By Team Trilogy
“When I was 19, grandpa took me on a roller coaster. Up, down, up, down. Oh, what a ride! I always wanted to go again. It was so interesting to me, that a ride could make me scared, frightened, sick, excited and thrilled all together. Some didn’t like it and went on the merry-go-round instead. That just goes around. Nothing. I like the rollercoaster better. You get more out of it.”
-Helen Shaw, Grandma, Parenthood, 1989
Some women are born with a craving for adventure already coursing through their veins. These are the women who ride in the front seat of the rollercoaster, who won’t settle for the peaceful monotony of the merry-go-round, who would rather take a chance than take a break. These are women like Loraine, who has spent her senior years parasailing, skydiving, or, most recently, outside on the lawn of Springhurst Health Campus in Greenfield, Indiana, laughing on her back in freshly fallen snow.
Born a New Years’ Day in 1913, Loraine is 104 years old, but you wouldn’t know it. She’s lived at Springhurst Health Campus since 2014, and is still always on the lookout for her next adventure. When the first good snow fell, Springhurst staff members joked with Loraine about heading outside to make snow angels. Looking out the window at the untouched swatch of white, Loraine was struck with inspiration. Her eyes lit up. She smiled. “I haven’t made a snow angel since I was a kid!”
No one doubted that Loraine was serious. Staff members bundled her in warm clothes and led her outside. Loraine’s daughter happened to be visiting that day, and accompanied her as she clomped through the lawn in snow boots, looking for the perfect spot. Once she found it, she laid back and waved her arms and legs. Her fellow residents crowded at the windows to get a glimpse of Loraine making her snow angel.
Campus staff made sure to film Loraine’s adventure, and after getting Loraine’s permission, posted her excursion to Facebook and Twitter. In addition to reaching well over 20,000 people, it has since been picked up by RTV6 Indianapolis.
It’s not every day that a 104-year-old woman turns into an internet sensation, but then again, Loraine isn’t an ordinary 104-year-old woman. She’s taught us a lot of things while she’s been at Springhurst, the most recent being that you’re never too old to make a snow angel.
Our campuses are filled with inspiring men and women, and we love helping them live life to the fullest. Click here to find one near you.