A 90-year-old Michigan woman is spending the last phase of her life travelling across the U.S. instead of undergoing cancer treatment.
Norma has been on the road in a motor home since August of 2015.
She is accompanied by her son, Tim, daughter-in-law, Ramie and their eight-year-old poodle, Ringo.
Norma decided to go on a road trip last August after a doctor diagnosed her with uterine cancer – two days after her husband died.
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Instead of spending the last phase of her life in a nursing home, she chose to go on a road trip – a decision her doctor supported.
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“There is no guarantee she will survive the initial surgery,” her doctor said in a Facebook post written by Ramie. “You are doing exactly what I would want to do in this situation. Have a fantastic trip!”
Since the start of her travel, Norma has visited various locations across the U.S from the Grand Canyon to the Kennedy Space Center.
“She continues to surprise us on this trip,” Ramie told ABC News. “She’s getting healthier, I think, from eating well and being outside a lot. She’s breathing fresh air and getting to see new things all the time.”
Ramie runs the Facebook page Driving Miss Norma that documents their on-going travels. More than 140,000 people have “liked” the page.
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Ramie hopes Norma’s travels will inspire families to discuss their end-of-life plans.
“Everyone has different ideas about how they want the end of their life to work,” Raimie told ABC News. “As a planet, we need to have this conversation.”
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