In the life of Joy Ryan for ninety years, many events have happened, both joyful and bitter. But her family and loved ones have always come first, and her own dreams have only just happened to come true. Thanks to this story, we are convinced that it is possible to live “to the fullest” not only in youth.
The Joy family did not have much wealth. The woman lived all her life in the provincial town of Duncan Falls, where she worked in a supermarket. Together with her husband and children, of course, they went on vacation, but Joy never saw the sea.
Two of her three sons lived only 40 years, and twenty years ago the woman was widowed. Now her world has narrowed down to watching TV, and rare meetings with relatives. Everything changed with the arrival of a beloved grandson. The guy met several avid travelers in college and now shared his impressions of a trip to the Appalachians with Grandma Joy.
The elderly woman turned out to be a grateful listener, her curiosity and sincere regret that she could not visit such wonderful places made her grandson think. At the end of his studies, he experienced a serious shock, his best friend committed suicide. It was not easy for Brad to come to terms with the fact that life could end so abruptly and deprive you of a loved one. Grandmother was often sick and the guy realized that he had a chance to spend more time around and please her.
Then Joy was 85, but she did not hesitate to agree to keep Brad company. Their trip through the Smoky Mountains National Park inspired both of them. Despite a difference of several decades, they got along very well. Joy, filled with new impressions, was truly happy, and Brad realized that friendship and common interests are not tied to age.
He decided that their first trip should not be the only one, because Joy had not seen so much yet! The modest income did not allow them to spoil the grandmother and Brad told their story on a crowdfunding platform. He shared with users that he wants to show her all 61 US national parks. Very soon, he was helped to raise an amount that far exceeded the originally stated. And in the comments, many people regretted that at one time they did not think of giving the same gift to their loved ones.
Now a seasoned and experienced traveler, Joy has visited almost half of the country’s national parks and is determined to see the rest. Her grandson enjoys doubly – he travels in pleasant company and rejoices, seeing how happy she is.
And photo reports, where Joy always appears against the backdrop of magnificent views, are regularly published on Brad’s Instagram. By the way, Joy already knows what she wants to do when she visits all the designated places – the woman got excited about the idea of jumping with a parachute.
