Rafting Adventure Gives Caregiver Grant Recipient Anna L. a New Outlook on Life
After losing her mother, Anna L. had lost her zest for life — until a radio advertisement on NPR about Road Scholar’s Caregiver Grants caught her attention. Little did she know that the grant — and her seven-day experience with fellow Road Scholars — would change her life in ways she could only imagine.
The youngest among her siblings, Anna was still living at home in California with her mom, Mary Louise, when Mary Louise was diagnosed with breast cancer 15 years ago. “It became my job to care for my mother,” says Anna. “My siblings thanked me for my sacrifice and for caring for her,” says Anna. “But I thought, what sacrifice? I enjoyed being with my mom. Even the hard parts of the job, like middle-of-the-night wakeups, timing her medications and cooking meals were all part of our life and didn’t bother me.”
From her initial diagnosis, Mary Louise gradually declined as complications from her medications began to arise.
“Taking care of mom for the last 15 years was the best unpaid ‘job’ I have ever had,” says Anna. “The doctors warned me that I was going to lose my mom soon, but I was shocked when the day arrived.”
Once Mary Louise passed away, Ana found herself alone. Applying for a Road Scholar Caregiver Grant, Anna was hopeful that a learning adventure would help her honor her mother’s memory and jumpstart her own life. Upon receiving the grant, Anna chose Rafting Grand Canyon’s Granite Gorge last fall. “This adventure helped me achieve two things mom always encouraged me to do: keep learning and to travel often. I wanted to show, by example, what a great job she did raising me.”
She was amazed at the physical fitness of everyone in her group despite being older than her. “It changed how I think about my health today,” says Anna. “I want to be as adventurous as they were. I also hope to be able to give back to Road Scholar in the future. These goals mean making changes in my life. Now, I’m inspired to make them.”
“My Road Scholar adventure was life-changing,” says Anna. “I’ve changed how I live and who I choose to spend time with. It wasn’t the place I chose, but rather the group of people who made my Grand Canyon experience such a success,” she says.
Anna is forever grateful to Road Scholar and the donors who supported her educational adventure. “Road Scholar’s generosity made it possible for me to honor my mother’s wish always to learn and travel often.”
Learn more about Road Scholar’s Caregiver Grants for yourself or someone you know.
