This 90-year-old woman travels the US with her dog

An elderly widow named Norma, diagnosed with cancer, decides to get into an RV and travel the United States with her dog, Ringo. It sounds like the plot of a movie, right? However, it is a very real story. The main character is Norma, a 90-year-old woman traveling with her dog, her son Tim and her daughter-in-law Ramie across the whole US.

From pain to hope: the story of Norma, Ringo, Tim and Ramie

Two days before her husband Leo died, doctors detected a tumor. The possible treatment was surgery followed by radiation and chemotherapy. So Norma decided to hit the road and get to know her country.

So that’s when she boarded her RV with her son, her daughter-in-law and poodle, Ringo, and began roadtripping throughout the United States. Norma and the dog have become inseparable.

It’s a story worthy of  road trip movie: a 90-year-old woman is diagnosed with cancer and travels through the country in an RV with her human family and her dog Ringo.

The benefits of having a pet

It is known that having a pet is good for people. In general, people who own a pet are healthier and happier. But for older adults, these creatures also have the power to free them from loneliness and depression. Having a dog helps us:

• Be more resistant to allergies.
• Keep our blood pressure under control.
• Reduce stress.
• Find the motivation to exercise.
• Regulate our cholesterol levels.
• Reduce the risk of heart disease.
• Be more likely to survive a heart attack.

It certainly appears that Ringo and his family are great for Norma who, despite her age and diagnosis, is happy and fulfilled in her new life.

Norma and Ringo’s road trip itinerary

This tiny, spunky woman has traveled with her dog, her son and daughter-in-law across much of the US territory. Among the many delights that she has experienced, we can highlight that:

• She visited Mount Rushmore (South Dakota).
• She flew in a hot air balloon (Palm Springs, California).
• In Florida, she went to Disneyland and to the Castillo de San Marcos.
• She saw bison in Yellowstone National Park.

In addition, she toured the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. There they received her with honors, since Norma had worked as a nurse during the war.

Her story went viral on social media because of this video, viewed by around 2.2 million people.

Driving Miss Norma and her poodle Ringo

Norma and Ringo’s story reminds us of the movies. In the late 90’s, a film called Driving Miss Daisy earned an Oscar for its protagonist, actress Jessica Tandy, who was around 80 years old.

The adventures of Norma, Ringo and the rest of her family are chronicled on the Facebook page “Driving Miss Norma,” with over 500,000 followers.

Source of images: Facebook of Driving Miss Norma