Elaine Wirth wheels onto a red carpet outside of her Spanish Fork assisted living center. The 76-year-old resident has had a few strokes and is in a wheelchair.
The thing to know about Wirth, though, is that she loves sports cars. She used to own a Thunderbird and had her eyes on a red convertible Mustang a couple of years ago. But because of her physical condition, her family was firmly against it.
That’s why it was such a big deal when one pulled up to meet her on a Saturday in late May.
“Wow, wow, wow,” she said as it stopped over the red carpet to take her for a ride.
This is part of a new bucket list program at Legacy House of Spanish Fork in Utah County. Think of it as “make-a-wish” for seniors. Wirth’s dream is the first to come true in the initiative.
Marketing and sales director Emma Sorensen developed the program for the facility, and she’s really passionate about it.
“People have this idea that they move into an assisted living and their story’s ending, when in reality, it's just another beginning of a cool and amazing chapter of their story,” she said.
Sorensen is getting the community involved to bridge generations and show that later life can still be fulfilling. She posted on a Spanish Fork facebook page asking if anyone had a red convertible Mustang. She said was surprised and overwhelmed by the positive response. People wanted to know what the next wish would be and how they could help.
Once Wirth’s seatbelt and USA sunglasses were on, the spunky grandma blew kisses to her family. She was ready to party in the convertible, decked out in red, white and blue with a lei, scarf and shirt.
As her family waved goodbye, she called, “Okay, may never be back!”
A burst of laughter faded into the distance as the Mustang zoomed away. Delighted by the purr of the engine, she said, “Listen to that music. Yes, yes, yes.”
Wirth’s granddaughter, Holly Hornbeck, came along and was very happy to see her grandma smile.
“I know she's super excited to at least get the ride,” Hornbeck said.
Sandra Lamb, the owner of the Mustang, volunteered for this as fast as she could. Knowing that Wirth likes the television show “Golden Girls,” Lamb remarked that the convertible ride “is a Golden Girl moment” of living your dreams, and Wirth agreed.
It was a special moment for Lamb, too. Her dad died two years ago at the age of 100, but she remembered taking him out for rides in that convertible.
“So I pull up in my dad's driveway and I said, ‘Dad, you want to go topless today?’ And he'd laugh and laugh, and we'd get in the car and he went for his topless ride,” she said.
Lamb bought this car for herself after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“It was the color red of love and happiness, and just brought joy to me when I was kind of in a dump at the time,” she said. “So I just finished my treatment, actually, about three months ago. So it’s been seven years, and I am good to go. So it's a celebration for me too.”
And Lamb said it makes her happy to share the joy. She turned to Wirth and said, “That’s why the door’s open. You can come call me for a ride anytime.”
But the ride wasn’t over for the new friends before a stop at McDonald’s for a cold treat. Lamb used to get ice cream with her dad every time she took him out for a ride.
As Wirth ate her cone and the car pulled back up to the assisted living center, Lamb honked, and the family cheered.
Wirth said she’s going to brag to her friends at Legacy House.
“I'm gonna say, ‘Well, I can die now. I'm happy, and I've had a nice, nice ride.’”
Legacy House has more wishes to fulfill. Sorensen, the marketing director, said one resident really wants to go golfing, but he isn’t mobile.
“So it's just going to be really fun to reach out to the community and see how else they can be creative in making these dreams happen,” she said.
Sorensen believes this program will bring people together and prove it’s never too late to live a dream.
