We always enjoyed going to Las Vegas, but one trip was extra special. On this trip our daughter brought my mom out as a surprise. She had never flown on an airplane before and had just turned 80 years old. She experienced a lot of firsts that trip and Al made sure she enjoyed them all. Just being in Vegas, the lights, the food and Al knew all the best places to eat. He taught her how to play video poker, even being her eyes when she couldn’t see very well. For a week he made sure she saw all the sights. Oh, and all of this was while Mom was in a wheelchair. Al pushed her everywhere, helped her in and out of the van and never hesitated.

Mom’s favorite part of the trip? When he took her into Build a Bear! If you don’t know what that is, you go in pick out your bear, stuff it and get an outfit for it. It even comes with a birth certificate and the name you pick out. Mom had the best time there and asked Al if we could go again. Mom came home with three bears, from three different visits. Each visit with Al pushing her in that wheelchair, simply because she asked him to, and he loved her. Her favorite was a brown teddy bear she named Alan and dressed in a white sailor’s suit.