Ruby Holt had one wish for her 101st birthday: to see the ocean for the very first time.
She had spent most of her life working on a farm and raising four children in rural Tennessee and could never afford to take a 400-mile trip to the coast, the Associated Press reports.
But when Holt’s assisted-living center got in contact with the Wish of a Lifetime organization she was whisked away on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Gulf of Mexico.
“I’ve heard people talk about it and how wonderful it was and wanted to see it, but I never had the opportunity to do so,” she said.
Holt had been provided with a motorized wheelchair with thicker tires to roll on the sand. She was also able to take a walk along the beach and feel the sea on her toes.
Her reaction? “It’s cold,” she said.
Read more at the Associated Press.
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Write to Helen Regan at helen.regan@timeasia.com