"It made me feel alive again": 92-year-old's boyhood dream of skiing finally fulfilled
A 92-year-old man from the U.K. had always dreamed of skiing, but thought he was now too old to pick up the extreme sport. Staff members at the senior home where he lives heard about his wish and encouraged him to dream big.
Robert "Bob" Trulocke made it known at Care UK's Millers Grange senior living facility that he always wanted to go skiing. He said did get close once when he and his wife, Renee, went camping in Switzerland decades ago.
They took a ski lift up a mountain but there was one problem — it was summer, so they couldn't ski down the slope. Trulocke described skiing as his "boyhood ambition," but thought he missed his chance.
Millers Grange has a "Wishing Tree" initiative which encourages residents to try new things — even if they think they're too old. Staff members thought Trulocke's wish was a perfect one to fulfill. So they reached out to Snozone, a local indoor snow slope, and arranged a trip for Trulocke.
Video of the trip shows Trulocke first walking into Snozone using a walker — but soon, he looks like a kid again, smiling from ear to ear as he slides down the indoor slope.
Snozone provided Trulocke with an accessible ski, which looks like a sled and allowed him to sit down while he descended the slope. Trulocke, who says he's always been adventurous, loved the experience, according to a press release from Millers Grange.
"Made me feel like I was living once more," Trulocke said in the video about the ski experience, "It made me feel alive again."
Using the accessible ski, he also got to try the Olympic sport slalom, which ended up being his favorite part. "Weaving in and out, and whizzing down the slope — it made me feel alive," Trulocke said in the press release. "Age doesn't have to hold you back from your dreams, and I hope I proved that today."
Millers Grange hopes to help all of their residents achieve their dreams. "Residents are empowered to take up any activity they choose — from flying on a plane to enjoying a fish and chip supper, no wish is too big or small," the press release reads.
Jim Macleod, customer relations manager at Millers Grange, said a person's journey does not end when they move into a care home. "It's actually the start of a new journey. And the only thing that should change when somebody moves into a care home is their postal code," Macleod said.
Trulocke said he wants to thank everyone involved in making his boyhood dream come true. "It was fantastic to finally get to ski, especially as I'd given up trying to make it happen myself. ... I had a wonderful day that I will never forget," he said.
