales and experiences like none they’d had earlier than.
Teresa Lee McFarland of Lone Pine, California, is 63 years outdated. She retired as a Navy Nurse Corps Commander and household nurse practitioner in 2020 to take care of her mom, Norma Lee Lamascus, full time. Norma, who celebrated her 96th birthday on the tour, was as soon as a registered nurse and served two years with the U.S. Air Force between 1952 and 1954.
The mom-daughter pair have since returned dwelling from their over 10-month-long trailer tour of a lifetime and are planning to journey once more, beginning in July. The better part, in spite of everything this touring, is that Norma’s dementia scores have improved.
“[I feel] humbled by the beauty and greatness of our big country,” she advised The Epoch Times. “I learned that life is wonderful, and that I can still enjoy God’s great outdoors at my age! Life is for living. Every moment can be a wonderful adventure if you look for it.”
Teresa added: “I learned that, with God’s help, there isn’t really anything we can’t do. I also learned that most strangers are kind and generous.”
‘I Want to See the People I love Before I Die’
Norma moved in with Teresa in March 2018 when she may now not afford to sustain her dwelling in Oceanside, California, and wanted assist with chores. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and life grew even more durable.
“The forced isolation and travel restrictions shut down her social life,” Teresa stated. “She couldn’t go to visit her dearest friends living near her former home, and five of her new friends died. Needless to say, she became despondent with grief.”
Norma advised her daughter, “I want to see the people I love before I die!”
Teresa was decided to make it occur.
In October 2020, she purchased a 2011 2WD Toyota Tacoma and 17-foot 1985 Aljo Aly pull trailer to repair up. Teresa oversaw the modifications herself, elevating the seats 3 inches for accessibility, including hand grips, a brand new heater and window, and updating the decor. By March 2021, the revamped trailer, nicknamed “Blessing,” boasted a totally practical kitchen, lavatory with bathe, sleeping areas, and a brand-new look.
“I did everything but the heater myself,” she stated.
With Norma absolutely on board, Teresa plotted a route utilizing paper maps and an outdated U.S. Road Atlas to incorporate visits to outdated mates, household, and even DNA relations whom Norma had found by way of DNA testing however by no means met. The pair chronicled their epic journey on a devoted Facebook web page, Norma’s 95: Big Adventure.
With a desire for quiet rural spots and pure magnificence, Teresa made reservations at campgrounds forward of every pit cease. She discovered navy base campgrounds particularly welcoming, and says life on the highway was each “fun and challenging.”
“I did all of the trip planning, packing, shopping, cooking, laundry, driving and towing, set-up and take down for the trailer,” Teresa stated. “My purpose was to drive lower than 5 hours every day, cease earlier than darkish, and keep at the very least two days at every cease. At this tempo, we may each benefit from the journey all alongside the best way.
“We remained flexible and didn’t plan ahead too much so we could accommodate unexpected mishaps, like a flat tire, and take advantage of any surprise opportunities that showed up: the public art murals, sculptures, mosaic-tiled automobiles, riverside walking paths, swimming pools, community concerts, spontaneous dancing in the grass, and the amazing beauty of God’s creation.”
Making Memories
In over 10 months, with 4 oil adjustments and 4 new tires alongside the best way, Teresa and her mom visited 20 U.S. states: California, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
In their dwelling state of California, Norma visited her childhood finest good friend since Kindergarten at Scotts Valley. In St. Louis, Missouri, the pair visited Teresa’s sister; Norma met her newest great-grandson for the primary time in Crystal City.
Colorado heralded a nostalgic assembly.
“Norma enjoyed seeing three of her nursing classmates from 1946,” stated Teresa, “and we went to Presbyterian Saint Luke’s Hospital to see if there was any interest in Norma, a 1946 graduate of the Denver Saint Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing; they gave Norma a wonderful book filled with photos and detailed history of the hospital.”
In her hometown of Lewellen, Nebraska, Norma reunited with household and outdated mates and met her first DNA relative, a 94-year-old third cousin, for the very first time.
As the tour progressed, they stored including new reminiscences to their e-book of life.
The pair additionally made ample time for day journeys, together with Noah’s Ark in Williamstown, the Minneapolis Zoo, the place Norma fulfilled a lifelong want to trip a camel, and Sheboygan’s 400-foot-tall American flag.
They spent the vacations in Lake Havasu City, having fun with London Bridge, strolling within the cactus backyard, and taking the ferry to Christmas dinner on the on line casino. “The Arizona sunsets still warm our memories,” stated Teresa.
Norma celebrated her 96th birthday in Meridian, Idaho. And in Cascade, 15 relations spanning in age from 7 to 96 hosted “Camp Grandma” for the nonagenarian birthday lady.
The Conscientious Daughter
Teresa first seen warning indicators of dementia in her mom in November 2019.
Norma had hassle problem-solving, didn’t use logical reasoning, and was forgetting extra regularly; she had problem following instructions of greater than two steps, repeated questions already answered, and stated the identical issues over and over. Less energetic bodily, her social life declined.
Unable to drop to a part-time schedule, Teresa retired to turn into her mom’s full-time caretaker. Ironically, she believes Norma herself might need invented the “assisted living” mannequin we all know right this moment throughout her profession as a nurse. Teresa stated: “In 1968, [my mother] bought a too-large house to provide a home like ‘board and care’ to elderly men and women who needed help with their medication, laundry, and meals. Otherwise they were independent and on their own. The health and fire inspectors weren’t sure what to do with her, as this type of care was otherwise unheard of.”
Well-versed in Norma’s wants by the point the trailer was prepared, Teresa made positive their journey was accessible. Norma makes use of a four-wheeled rolling walker for stability, rapidly runs out of steam because of coronary heart failure and COPD, and can’t stand with out help for various seconds.
It was Norma’s job to examine each new campground for satisfactory lavatory services, stated Teresa, whereas she arrange the trailer for every keep. The considerate daughter carried three moveable suction seize bars, a bathe stool, and a hand-held bathe spray with wrenches, simply in case they wanted them.
But throughout their travels, Teresa seen that even Norma’s transport chair was too flimsy to deal with the uneven trails and river walks they hoped to discover. She discovered a $4,000 all-terrain chair from France on-line, however was reluctant to commit with out attempting it first. Then she got here throughout an advocacy group that gives operating pushchairs for disabled athletes.
“This contact led me to Mike DiDonato of Southbridge Tool and Manufacturing in Massachusetts,” stated Teresa. “He offered to let us borrow a blade running chair with trail wheels for as long as we needed it, all we had to pay was the shipping costs.”
Teresa believes that when one is confronted with issues or challenges, it’s essential to be curious and to ask others for concepts and no matter assist they will provide, and “be persistent to find a solution.”
Help was by no means far-off. When Norma contracted a painful ear an infection in Minnesota, they visited a neighborhood urgent-care facility with a prescription merchandising machine within the ready room, getting the antibiotics they wanted within the center of the evening. The Traveling Veterans Program taken care of Norma all through her restoration.
Even the trailer suffered a number of well being points because the journey went on, however Teresa saved the day. She recalled: “Once the weather started to get colder in Tennessee, some of the trailer’s old pipes became frozen. I solved this issue by placing small portable heaters inside the bathroom cabinet.”
After 10 months on the highway with now-96-year-old Norma, Teresa feels proud of her mom for her enduring adventurous spirit, proud of herself for making the journey occur, regardless of obstacles, and grateful that they ignored the naysayers.
“I learned that enjoying the present is an incredible gift to myself and those around me,” Teresa mirrored.
Concerned about her mom’s reminiscence and psychological well being, Teresa just lately received Norma’s thorough neuro-cognitive evaluation carried out. The outcomes have been stunning. “Her score had actually improved from January 2021,” Teresa stated. “I am convinced that the mental stimulation, social experiences, and travel to new places actually improved her mental function!”
Teresa, who’s a member of the VA Caregiver Support Network, implores different caregivers to search out help from individuals who perceive and empathize. The “frank, funny, steady, reliable” mates in her digital help group have made caregiving potential for Teresa, and thriving potential for Norma at 96.
“I encourage everyone to experience an adventure every day. This is important for young and old. It makes all of life much richer, fuller, and more fun,” Teresa stated.
“I’m forever grateful we took this trip.”
Arshdeep Sarao contributed to this report.
Share your tales with us at [email protected], and proceed to get your day by day dose of inspiration by signing up for the Inspired e-newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/e-newsletter
